Potamophylax qafshtamaensis, Ibrahimi & Bilalli, 2021

Ibrahimi, Halil & Bilalli, Astrit, 2021, A new species of the genus Potamophylax Wallengren, 1891 (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae) from Qafështamë National Park in Albania, Ecologica Montenegrina 42, pp. 85-95 : 86-88

Potamophylax qafshtamaensis sp. n.

Figs. 1-6 , 7A

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CCCCEC9E-C69A-45AD-99E2-269A5B357EE7

Material examined. Holotype. 1 male: Republic of Albania, streamlet in Qafështamë National Park , road towards Burrel town, 41.52460 N, 19.90124 E, 1167 m, 22.11.2016, leg. Halil Ibrahimi and Astrit Bilalli. Paratypes (13 males): same collection and locality data as holotype . Allotype (1 female): same collection and locality data as holotype .

Diagnosis. The new species belongs to the Potamophylax tagas species cluster and is most close to P. hajlos and P. alsos . The new species differs from its most similar congeners mainly in exhibiting: 1) unique shape of aedeagus, easily distinguishable from all known species of the Potamophylax tagas species cluster, which is elongated oval in its upper part, narrowing at the middle and then widening on the remaining length, with strongly sclerotized and differently colored lateral stripes in ventral view, which have even darker and sharply acuminate apex; in P. hajlos aedeagus is quadrangularly shaped throughout its length, with straight lateral margins in ventral view, differently colored lateral stripes in ventral view are present mostly at distal third and without strongly acuminate apex; in P. alsos aedeagus has concave lateral margins in ventral view, differently colored lateral stripes in ventral view are present throughout the entire length of the aedeagus, but without strongly acuminate apex; 2) unique shape and size of the tips of aedeagus, which are narrow and triangularly shaped, with pointed apex and very wide base, narrowest in the whole Potamophylax tagas species cluster and Potamophylax winneguthi group; in P. hajlos and P. alsos tips of aedeagus are uniformly roughly quadrangularly shaped with rounded apex; 3) apicomesal excision on the aedeagus wide U – shaped; in P. hajlos the apicomesal excision of the aedeagus is narrower; 4) tips of parameres with 3 spines, 1 very long, 1 shorter (originating at the subapex part, and the third one very short); in P. hajlos tips of parameres are with two long and two short spines; in P. alsos tips of parameres armed with three spines of almost equal size; 5) the ventral margin of inferior appendages in the new species is curved at an angle in its distal part, without downward outgrow; in P. hajlos the ventral margin of inferior appendages is curved at an angle in its distal part, with a downward outgrow; in P. alsos ventral margin of inferior appendages is almost straight, or slightly concavely curved, directed upwards; 6) setose sternite IX in female of the new species is rounded in lateral view; in P. hajlos it is rounded triangular; in P. alsos it is rounded quadrangular; 7) the dorsal unsetose plate of the anal tube of the new species has very narrow apical margin and almost three times wider base; in P. hajlos and P. alsos it is quandrangularly shaped, almost uniformly broad.

Description. Male (in alcohol) ( Figures 1 , 2 ). Head and appendages brown, prothorax, sclerites of meso and metathorax and coxae brown to black; femora and tibiae brown, tarsi gradually darkening toward the apex. Wings dark brown with dark setae. Forewing with very long and strong erect setae on the longitudinal veins. Forewing length 15 – 16.5 mm. Spur formula 1-3-4. Antennae slender. Male maxillary palp 3 segmented.

Tergite VIII dark brown, darker than the preceding tergites, in dorsal view roughly quadratic in shape, with dorsal portion slightly narrower; setation concentrated on the proximal portion of segment VIII, which is well sclerotized, spinate area elongated with a wider proximal portion in dorsal view, located on the semimembranous distal portion of segment VIII, covered by small black spines, which are more abundant at the appex. Segment IX laterally broad, with rounded proximal areas, with short and narrow dorsal and ventral portions. Superior appendages in lateral view elongated spatulate, with rounded tips, covered with thin setae of medium length. Intermediate appendages are long, sickle-shaped with pointed apex, turned upwards. Inferior appendages long and low with ventral margin curved at an angle at distal half, apex rounded. The phallic apparatus consists of an aedeagus of a long height and a pair of parameres. The aedeagus is bulbous, narrow in the middle, enlarged at the tip with bifid apex, apicomesal excision wide-Ushaped, tips with narrow apex and wide base. In ventral view the aedeagus has a differently colored stripes on the edges with sharply acuminate apex, extending at different portions of the aedeagus tips. Parameres are robust, brown-black in color, upward curving, its tip composed of two longer spines, one of them originating lower, and one or two very small ones.

Female (in alcohol) ( Figure 3 ).

Smaller than the male. Head and appendages brown, prothorax, sclerites of meso and metathorax and light brown to dark brown; femora and tibiae brown, tarsi gradually darkening toward the apex. Wings reduced, light brown in color with brown setae. Forewing with very long and strong erect setae on the longitudinal veins. Forewing length 9.5 mm. Spur formula 1-3-4. Antennae slender.

Anal tube formed by the fusion of tergite IX and X is short. Setose sternite IX is rounded in lateral view. Supragenital plate of segment X narrow in ventral view compressed by the enlarged sternite IX. Vulvar scale is composed of the large rounded lateral lobes and small mesal lobe. The dorsal unsetose plate of the anal tube with very narrow apical margin and almost three times wider base in dorsal view.

Figures

Figure 1. Male adult of Potamophylax qafshtamaensis sp. n.

Figure 2. Male genitalia of Potamophylax qafshtamaensis sp. n. 1A, left lateral view; 1B, dorsal view; 1C, caudal view; 1D, aedeagus and parameres in ventral view.

Figure 3. Female genitalia of Potamophylax qafshtamaensis sp. n. 1A, left lateral view; 1B, dorsal view; 1C, ventral view.

Figure 4. Variations in the shape of inferior appendages and segment IX in Potamophylax qafshtamaensis sp. n.

Figure 5. Variations in the shape of aedeagus in Potamophylax qafshtamaensis sp. n.

Figure 6. Variation of the darkly colored stripe in the edges of the aedeagus of Potamophylax qafshtamaensis sp. n.

Figure 7. The shape of aedeagus and parameres (ventral view) of the five species of the Potamophylax tagas species complex.