Cryptoperla curvata, Stark & Sivec, 2007

Stark, Bill P. & Sivec, Ignac, 2007, New Species And Records Of Asian Peltoperlidae (Insecta: Plecoptera), Illiesia 3 (12), pp. 104-126 : 105-106

Cryptoperla curvata sp. nov.

( Figs. 1-7 )

Material examined. Holotype ♂ and 3 ♂, 4 ♀ paratypes (1 ♂ damaged) from Vietnam, Gia Lai, An Khe District, Tram Lap, Azun River , UV light, 2 km NW on trail from forestry building, 14 ° 27’ N, 108 ° 33’ E, 17 June 1996, D.C. Currie, J. Swann, ROM 961056 ( ROM). Additional paratypes, all from Vietnam: Gia Lai, An Khe District , Tram Lap , Azun River , 3 km NE forestry building, 21 June 1996, UV light, D.C. Currie, J. Swann, ROM 961076 , 2 ♂, 3 ♀ ( ROM). Gia Lai, An Khe District , 6 km wide tributary of Azun River , NE of Tram Lap, 20 June 1996, B. Hubley, D.C. Currie, 961073, 1 ♂ ( IEBR).

Adult habitus. Biocellate. Head yellow with slightly darker yellow brown area extending from ocelli over central frons to anterior callosities and beyond as a tongue shaped extension ( Fig. 1 ). Pronotum pale with obscure darker areas scattered on disc. Wings transparent, veins pale amber. Legs yellow brown but apical tarsi slightly darker.

Male. Forewing length 8.5 mm. Posterior margin of tergum 10 parabolic; center offset from apex by a pair of low, elevated lateral knobs ( Fig. 2 ). Basal cercal segment ca. 4.5X long as basal width and with sparse to dense inner marginal setal fringe near apex ( Fig. 4 ); apex of basal segment curved dorsad and armed with a multidentate spur which bears ca. 10 subapical teeth. Vesicle about 1.3X wide as long ( Fig. 3 ). Aedeagus membranous, armed at bases of apical lobes with a pair of sparse patches of thick setae; additional armature on ventral surface consists of very fine, short setae and microtrichia ( Fig. 5 ).

Female. Forewing length 9.5 mm. Subgenital plate parabolic and reaching near posterior margin of sternum 9 ( Fig. 6 ); plate with a narrow bare marginal band and an internal transverse band of microtrichia near gonopore. Sternum 9 bare except on lateral margins; posterior margin slightly produced over base of segment 10.

Egg. Total length about 0.296 mm, width about 0.158 mm. Collar short, length about 0.01 mm, width about 0.052 mm. Chorion coarsely punctate throughout; each pit surrounded by an obscure follicle cell impression (FCI); ca. 17 longitudinal rows of pits and ca. 11 horizontal rows visible in lateral aspect ( Fig. 7 ). Micropyles set on FCI walls between pits.

Larva. Unknown.

Etymology. The species name is based on the upturned spur of the basal cercal segment.

Diagnosis. Males of this species will key to C. karen

in Stark (1989) and the female and egg are also similar to that species, suggesting a sister group relationship. Males are distinguished by the upturned cercal spurs having ca. 10 spines instead of the 1-3 long spines found in C. karen . Females share the bare marginal band on the subgenital plate with C. karen but the presence of an internal transverse microtrichia band near the gonopore in C. curvata will distinguish the two. Eggs of the two species are virtually identical but in the small sample presently available, those of C. curvata are narrower at the micropylar line than below the collar, whereas those of C. karen have almost parallel sides ( Stark 1989; Stark & Sivec 1999).

Figures

Figs. 1-6. Cryptoperla curvata. 1. Adult head and pronotum, 2. Male terminalia, dorsal, 3. Male sternum 9, 4. Male basal cercal segment, lateral, 5. Male aedeagus, ventral, 6. Female terminalia.

Figs. 7-12. Cryptoperla micrographs of eggs. 7. C. curvata entire egg, 8-10. C. fraterna, 11-12. C. ishigakiensis.