Mortoniella pumila, Blahnik & Holzenthal, 2011

Blahnik, Roger J. & Holzenthal, Ralph W., 2011, Revision of the austral South American species of Mortoniella (Trichoptera: Glossosomatidae: Protoptilinae) 2851, Zootaxa 2851 (1), pp. 1-75 : 41

M. pumila subgroup

Although probably closely related to the M. albolineata subgroup, we are considering this a distinct subgroup because of its unusual combination of morphological characteristics. Both of the species included in this group are very small in size (for members of the M. leroda group of Mortoniella ) and are characterized by a spur formula of 0:3:4. The dorsal lobe of the inferior appendages is upright, but shorter than in the species placed in the M. albolineata subgroup. Distinctive characters include the very much inflated dorsal phallic spine and the structure of the dorsolateral processes of the phallicata, which are unusually structured in that they are anteriorly oriented and fused mesally, forming a pivot that articulates with the inflated dorsal phallic spine. Additionally, the structure of tergum X is different from species in the M. albolineata subgroup in that the lateral processes are broadly rounded apically and the mesal invagination very weak and bordered ventrally by sclerotized processes.