Ecclisomyia, Banks, 1907

Givens, Donald R., 2018, The Nearctic Ecclisomyia species (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae), Zootaxa 4413 (2), pp. 201-259 : 204

Diagnosis of genus Ecclisomyia

Taxonomic characters useful in the characterization of the adult male are: the inferior appendages each appearing as a single segment bearing slender spines ( E. maculosa and E. simulata ), a stout spine ( E. conspersa ), or no spines ( E. bilera ); the parameres paired in E. bilera and E. conspersa , and fused in E. maculosa and E simulata ; the forewings narrow, elongate, and with complete venation ( Schmid 1998). Wing venation is complete in the most primitive lineages; the venation consisting of the costal (C), subcostal (Sc), radial (R), medial (M), cubital (Cu), and anal (A) longitudinal veins ( Schmid 1998, Holzenthal et al. 2007). In the Ecclisomyia forewing, the subcosta does not branch; the radius consists of 5 veins, R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5, all ending at the wing margin; the media consists of 3 veins, M1, M2, M3+4, also ending at the wing margin; the cubitus consists of 3 veins ending at the wing margin, Cu1a, Cu1b, and Cu2; and the anal veins A3, A2, and A1 merge successively to form the composite A1+A2+A3 vein that ends on the wing margin at the arculus ( Fig. 14 ). The discoidal and thyridial cells are long, much longer than their petioles; the discoidal cell is 3 times as long as its petiole ( Banks 1907; Schmid 1998) ( Fig. 14 ). The antennal scape is large ( Nimmo 1971). The external part of gonopod VIII is sclerotized, may be wrinkled. The female has segment IX large, massive; segment X is conical; the external part of gonopod IX of E. conspersa , E. simulata , and E. maculosa is divided into two lobes distally ( Nimmo 1971). The external part of gonopod IX is not lobed in E. bilera . Schmid (1998) stated that the spur formula may be 1-2-4 or 1-3-4 on each of the legs on one side, respectively; the males and females of E. bilera and E. conspersa have a spur formula of 1-2-4, while the males and females of E. maculosa and E. simulata have a spur formula of 1-3-4.

Characteristic of the Ecclisomyia larvae are single-filament gills; chloride epithelia on the venter of abdominal segments III–VII. The metanota of Ecclisomyia larvae have 3 pairs of sclerites, the sclerites in the sa 1 and sa 2 positions are large; the sa1 and sa 2 sclerites are large in relation to the metanotal surface area ( Wiggins 1996).

The pupae also have single-filament gills. The lepidostomatoid shape of the apical processes is distinctive for Ecclisomyia pupae ( Flint 1960). The pupal stages may be distinguished by the differences in gill arrangement and the structure of the apical processes.

The larval cases of the Ecclisomyia are narrow, straight, with attached long pieces of plant material ( Wiggins 1996). The cases are composed of both small pebbles and plant material, with long pieces of plant material attached near the anterior of the larval cases and angled outward from the case.

Figures

FIGURE 14. Ecclisomyia conspersa Banks, right forewing, dorsal. Abbreviations: Veins: A1, A2, A3 = anal veins 1, 2, and 3 respectively; C = costa; Cu1a, Cu1b, Cu2 = cubital veins 1a, 1b, and 2, respectively; M1, M2, M3+4 = medial veins 1, 2, and 3+4, respectively; R1, R2, R3, R4, R5 = radial veins 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively; Sc = subcostal vein. Crossveins: m-cu = medio-cubital crossvein; r-m = radio-medial crossvein; s = sectoral crossvein. Cells: dc = discoidal cell, tc = thyridial cell. Forks: I, II, III, V = first, second, third, and fifth apical forks, respectively.