Neoperla conradti (Enderlein, 1909)

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 : 135-137

62. Neoperla conradti (Enderlein, 1909)

( Figs. 351–361 )

Ochthopetina conradti Enderlein, 1909: 335 , pl.1, fig. 17 [early April 1909].

Neoperla conradti — Zwick 1973: 502, figs. 72 (incorrect, mirror image!), 73 [from holotype].

Type material studied. Republic of Cameroon, N. conradti , ♀ holotype: Kamerun, Barombi [4.65, 9.61; 330m], leg. Conradt ( MIZ, No. 1301; an egg slide also SMNS) .

Additional material studied: Republic of Cameroon: 1♀: N. nigricauda Klp. [label with red margins in the specimen box] \ N.- Kamerun, Joh.-Albrechtsĥhe [Kumba, 4.6333, 9. 4500], III. 96 L. Conradt S. \ Cotype [print, red paper] \ Cotypus [print, white paper] \ Neoperla conradti (End., 1909) \ Misassociated ♀ paralectotype of N. nigricauda Neoperla nigricauda Klap., 1909 , design. P.Zwick, 2020 (coll. Klapálek, NMCZ). 1♀, 4°58'32.77''N, 9°42'43.40''E, Cameroon, SW-Reg., Bangem, Bakossi Mts, Musback, vegetable garden, 1150m asl, 24 Oct 2011, MV-lamp, A.Zwick & D.Bartsch ( NEOP 230). 3♁, 2♀, Kamerun, Ekona, 17.4.–20.5.38 Buhr S.G. ( MfNB & SMNS); 1♀, Sappo, Buea [4°9'N, 9°14'E], British Cameroons, IV-21 S.Tita ( SMNS); 1♁, Kumba [4°38'N, 9°27'E], British Cameroons, 19.I.1949 (at light) B. Malkin; 1♁, Bare, Riggenbach, 24.–28.x.08; 1♁ ibidem, but 24.–28.xi.08 [Baré: 5°0'N, 9°58'E] ( MfNB). Democratic Republic of the Congo: 1♁, Belg. Kongo, 12 mi N of Matadi, 28.8.1957, Ross & Leech -5.81667, 13.45000, 146m] ( NEOP 229; Cal. Acad. Sci., CASENT 8413045).

Republic of Guinea: 1♁, Riv. Niandan (bassin du Niger) à Bambaya 24.10.1984 J.M.Gibon ( SMNS, gift Gibon; penis slide) .

Habitus. WL 9.7–14.0mm. Of ochre colour, tips of femora, tibiae and tarsi dark. Antenna brown, cercus brown with yellowish base, wings slightly brownish, turbid.

Male ( Figs. 351–356 ). Caudal sclerite on T7 squarish, with rounded front corners, caudally projects a pointed pyramidal process ( Fig. 351 ). The sclerite on T8 is wide in front, caudally it forms a high narrow cone which curves forward and almost meets the process of T7 ( Fig. 352 ). There is a small group of SB in front of the cone, a few more far laterally from it. T9 is unmodified. The process of HT10 is curved and sharply pointed, the mediobasal callus is rounded, tongue-shaped. Epiproct triangular. Several spine-like setae along the caudal edge of S8.

The penis ( Figs. 353–356 ) is a stout moderately sclerotised tube, dorsally far from tip with a subterminal transverse patch of strong spines, tips pointing towards the base. The wide endophallus base has also a dorsobasal field of irregular small spinules and low scales. Distally the endophallus turns into a narrow tube which curves ventrad and has only two rows of spines, those on the dorsal side are more slender. On the non-everted distal section of endophallus two or three rows of small teeth are visible by transparency. In the terminal section there is a single row of relatively stout spines.

Female ( Fig. 357 ). S8 with a parabolic caudal prolongation bearing a large brown spot around a pale anchor-shaped mark. The slender vagina has a spiny area on either side of the insertion of the SSt. The SSt is very long and narrow, the basal portion of the SSt scales are restricted to a narrow strip on the convex side, distally the entire diameter is scaly. In the cleared preparation the SSt is irregularly winding.

Egg ( Figs. 358–361 ). A stout drum approximately 300*200µm large, with many dextrogyrous striae. The smooth flat costae are wide and conceal the very narrow sulci ( Fig. 361 ) which communicate with the outside only via microscopic pores located directly above the hidden micropyles between two regular lines of micropunctures (MI in Fig. 359 ). The striae are unpigmented at the end, a pale belt appears at the base of the finely punctate low operculum ( Fig. 360 ). There is no collar, the mushroom-shaped anchor stands in a funnel-shaped cavity ( Fig. 358 ). The surrounding chorion is smooth, without cells.

DNA ( Figs. 491–492 , 497). A female from Cameroon and a male from the D. R. Congo were sequenced for the COX1 DNA barcode fragment and with the genome-skimming approach, respectively, representing most of the limited geographic spread of this species. The monophyly of the species is maximally supported (100/100/100), as is the sister relationship (100/100/100) to N. bareensis n. sp. + N. lineata n. sp..

Notes. A mirrror image of the egg was unfortunately published in my redescription of N. conradti (Zwick 1973) . It wrongly suggests a left-hand spin of the striae which resembles the egg of N. heideae n. sp. In fact, the two species differ in the direction of spin and in the presence, in N. heideae n. sp, of rings of cells around the anchor cavity. In the caudal extension of S8 and the anchor pattern N. conradti resembles the otherwise very different N. muyukae n. sp..

Figures

FIGURE 491. Codon-model maximum likelihood phylogram based on 83 largely complete mitochondrial genome sequences only (mt-NT). Statistical support values (SH-aLRT, UFBoot) from this and other analyses summarised by squares as explained in the figure. Terminal labels include information on the species, type status, gender, originating country, unique sequence identifier (NEOP###), sequencing approach and total basepairs of 13 mitochondrial, protein-coding genes. Clades of particular interest highlighted with colours that correspond to the clades in other trees. HT = holotype; PT = paratype; PCR = Polymerase Chaine Reaction; WGS = Whole Genome Shotgun.

FIGURE 492. Simplified overview of codon-model maximum likelihood phylogram based on 356 mitochondrial genome and COX1 DNA barcode sequences (all-NT). Terminal labels include information on the species only. Clades of particular interest highlighted with colours that correspond to the clades in other trees. The full tree is shown in Figs 493-498.

FIGURES 351–361. Neoperla conradti (Enderlein): 351–354, male from Baré, abdominal tip and contracted penis; 355–356, male from Matadi, everted penis and detail near midlength of endophallus; 357, 358, ♀ genital situs and anchor pole of egg (from Bangem, Cameroon); the arrow points at spine patches in the vagina; 359, SEM, egg from holotype (courtesy of MPI for Limnology). Figs 353–355 to the same scale. Tergites, HT10 and cercus labeled; a, anchor; ac, anchor cavity; Mi = pores between costae above a concealed micropyle.