Neoperla socia, Zwick & Zwick, 2023

Zwick, Peter & Zwick, Andreas, 2023, Revision of the African Neoperla Needham, 1905 (Plecoptera: Perlidae: Perlinae) based on morphological and molecular data, Zootaxa 5316 (1), pp. 1-194 : 130-131

7 Penis straight, its annulated tip soft. Spinose part of endophallus not much longer than the tube, the wide basal half dorsally with a wide spine field, ventrally with a row or a narrow band of many small spines, the long and narrow distal section is bare ( Fig. 440 ).............................................................................. 77 N. socia n. sp.

7' Entire penis tube moderately sclerotised. The spiny section of the endophallus is at least twice longer than the penis (e. g., Figs. 445 , 452 )............................................................................................ 8

8 Penis ventrally with an empty caecum as long as the penis is wide, or longer ( Figs. 451–454 )..........................

Figures

FIGURES 439–442. Neoperla socia n. sp., from Mutwanga. ♁ paratype (NEOP307): 439, abdominal tip, dorsal view, tergites and hemitergite 10 labeled; 440, penis with everted endophallus and detail of armature at site indicated by white arrow; the yellow arrow points at the annulated penis tip. ♀ paratype (NEOP306): 441, genital situs, sternites 7 and 8 labeled, the spermatheca happens to lie on top of the nail; 442, fragment of an egg with flanged costae; arrow indicates a micropyle in a sulcus. Scales are 100µm, unless differently indicated. n, nail; sa, spermatheca; SSt, spermathecal stalk; V, vagina.

FIGURES 443–449. Neoperla sjostedti sjostedti Klapálek: ♁ from Pretoria: 443, 444, terminal segments in dorsal and lateral views; arrows indicate the low crest in the sclerotised area on T8, tergites, hemitergite 10 and cercus labeled; 445, penis of male from Mbotyi Forest, black arrow points at the rudimentary caecum, open arrows at the location of details; 446, penis, diagammatic, shades are spinose areas. Penes and details of armature to the same scales, respectively. Female from Kenia, Kakamega Rain Forest Reserve: 447, genital situs; 448, egg (not to scale). 449, ♀ Holotype, genital situs. sa, spermatheca; SSt, spermathecal stalk; V, vagina.

FIGURES 450–457. Neoperla sjostedti needhami Lestage and N. sp. aff. sjostedti. N. s. needhami: 450, 451, abdominal tip and contracted penis of the N. needhami lectotype; 452, ♁ from Pampana, Sierra Leone; 453, ♁ from Tukuyu, Tansania; 454, ♁ from Illubabaor, Ethiopia. Scales are 0.5mm, except for the details in 451; asterisks identify the caecum of penis. 455, 456, ♀ genital situs and an egg, Ethiopia, NW of Chora. N. sp. aff. N. sjostedti (by DNA) from Mentchum River, Cameroon: 457, ♀ genital situs. Scale is 100µm. Scales are 100µm; n, nail; sa, spermatheca; SSt, spermathecal stalk; V, vagina.