Sweltsa pocahontas Kirchner & Kondratieff, 1988

Stark, Bill P., Kondratieff, Boris C., Kirchner, Ralph F. & Stewart, Kenneth W., 2011, Larvae Of Eight Eastern North American Sweltsa (Plecoptera: Chloroperlidae), Illiesia 7 (4), pp. 51-64 : 59-60

Sweltsa pocahontas Kirchner & Kondratieff

( Figs. 31-35 )

Sweltsa pocahontas Kirchner & Kondratieff, 1988:233 .

Holotype ♂ ( United States National Museum), West Virginia, Pocahontas Co., Monongahela National Forest , Right Fork of Tea Creek

Material examined. MARYLAND: Garrett Co., Spring to Elk Lick Run , Westernport Rd , 1.7 mi upstream Savage River confluence, 17 May 1995, S.A. Grubbs, 2♀, 3 larvae ( WKU) . WEST VIRGINIA: Pocahontas Co.: North Fork Cherry River, Hwy 39/53, 17 May 1993, B.C. Kondratieff, R . F. Kirchner, 8♂, 1♀, 2 pharate larvae ( BCK) .

Mature larva. Body length 8.5-9.0 mm. General color brown, without distinctive pigment pattern except underlying adult features in pharate individuals. Pronotum bearing ca. 16 anterolateral setae near margin and ca. 17 posterolateral setae ( Fig. 31 ); both setal rows extend near median suture. Mesonotum bearing ca. 10 long outer marginal setae and an irregular submarginal row of ca. 6 setae beyond basal grouping ( Fig. 32 ). Metanotum with numerous intercalary setae on wingpad and an outer marginal row of mostly short thick setae extending to apex of wingpad; a few inner marginal setae on meso and metanota. Fore femora with a sparse grouping of several fringe setae and a few long thick setae along dorsal margin ( Fig. 33 ); additional thick setae on femoral surface and along ventral margin; fore tibiae fringed along outer margin and bearing three long outer setae and ca. 9 thick inner setae. Abdominal tergum 8 with posterior fringe incomplete mesally; lateral intercalary cluster includes ca. 12 setae ( Fig. 34 ). Cerci with ca. 18 segments; long dorsal setae in apical segmental whorls about as long as 1.75 segments ( Fig. 35 ).

Comments. As Surdick (2004) noted, this species is restricted to the Ridge and Valley Province and Allegheny Plateau of West Virginia and Maryland. It is sympatric with S. lateralis and may also be sympatric with S. palearata . Larvae of S. lateralis and S. pocahontas generally occur in headwater seeps and rheocrenes. The two species can be distinguished on the basis of dorsal cercal setation length which in S. pocahontas is about as long as 1.5 cercal segments whereas in S. lateralis these setae are typically as long as two segments.Also the larvae of S. palearata may be distinguished from similar S. hoffmani by the absence of intercalary setae on tergum 10. See additional comments above for S. lateralis .

Figures

Figs. 31-35. Sweltsa pocahontas larval structures. 31. Head and pronotum. 32. Mesonotum and metanotum. 33. Right foreleg. 34. Abdominal terga 8-10. 35. Lateral aspect of cercus, dorsum left.