Hydropsyche hamifera, Oláh & Johanson, 2008

Oláh, J. & Johanson, K. A., 2008, Generic review of Hydropsychinae, with description of Schmidopsyche, new genus, 3 new genus clusters, 8 new species groups, 4 new species clades, 12 new species clusters and 62 new species from the Oriental and Afrotropical regions (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae), Zootaxa 1802, pp. 1-248 : 78

Hydropsyche hamifera species clade

Fig. 118–121

The H. hamifera species clade was established by Mey (2003). The species in the clade are characterized by having reduced apical membranous endothecal lobes, being replaced by the sclerotized part of the phallotheca. The phallotheca is deeply cleft apically, and together with the sclerotized phallotremal tongue in the middle, the apex of the phallic apparatus becomes trifid. The membranous subapical appendages originate basally, behind the phallotrema and constitute a pair of endothecal appendages. The tip of the phallic apparatus is entirely sclerotized and trifid. The phallotremal tongue is scarcely broader than the lateral lobes.

Due to the high number of species in this clade we have found it practical to divide it further into species clusters based on morphological characteristics in the genitalia. The species clusters are not characterized by synapomorphies, but rather by morphological similarities, and constitute therefore not necessarily monophyletic groups. The sclerotized trifid apex of the phallic apparatus, segment IX with its long apical lobe and pos teriorly shifted dorsum, and the elongating segment X with long digitiform and ventrad curving apicoventral setose lobes, are all rather conservative and uniform characters within this clade. In establishing clusters of the 41 species of the H. hamifera species clade we found that the formation of the intersegmental connection between segments IX and X constitute a complex of characters: (1) the high or low position of the granulous surface of the median keel on dorsum IX in relation to dorsum X; (2) the angle of the stepwise intersegmental depression between segments IX and X; (3) the step depth; (4) the basal position of the apicodorsal setose lobes; and (5) the size of the apicodorsal setose process.