Anacroneuria brava Mayorga & Contreras-Ramos, sp. nov.

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Plecoptera .speciesfile.org: TaxonName:497668

(Figs. 1-5)

Material Examined. Holotype ♂ (CNIN-PLH-3): MEXICO: Estado de México, Valle de Bravo, [19.19512, -100.13261, post-processed to 10 km radius; mean elevation 1800 m a.s.l.], July 1979, J. Bueno.

Adult habitus. General color of body dark (Fig. 1). Head pigmentation with complex pattern. Pigment pattern over ocelli pentagonal-shaped and black tinted; a truncated arrow-shaped pattern defined by short, fine setae replaces usual M-line; a dark, diamond-shaped area centered on clypeus; lappets obscure and elongate; mesal area of head well defined and sclerotized; anterior to ocelli a zig-zag pattern extends to bases of antennae; circumantennal ridges connect lappets by dark shading to anterior margin of eyes; white rhomboidal-shaped plate located above the ridges; dark triangles with middle inclined brown band at posterior area of eyes. Pronotum with narrow, brown mid longitudinal stripe; discs dark with scattered rugosities obscured; a paler, wide transverse band (Fig. 2). Wing membrane dark brown with veins darker (Fig. 1). Fore leg completely dark brown, with subtle dark stripe at proximal end of femur.

Male. Forewing length 20 mm. Hammer absent. Ventral: Aedeagal apex truncate and straight, little constricted at base; aedeagus arms slightly widened and curved subapically bearing a pair of small membranous lobes at center. Hooks slender, typical in appearance; space between hooks forming an antique door lock-shape; interior corners from the base of hooks sclerotized with a small bulge on both sides at vertex; frontal walls of mesal area with some bristles on each side (Fig. 3). Dorsal: Simple. Aedeagal keel consists of a lengthened projection with straight margins laterally, circular anteriorly and triangular posteriorly, poorly sclerotized and transparent (Fig. 5).

Female. Unknown.

Larva. Unknown.

Distribution. Mexico, Estado de México, Valle de Bravo.

Diagnosis. This species is similar to A. aethiops (Walker, 1852), A. brailovskyi Stark & Kondratieff,

2004, A. flavifacies Jewett, 1958 and A. ratcliffei Stark & Kondratieff, 2004 in pronotal pigment pattern, however that of A. brava is far more complex (Fig. 2). The body size of A. brava is also larger than A. aethiops, A. braivloskyi and A. flavifacies . The aedeagus of A. brava is similar to A. brailovskyi but its apex is truncate, while in A. brailovskyi it is concave. The shape of the dorsal, transparent keel (Figs. 3, 5), clearly distinguishes this one from all other Anacroneuria species.

Comments. This is one of the largest and darkest species of Mexican Anacroneuria (Fig. 1). The specimen was found pinned on the pronotum, and was unpinned and transferred to EtOH; body coloration, pigment patterns, and diagnostic structures are well preserved.

Etymology. The species name, used as a noun in apposition, is based to the type locality of “Valle de Bravo”.