Epoicocladius ephemerae ( Kieffer, 1924 )

Yan, Chuncai, Liu, Ting, Cao, Wei, Zhang, Xinghua & Liu, Wenbin, 2019, Review of Epoicocladius Šulc et Zavřel from China (Diptera, Chironomidae), Zootaxa 4590 (2), pp. 289-295 : 291

Epoicocladius ephemerae ( Kieffer, 1924)

( Figs. 2–7 )

Camptocladius ephemerae Kieffer, 1924: 367 .

Camptocladius (Epoicocladius) ephemerae Šulc et Zavřel, 1924: 362 .

Hydrobaenus ephemerae Henson, 1957: 25 .

Epoicocladius ephemerae Fittkau et al., 1967: 357 ; Saether, 1967: 107; 1968: 470; Jacobsen, 1993: 152; Makarchenko & Ma- karchenko 2006: 312; Ashe & O’Connor 2012: 266; Andersen et al. 2013: 218.

Not Epoicocladius flavens (Malloch) sensu Wang & Zhang, 1987: 120 ; Wang, 2000: 636, misidentification.

Specimens examined. 16, CHINA ( BDN: 20329): Fujian Province, Fuzhou City , Yongtai County, river near by forestry bureau, 16.IX.2002, light trap, Z. Liu. 2P , CHINA ( ZSM: No. 11a), Yunnan, Tri Ping Fung protected area, Menglun river ca. 10 km from Mekong river , 50–80 meters wide at end of dry season, large fluctuations of water level, slightly white water, partially coarse gravel bottom, 28. V. 1980, Surface drift, E. J. Fittkau. 1P , CHINA ( ZSM: No. 11): Yunnan, Tri Ping Fung protected area, 7 km east of Menglun , forest on calcareous bedrocks, clearwater river (tributary to Menglun river ) with boulders and coarse bankside rocks, 28. V. 1980, Surface drift, E. J. Fittkau. 1L , CHINA ( BDN: 11338), Yunnan Province, Lijiang City, Hutiao Gorge , 26.V.1996, X. Wang. 1L , CHINA ( BDN: T181 ), Liaoning Province, Fushun City, Xinbin County, Suzi River , 02.XI.2004, J. Wang .

Diagnostic characters. Larvae ( Figs 2–5 ). Light yellow body with brown head capsule outlined by darker margins; mentum curved with a median group of 6–7 pointed teeth, and a lateral group of darker 4–5 teeth; thoracic and abdominal segments I–VIII with numerous (more than 80) setae, dorsal setae mostly spine-like. Pupae. Thoracic horn small and ovoid, three precorneals with different length, segments II-VIII dorsally, laterally and ventrally with numerous fine hairs, anal lobe bearing three filaments macrosetae. Adult. Eye bare, without dorsomedial extension; apical palp segment elongate; wing bare, Cu 2 slightly curved; anal point triangular, with rounded apex, gonostylus straight. Distribution. Oriental China (Fujian and Yunan Provinces); Palaearctic China (Liaoning Province); widely distribution in Palaearctic region.

Discussion. Wang & Zhang (1987) recorded the larval stage of E. flavens (Malloch) which was marked as a doubtful species by Wang (2000) because of the specimen was lost. After a re-check of the original description ( Wang & Zhang 1987: 120–121, fig 17), the thoracic and abdominal segments with numerous setae and posterior parapods square suggested E. ephemerae (Kieffer) . The additional larval material from China agree with the de- scription of European specimens in Jacobsen (1993), but the basal segment of antenna (37.5 µm) is slightly shorter than the other segments (44 µm) and some abdominal segments have only 80 setae, less than European specimens with more than 100 setae. Moreover, one specimen collected from Yunnan Province, same date and locations as specimen above (BDN: 11338), mainly follows the characters of E. sp. # 3 in Jacobson (1993), even if has less ab- dominal setae (12–14) than the North American one (28). Whether the difference of abdominal setae are inter- or intraspecific variation need further evidence.

After re-examination of the pupae from southeast of China, collected by Reiss ( Ashe et al. 1987), treated as unnamed species in Ashe & O’Connor (2012), most features agree in with the European exuviae of E. ephemerae (Kieffer) stored at ZSM (Martin Spies, peer communication), despite specimens are in rather poor condition. The only other difference from European exuviae is that only one of the precorneal setae (rather than 2) is long in the specimens from China, whereas the second is distinctly shorter and the third is comparatively very short ( Fig. 6 ). It is here noted that the European specimens deposited at ZSM show variation in this character; for example, on at least one specimen from Bavaria all three precorneals are (equally) long and strong ( Fig. 7 ). This evidence suggests that the specimen recorded by Wang & Zhang (1987) and pupal exuviae collected by Reiss belong to E. ephemerae (Kieffer) . Adult males of E. ephemerae (Kieffer) were also collected from Fujian Province, Oriental China.

Figures

FIGURES 2–7. Epoicocladius ephemerae (Kieffer, 1924). Larvae. 2—mandible; 3—mentum; 4—antenna; 5—labro-epipha- ryngeal region. Pupae. 6—Thoracic horn and precorneals in Chinese specimen; 7—precorneals in European specimens.