Sialis elegans, Liu, Xingyue & Yang, Ding, 2006

Liu, Xingyue & Yang, Ding, 2006, Revision of the genus Sialis from Oriental China (Megaloptera: Sialidae), Zootaxa 1108, pp. 23-35 : 27

Sialis elegans sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 & 7–9 )

Diagnosis. Body black with orange pronotum; male genital plate small with hook­like tip; lateral plate posteriorly produced mesally; female eighth sternite suboval, moderately sclerotized except for an anteromedial subtriangular area, posteriorly with U­shaped notch.

Description. Male. Forewing length 15 mm, hindwing length 14 mm.

Head black; antenna blackish brown, compound eyes brown.

Thorax black with pronotum orange. Legs dark brown. Wings pale brown with forewings much darker on proximal half; veins dark brown.

Abdomen black. Ninth sternite broad, directed vertically ventrad, in caudal view semicircular medially with posterior margin slightly incised. Terminal plate short, in lateral view with acute tip. Genital plate strongly sclerotized; proximal portion and median portion expanded laterally, respectively forming pair of subtriangular lobes, with proximal lobes much larger and more sclerotized; apex hook­like, slender, curved ventrad. Lateral plate broad; in lateral view T­shaped and distinctly produced posteriorly; in caudal view subquadrate with lower distal portion distinctly produced and slightly incurved.

Female. Forewing length 15.1–17.5 mm, hindwing length 13.2–16.7 mm.

Seventh sternite with truncate posterior margin. Eighth sternite suboval, moderately sclerotized except for an anteromedial subtriangular area, posteriorly with U­shaped notch. Ninth abdominal segment ventrally with a narrow membranous plate.

Type materials. Holotype ɗ, CHINA: Yunnan, Lushui, Yaojiaping, 2500 m, 1981. VI.6, X.Z. Zhang ( CAU). Paratypes: 1 Ψ, same data as holotype ( CAU); 2 ΨΨ, CHINA: Yunnan, Lushui, Yaojiaping, 2500 m, 1981. VI.4, S.Y. Wang; 1 Ψ, CHINA: Yunnan, Lushui, Yaojiaping, 2500 m, 1981. VI.5, X.Z. Zhang ( CAU); 1 Ψ, CHINA: Yunnan, Lushui, Pianma, 2300 m, 1981. V.29, S.Y. Wang ( CAU); 2 ΨΨ, CHINA: Yunnan, Lushui, Pianma, 3100 m, 1981. V.30, S.Y. Wang ( CAU).

Distribution. China (Yunnan).

Etymology. The specific epithet “ elegans ” refers to the elegant appearance of the adult.

Remarks. The new species seems to be closely related to S. versicoloris sp. nov. in having an orange pronotum, but it can be separated from S. versicoloris by the strongly sclerotized terminal plate, the simply hooked genital plate, and the lateral plate distinctly produced backward. In S. versicoloris , the terminal plate is feebly sclerotized, the genital plate is more complicated, and the lateral plate is produced dorsally.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. Habitus photos of the Sialis species from Oriental China. 1. S. elegans sp. nov. (Paratype). 2. S. jianfengensis Yang, Yang & Hu (Holotype). 3. S. kunmingensis sp. nov. (Holotype).

FIGURES 7 – 9. Genitalia of Sialis elegans sp. nov. 7. Male genitalia, lateral view. 8. Male genitalia, caudal view. 9. Female genitalia, ventral view. Scale lines: 0.5 mm.