Phanoperla astrospinata, Stark & Sheldon, 2009

Stark, Bill P. & Sheldon, Andrew L., 2009, Records Of Neoperlini (Plecoptera: Perlidae) From Brunei Darussalam And Sarawak, With Descriptions Of New Phanoperla Banks And Neoperla Needham Species, Illiesia 5 (2), pp. 11-19 : 16-17

Phanoperla astrospinata sp. n.

( Figs. 11‐12 )

Material examined. Holotype ♂ from Brunei Darussalam, TemburongDistrict , SungaiBelalong, KualaBelalongField Studies Centre, 04.54822 ° N, 115.15823 ° E, ALS B43‐08 , 11‐ 16 July 2008, A.L. Sheldon ( USNM).

Adult habitus. Body color pale white in alcohol. Head without distinctive pigment pattern; ocelli almost touching.Antennal bases pale but flagellum beyond basal segments, dark brown. Pronotum with pale brown rugosities and darker marginal and median sutures.Tibiae about as wide as femora and slightly darker. Wings pale with pale yellow veins.

Male. Forewing length 7.5 mm. Tergum 8 unmodified, tergum 9 with a pair of lateral sensilla basiconica patches and a median patch of fine, short setae ( Fig.11 ).Hemiterga short and relatively wide with rounded tips in dorsal aspect; apices hooked downward in lateral aspect and bearing a few enlarged sensilla basiconica; notch separating basal callus narrow and deep. Aedeagal tube shortandplump with a fewfine setalspineson bulb; apex swollen and heavily armed with spines ( Fig. 12 ); Largest and most prominent armature consists of a subapical ring of ca. 22 black spines and a pair of star‐ like, lateral clusters. Additional small, triangular spines occur over a broad zone, proximal to star clusters and on apical zone distal to spine ring. Frontal area below spine ring, bare and produced into a membranous nose‐ like process. Dorsal sclerite slender and poorly sclerotized.

Female. Unknown.

Larva. Unknown.

Etymology. The species name refers to the star pattern of large spines on the aedeagus sac.

Diagnosis. The aedeagus and external genitalia of this species is generally similar to that of P. flaveola ( Zwick 1982) and it appears to be a member of that group. These structures are also generally similar to, or perhaps the same as, Phanoperla cf. maculata of Zwick (1986b). That designation was based on a pair of Bornean specimens from the 1932 Oxford University Expedition studied by Zwick (1986b), but whose status was not formally defined. The present specimen has the same general pattern of spines on the aedeagus, however there are fewer large lateral spines and they are arranged in a more distinct star pattern than in Zwick’s specimens. In addition, fine triangular spines are shown by Zwick (1986b) along the frontal zone, and no nose shaped process is shown for his specimens. The new species is also distinguished from P. flaveola by the star cluster of lateral aedeagal spines. The lateral grouping of that species forms a linear group of 5‐6 large spines, and in addition, the dorsal aedeagal sclerite is much larger for P. flaveola than for the new species.

Figures

Figs. 11‐14. Phanoperla astrospinata (11‐12) and P. belalong (13‐14). 11. Male terminalia, 12. Aedeagus, lateral aspect, 13. Male terminalia, 14. Aedeagus, lateral aspect.