Nemoura tauripitis Mo, Li & Murányi, 2022

MO, RAORAO, WANG, GUOQUAN, YANG, DING, LI, WEIHAI & MURÁNYI, DÁVID, 2022, Review and contribution to the stoneflies (Insecta: Plecoptera) of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, with new species and new records from South China, Zootaxa 5176 (1), pp. 1-80 : 16-19

Nemoura tauripitis Mo, Li & Murányi , sp. nov.

( Figs. 11 –13)

Adult habitus. Head and mouthparts pale brown; antennae pale brown, palpi pale; compound eyes black. Pronotum pale brown, rectangular, corners rounded with obscure darker cuticular rugosities. Legs brown; wings brownish subhyaline with brown veins. Abdominal segments brown but terminalia darker with pale hairs.

Male ( Figs. 11 –13). Forewing length 5.4–5.8 mm (n=3). Tergum 8 ( Figs. 11c , 12b ) weakly sclerotized, with four large, stout spines. Tergum 9 ( Figs. 11c–11d , 12b ) sclerotized, constricted medially with a deep and broad, semicircular indentation anteriorly, and produced posteromedially into a pair of distinct triangular processes. The processes are armed asymmetrically with 1–2 large apical spines, and several scattered large median spines. Sternum 9 ( Figs. 11b , 12a ) with slender claviform vesicle, length ca. 4X maximum width, slightly constricted basally; hypoproct basally broad and oval, abruptly tapering toward rounded tip. Tergum 10 ( Figs. 11c–11d , 12b , 13e) mostly sclerotized but medially with a narrow, weakly sclerotized longitudinal concavity; large and stout spines occur medially on the tergum along the concavity, and a pair of large humps present on either sides of the concavity, ending in a large spine at tip. Cercus ( Figs. 11b–11c , 12a–12b, 12d , 13a–13b, 13d) distinctly sclerotized, except inner margin membranous; a large ventrobasal hooked process originating from the inner basal portion, curved dorsad; apex of cercus rounded, curved inwards. Epiproct ( Figs. 11c–11d , 12b , 13): bull head shaped, nearly 1.5X longer than the widest width. Large basal cushion located above the small basal sclerite. Pair of large dark ventral sclerite basally with pair of small lateral knobs, after the moderately broad base continued in a stout basal plate that bears rows of five to six spines; ring of the ventral sclerite very small and thin, originates before the apical part of basal plate, covered by a membranous lobe; prongs widely connected to the ring, horn-shaped and curved outwards, lacks teeth; the cone-shaped projection is short and slim, linear sclerotized area indistinct. Paraproct ( Figs. 11b , 12a, 12c–12d ) divided into two lobes: outer lobe sclerotized, large apically rounded, with a weakly sclerotized oval area at the inner base; inner lobe sclerotized, short and slender, banded with a truncated tip.

Female. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype: male ( CAU), Guangxi, Fangchenggang City, Shangsi County, Shiwandashan National Forest Park , 21°50'34" N, 107°51'48" E, 365 m, 2006.VIII.28, light trap, Liao YX . Paratypes: 1 male ( CAU) , 1 male ( HIST), same data as holotype ,

Etymology. The name refers to the bull head shaped epiproct. Latin “ taurus ” means bull, and “ -pitis ” means head.

Distribution. China (Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region).

Remarks. The new species has a similar male sternum 9, male tergum 10, paraproct and cercus to that of two Chinese species: Nemoura cochleocercia Wu, 1962 and N. mucronata Li & Yang, 2008 . However, the new species is easily distinguished from N. cochleocercia and N. mucronata by the distinctive prongs of the epiproct. In addition, the cercus of N. cochleocercia is much wider than that of the new species, while the hooked process of the cercus originates around midlength in N. mucronata , contrary to the basal position of the process of the new species. The new species is most similar to the Indian species, N. chugi . They share similar male sternum 9, paraproct and cercus and the horn-sharped prongs of epiproct, but the new species can be separated from the latter by tergum 10 having a pair of triangular processes, epiproct having a well sclerotized pair of lateral arms and the subtrapezoidal basal cushion. In N. chugi , according to the original description, tergum 10 is simple and lacks additional processes or humps, and the epiproct lacks sclerotized lateral arms and the basal cushion is rectangular. In addition, the apical portion of epiproct in the new species is covered by a membranous lobe, while the original figures of N. chugi do not show any membranous lobe.

Figures

FIGURE 11. Nemoura tauripitis Mo, Li & Murányi, sp. nov. (male). a. Head and pronotum, dorsal view. b. Terminalia, ventral view. c. Terminalia, dorsal view. d. Terminalia, lateral view.

FIGURE 12. Nemoura tauripitis Mo, Li & Murányi, sp. nov. (male). a. Terminalia, ventral view. b. Terminalia, dorsal view. c. Right paraproct, ventral view. d. Right paraproct and cercus, ventral view.