Haploperla valentinae, Stark & Sivec, 2009

Stark, Bill P. & Sivec, Ignac, 2009, Sweltsa Wui And Haploperla Valentinae (Plecoptera: Chloroperlidae), Two New Stoneflies From Sichuan Province, China, Illiesia 5 (14), pp. 156-163 : 162

Haploperla valentinae sp. n.

( Figs. 9-18 )

Material examined. Holotype ♂, 3 ♂ and 5 ♀ paratypes from China, Sichuan Province, Pitiao River, Balangshan Pass , 2700-4000 m, 1-4 June 1991, H.B., I. Sivec ( PMSL, 1 paratype-BPS). Additional specimen: Type locality, same collecting data, 1 larva ( PMSL).

Adult habitus. General color pale yellow patterned with pale brown. Pronotum bearing an obscure pale brown, median band, meso and metanotae dark brown U-patterns with a strong mesal prong ( Figs. 11, 14 ). Abdomen with a median longitudinal brown band from segments 1-8, but terga 1 and 8 with brown areas reduced to small anterior spots; brown areas on terga 2-7 cover most of tergal length but include a pair of small, circular pale areas on each segmental band. Legs and wings pale.

Male. Forewing length 6 mm. Tergum 9 without posterior lobe, but bearing a mesal patch of short, thick setae ( Fig.12 ). Epiproct short, length ca. 186 µm and about as wide as long ( Figs. 9 , 12 ); outline subtriangular with rounded margin in dorsal aspect; margin strongly sclerotized but posterodorsal area membranous and clothed with sparse patch of short, brown setae ( Figs. 9-10 , 13, 17 ).

Female. Forewing length 7 mm. Subgenital plate slightly produced as a small rounded lobe clothed with long setae ( Fig. 15 ). Intersegmental area posterior to sternum 9 bearing a large median microtrichia patch.

Larva. Body length ca. 7 mm. General color brown, pattern questionable due to pharate adult features. Pronotum bearing well developed setal rows on anterior and posterior margins, but interrupted on lateral margins leaving a large gap ( Fig. 16 ). Cerci with ca. 12 segments; each segment with prominent dorsal and ventral seta in lateral aspect ( Fig. 18 ).

Etymology. The species name honors Dr. Valentina Teslenko, Vladivostok for her numerous contributions to the knowledge of Plecoptera .

Diagnosis. Haploperla lepnevae and H. ussurica , the two species reported from China, both have triangular epiprocts with narrow tips ( Zhiltzova & Zwick 1971) and H. zwicki Stark & Sivec , known from Thailand, has a much more distinctly pigmented pronotal disk than the new species.

Figures

Figs. 5-10. Scanning electron micrographs of male genitalia. Sweltsa wui (5-8). 5. Terminalia, dorsal. 6. Epiproct, dorsal. 7. Epiproct, lateral. 8. Epiproct surface detail, frontal aspect. Haploperla valentinae (9-10). 9. Terminalia, dorsal. 10. Epiproct, dorsoapical margin.

Figs. 11-18. Haploperla valentinae. 11. Adult head and pronotum. 12. Male terminalia, dorsal. 13. Epiproct, dorsal. 14. Metanotal U-suture. 15. Female sterna 8-9. 16. Larval head and pronotum. 17. Epiproct, lateral. 18. Larval cercal segments 9-10, lateral.