Agapetus Curtis, 1834

Etnier, David A., Parker, Charles R., John T. Baxter, Jr., Long, Todd M. & Drive, News Sentinel, 2010, A review of the genus Agapetus Curtis (Trichoptera: Glossosomatidae) in eastern and central North America, with description of 12 new species, Insecta Mundi 2010 (149), pp. 1-77 : 3-4

Agapetus Curtis, 1834

Type species: Agapetus fuscipes Curtis, 1834 , by subsequent designation of Westwood (1839).

Diagnosis. Schmid (1998) provided a thorough description of males and females. Pupae are characterized in Ross (1944) and Lepneva (1964), and larvae are described in Lepneva (1964) and Wiggins (1996a, 1996b). To these descriptions we add the following: Larvae have the pair of prosternal plates prominent, pentagonal, with dark anterior margin, plate-like, but apparently not meeting on the midline; a pair of dark, linear sclerites is present posteriolaterally (prosternal apodemes). Posterioventral margin of genae, posterior margin of pronotum, pleural sutures, margins of both ends of the coxae, dorsal base of tibia, denticles on anal claw, and anterior margin of sclerite bearing the anal claw typically darker than adjacent areas. In MMTs, the pair of prosternal sclerites and their posterior apodemes typically remain united by non-pigmented connective tissue. Mesosternal sclerites are transverse and occur in the groove between the last 2 thoracic segments. Each has a projection at about mid-length that is directed anteriolaterad. These sclerites range from black in larvae with dark gray sclerites to straw-colored in less darkly pigmented species. In pale-headed larvae, the 3-4 barely visible horizontal lines behind the eye probably represent the underlying musculature, as they are not present on genae from MMTs of these species. Larvae possess paired clusters of microsetae on the sternite of abdominal segment II. We have examined the mandibles, microsculpture of sclerites, setation patterns, microsetae clusters on abdominal segment II, anal claws, and tergum IX for taxonomic characters, but have yet to discover variation important to species discrimination.

Adults. The eyes are hairy. Antennal flagellae have 27 or 28 articulations. Wings are discussed and illustrated by Ross (1956).

Male genitalia. Males possess a prominent scent gland laterally on segment V. We have not examined these for taxonomic characters. We also feel that the ventral process of segment VI is sufficiently similar in all species (except A. hessi and A. illini ) that it is not discussed in the descriptions (in A. hessi and A. illini the ventral surface of the denticle on VI is conspicuously non-sclerotized). Segment IX (lateral view) consistently with the following characters: a straight, horizontal, thickened internal ridge (muscle attachment area?) extends from articulation of inferior appendage to or nearly to anterior margin of IX; fused dorsal inner margins of inferior appendages extend into IX about 1/2 its length; in ventral view, a faint transverse line near anterior margin of IX extends onto sides of segment, and may represent the anterior extent of telescoping of IX into VIII. Erect dorsal setae on preanal appendages are on the dorsolateral margin and typically angle away from the body axis at about 30 o; in dorsal view preanal appendage recurved through about 180 o at its base and smoothly continuous with the heavily sclerotized, ventral arms of X, a character that supports the monophyly of North American Agapetus [referred to as the celatus group by Ross (1956)].

Female genitalia will be described in the forthcoming paper on female Agapetus of eastern and central North America.

Species Descriptions