Ephemera (Sinephemera) purpurata Ulmer, 1919

Lei, Zhi-Ming & Zhou, Chang-Fa, 2024, The subgenus Sinephemera Kluge, 2004 in China (Ephemeroptera: Ephemeridae: Ephemera Linnaeus, 1758), Zootaxa 5517 (1), pp. 1-68 : 40-44

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5517.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B73493AB-2F80-43B2-9396-218EC54A0472
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/C513C56F-053E-C13C-FF11-FEE0F178FB73
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Ephemera (Sinephemera) purpurata Ulmer, 1919
status

Treatment

Ephemera (Sinephemera) purpurata Ulmer, 1919 View in CoL ( Figs 39–44 View FIGURE 39 View FIGURE 40 View FIGURE 41 View FIGURE 42 View FIGURE 43 View FIGURE 44 , 64 View FIGURE 64 )

Ephemera purpurata Ulmer, 1919: 8 View in CoL (male imagine, incomplete subimagine; syntypes from Kouy-Tcheou , Guizhou province, China)

Ephemera purpurata View in CoL — Ulmer, 1925: 93; Wu, 1935: 248; Ulmer, 1935–1936: 213; Hsu, 1937: 435 (male imagine); Uéno, 1969: 234; Gui, 1985: 95; You et Gui, 1995: 107 (male imagine); Zhang et al., 1995: 75; Hwang et Bae, 2008: 116 (mentioned); Hwang et al., 2008: 163 (list); Zhou, 2013: 186 (list); Zhou et al., 2015: 235 (list); Kluge, 2004: 237 (list, subgenus incertae sedis); Sartori et al., 2016: 57 (type depository).

Description

Nymph (first description): Body length 12.0–13.0 mm, caudal filaments 6.0–7.0 mm ( Fig. 39 View FIGURE 39 ). Body pale to golden, with distinct stripes on abdomen; all parts with golden hair-like setae. Frons slightly longer than wide, lateral margins straight, with a broad anteromedian concavity reaching half the lentgth of frons, two projections of frons slightly convergent ( Fig. 40A View FIGURE 40 ). Mouthparts: all parts as usual for the genus except that left mandibular tusk distinctly longer than right one ( Fig. 39 View FIGURE 39 ): left one subequal to head length in dorsal view but right one only half of its length ( Fig. 40A View FIGURE 40 ); structures of mandibles similar to other species ( Figs 40A View FIGURE 40 , 41F–G View FIGURE 41 ). Legs similar to those of other species ( Figs 40C–E View FIGURE 40 ). Fore- and midfemora with three rows longitudinal hair-like setae, one on middle, the other two on margins; hindfemora with setae on margins only. Tergites I–II with very shallow median hump ( Fig. 40B View FIGURE 40 ). Pronotum with two longitudinal stripes, all margins brown ( Figs 39A,C View FIGURE 39 , 40A View FIGURE 40 ). All margins of tergites I–X pigmented deep chocolate to black, posterior margin usually red; tergites I–II with pair of very oblique chocolate stripes separated by pale portion, sometimes very close together; tergites III–X with three pairs of deep chocolate stripes, lateral pair slightly more oblique than two median ones; median pair usually shorter than others and convergent anteriorly; stripes of tergite X narrow, sometimes indistinct ( Figs 39A, C View FIGURE 39 ). Sternites III–IX with pair of deep chocolate stripes, posterior margins of sternites I–IX reddish ( Figs 39B, D View FIGURE 39 ). Gills I, V–VII at middle of lateral margin of tergites, gills II–IV at posterolateral angles. Gills morphology similar to other species ( Figs 40F, G View FIGURE 40 ).

Male imagine (see Ulmer, 1919 or Hsu, 1936 –1938). Forewings with two red transverse bands, one in middle, one near outer apex, C and Sc fields of forewing tinged with red to purple ( Figs 42A, E View FIGURE 42 ); bases of MP 2 and CuA unfused, A 1 with ca. 12 veinlets ( Fig. 42G View FIGURE 42 ). Hindwings with three to four red dots in the middle, basal half of R 1 surrounded with red pigments ( Fig. 42F View FIGURE 42 ). Fore- and midcoxae with brown stripes ( Fig. 42A View FIGURE 42 ). Tergites I–II with indistinct to invisible median ridge ( Fig. 42C View FIGURE 42 ). Color patter of body and abdomen similar to that of nymph but much more distinct. Stripes of tergite IX widened, making entire tergum deep chocolate ( Figs 42A View FIGURE 42 , 43A View FIGURE 43 ); stripes on sternite IX widened and usually well marked, look like whole sternite IX black ( Figs 42A View FIGURE 42 , 43B View FIGURE 43 ). Genitalia: Styliger plate pale ocher to light reddish, posterior margin slightly concave; apical half of forceps black, basal half pale; penes relatively long, apex acute, spear-shaped ( Figs 42D, H View FIGURE 42 ).

Female imagine: Similar to male but body and bands of forewing less distinct ( Figs 42B View FIGURE 42 , 43C–D View FIGURE 43 ). Forewings with several separate chocolate dots or markings, vein Sc pigmented red to scarlet; almost all crossveins tinged with chocolate to red ( Fig. 44D View FIGURE 44 ); MP 2 unfused with CuA at base. Hindwings with red median dots and red basal half of Sc, out margin tinged reddish ( Fig. 44E View FIGURE 44 ). Forecoxae with red dots, mid- and hindcoxae without them ( Figs 44A–C View FIGURE 44 ).

Male subimagine: Body length 15.0–16.0 mm, caudal filaments 14.0–15.0 mm, forewing 11.0–12.0 mm, hindwing 5.0– 5.5 mm. Similar to male imagine but duller, color pattern of wing and body similar to male, both forewings and hindwings with clear reddish median band and dots; tergites I–II with very shallow median ridge.

Female subimagine: Body length 18.0–19.0 mm, forewings 15.0–16.0 mm, 5.0–6.0 mm, caudal filaments 14.0– 15.0 mm. Similar to female imagine but paler.

Diagnosis: In nymph, this species is characterized by unequal mandibular tusks ( Figs 39 View FIGURE 39 , 40A View FIGURE 40 , 41F–G View FIGURE 41 ). In male, this species can be identified by: (1) reddish body, (2) both wings with median dots, (3) abdominal color pattern (tergites I–II with two unfused oblique stripes, tergites III–X with three pairs of stripes), and spear-shaped penes. In female, both forewings and hindwings have median dots.

Comparison: The abdominal color pattern of this species is very similar to E. axillaris , but the latter species have no dot on wings ( Figs 2 View FIGURE 2 , 4A, C View FIGURE 4 , 5D–E View FIGURE 5 ), and its stripes on abdominal tergites I–II are fused at middle forming a crescent shape ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 ). The penes are also different: the penes of E. axillaris are wider, shorter and blunter ( Figs 4H–I View FIGURE 4 ) than in E. purpurata ( Figs 42D, H View FIGURE 42 ).

The penes of E. purpurata are similar to those of E. pictipennis ( Figs 42D, H View FIGURE 42 ; Figs 30G–H View FIGURE 30 ). But the color patterns on wings and abdomen of these species are different. Generally, E. pictipennis is white and brown ( Figs 29 View FIGURE 29 , 32 View FIGURE 32 ) while E. purpurata is red and brown ( Figs 42–43 View FIGURE 42 View FIGURE 43 ).

Remarks: The asymmetrical mandibles occurring in this species were reported by McCafferty & Edmunds (1973) for the south Indian species Ephemera nadinae McCafferty & Edmunds, 1973 as the subgeneric character of Aethephemera McCafferty & Edmunds, 1973. The frons of these two species are totally different: frons of E. nadinae has strongly curved lateral margins while those margins of E. pictipennis are straight. Exact function and working manner of such mandibles are not know.

Material examined: CHINA: 20 nymphs, Che-Ba-Lin Museum , Guangdong province, leg. Zhen-Xing Ma, 2020- IX-13 ; 1 ♀ imagine, same locality of the former, leg. Qing-Bu Huo, 2020-IX-8 ; 1 ♀ imagine, Ceng-Wang-Lao Mt., Tianlin county , Guangxi province, leg. Xu-Hong-Yi Zheng, 2020-VIII-24 ; 5 ♂ subimagines, 3 ♀ imagines, Libuo , Guizhou province, leg. Yu-Zhou Du, 1994- VII- 6 ; 1 nymph, Pan-Zhai village, Sangjiang town, Jiangping county , Guizhou province, leg. Peng Li & Jia-Yong Zhang, 2001-VIII-16 ; 2 nymphs, Tiaoshui village, Fengchen town, Tianzhu county , Guizhou province, leg. Peng Li & Jia-Yong Zhang, 2004-VIII-13 ; 2 nymphs, Wuyan bridge, Molan , Guizhou province, leg. Zhen-Xing Ma & Xu-Hong-Yi Zheng, 2019- VII- 27 ; 10 nymphs, Danjiang village, Pingyang town, Yongjiang county , Guizhou province, leg. Peng Li & Zhi-Jie Wang, 2005-IX-13–17 ; 30 nymphs, Lianhuaping, Leishan county , Guizhou province, leg. Peng Li & Zhi-Jie Wang, 2005-IX-17 ; 1 ♀ imagine, Baimaoping, Shaoyang county , Hunan province, leg. Zhen-Xing Ma, 2020-VIII-23 ; 1 nymph, Xiansi Ken, Mangshan Mt. , Hunan province, leg. Zhen-Xing Ma, 2020-IX-7 ; 5 nymphs, Jiulianshan protection, Jiangxi province, leg. Zhen-Xing Ma, 2020-IX-14 ; 4 nymphs, Liaohe river, Fongxing county , Jiangxi province, leg. Juan-Yan Luo, 2015- VII- 31 ; 3 nymphs, Luxi bridge, Wuyuan county , Jiangxi province, leg. Juan-Yan Luo, 2015-VIII-11 ; 10 nymphs, Tianmengshan, Wuyuan county , Jiangxi province, leg. Juan-Yan Luo & Xiao-Fei Luo, 2015-VIII-12 ; 6 nymphs, Zuoxi, Qingyuan county , Zhejiang province, leg. Chao-Dong Zhu & Chang-Fa Zhou, 1994-VIII-9 ; 5 nymphs, Beixi stream, Jianglin county , Zhejiang province, Zhen-Xing Ma & Xu-Hong-Yi Zheng, 2020-VIII-10 ; 1 ♂ imagine, Ying-Zui-Jie, Huitong county , Hunan province, 2023- VII- 15 , leg. Xiao Yang; THAILAND: 1 ♂ imagine, Puea Tat Man waterfalls, Nan Chiang Klang District , leg. Kun Jiang & Jing-Yi Liang, 2018-VIII-20 .

The type specimens of E. purpurata are deposited in Zoological Museum of Hamburg ( Sartori et al., 2016). Distribution ( Fig. 64 View FIGURE 64 ): China (Guizhou, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangxi); Thailand .