Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) vermiculata Flint, 1978

Sganga, Julieta V., Sganga, Daniela E. & Iglesias, Monica S., 2022, Review and redescription of species in the brasiliana group of Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) (Trichoptera, Hydropsychidae, Smicrideinae): exploration of the utility of geometric morphometrics as a method for delimitation and characterization of species in the genus, ZooKeys 1111, pp. 389-412 : 389

Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) vermiculata Flint, 1978

Figs 1C , 5A-D

Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) vermiculata Flint, 1978: 381. Marinoni and de Almeida 2000: 286 [distribution; biology]. Blahnik et al. 2004: 4 [distribution]. Paprocki et al. 2004: 9 [checklist]. Sganga 2006: 142 [distribution]. Calor 2011: 321 [checklist]. Paprocki and França 2014: 36 [checklist]. Holzenthal and Calor 2017: 186 [catalog].

Material examined.

Argentina • 27 males; Misiones, Oberá, Centro de Investigación y Refugio de Selva Antonia Ramos , A ° Ramos ; 17 Nov. 2013; JV Sganga col.; light trap .

Description.

Adult male. General coloration of the body brown. Length of forewings 4.5 mm (n = 22), coloration similar to that of the body, with a distinct transverse, white band subapically.

Head (Fig. 1C ). In dorsal view rectangular, transverse. Internal margins of the eyes, in dorsal view, convergent, postgenal areas triangular. Interocular area trapezoidal. Interocular distance 1.85 × shorter than MHW. Coronal suture 1.47 × shorter than IOD. Maximum eye width 4.35 × shorter than MHW. Anterolateral setose warts present, oval, bifid posteriorly, with mesal lobe shorter than the lateral. Posterior setose warts subtriangular, with a digitate mesal lobe. Maxillary palp formula: I-II-IV-III-V.

Male genitalia. Anterolateral margin of segment IX rounded, produced. Tergum of segment X triangular in lateral view, dorsal margin straight, ventral slightly rounded, with a subapical lobe, and a sclerotized Y-shaped area directed anteriorly through segment IX (Fig. 5A ); in dorsal view divided mesally into two triangular hemitergites, with apex rounded and bearing a lateral lobe, mesal margins straight, with an anterior notch (Fig. 5B ). Inferior appendages with two articules, basal article slightly widened distally, apical one curved mesad in dorsal view, apex pointed (Fig. 5A, B ). Phallus long, with a tubular phallobase; basal portion broad, forming an angle of ~ 90° with distal part, which is very long and with apex slightly upturned (Fig. 4A ); phallus bears subapically four spines mesoventrally on each side, which are directed posteriorly (Fig. 5A, C, D ). Internal sclerotized section of ejaculatory duct long (~ 1/2 the phallobase length) and bent ventrad anteriorly in lateral view, distal end curved upwards and with a posterior concavity (Fig. 5A, C ); in dorsal view longitudinally divided in two (Fig. 5D ). Endotheca simple.

Systematic considerations.

This species seems to be related to S. (R.) dentifera Flint, 1983 and S. (R.) unguiculata . The three species have simple ejaculatory ducts and lateroventral spines at the apex of the phallus. The features that allow the differentiation of S. vermiculata are the position of the spines of the phallus (it has 4 mesoventral spines on each side directed posteriorly), the ejaculatory duct that is curved upwards and bears a posterior concavity, and the presence of the apicolateral lobe on tergum X.

Distribution.

Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay.

Figures

Figure 1. Heads in dorsal view of the species of the Smicridea brasiliana group A Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) brasiliana B S. (R.) weidneri C S. (R.) vermiculata D S. (R.) atrobasis E S. (R.) nanda. Abbreviations: CSL length of the coronal suture, IOD interocular distance, MEW maximum eye width, MHW maximum head width. Scale bar: 1 mm.

Figure 4. Male genitalia of Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) weidneri A segments IX, X, inferior appendages and phallus, lateral view B segments IX, X and inferior appendages, dorsal view C tip of the phallus, lateral view D tip of the phallus, dorsal view.

Figure 5. Male genitalia of Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) vermiculata A segments IX, X, inferior appendages and phallus, lateral view B segments IX, X and inferior appendages, dorsal view C tip of the phallus, lateral view D tip of the phallus, dorsal view.