Brachyptera kontschani, Murányi, Dávid, 2011

Murányi, Dávid, 2011, The genus Brachyptera Newport (Plecoptera: Taeniopterygidae) in the Peloponnes, Greece, Zootaxa 2977, pp. 61-68 : 62-65

Brachyptera kontschani sp. n.

( Figs 1–10, 13–15 )

Type material. Holotype male: GREECE: Arkadia prefecture, Vitina, stream SW of the city, N 37°39.031’ E22°10.156’, 960 m a.s.l., 0 6.04.2009, leg. L. Dányi, J. Kontschán, D. Murányi ( HNHM: PLP3163; used for drawings Figs 1–9 , terminalia cutting from segment VIII, paraprocts in a microvial within the same tube). Paratypes: same locality and date: 1f ( HNHM: PLP3370; used for drawings, Figs 10, 13 ); GREECE: Arkadia prefecture, Magouliana, stream SE of the village, N 37°39.425’ E 22°08.730’, 1035 m, 0 6.04.2009, leg. L. Dányi, J. Kontschán, D. Murányi: 1f ( HNHM: PLP3154); Arkadia prefecture, Elliniko, Gortis ruins, Lousios River, N 37°32.378’ E 22°02.788’, 320 m, 0 6.04.2009, leg. L. Dányi, J. Kontschán, D. Murányi: 1f ( HNHM: 3149); Arkadia prefecture, Tetrazi Mts, Agia Theodora, stream and karst springs, N 37°21.269’ E 21°58.782’, 490 m, 0 5.04.2009, leg. L. Dányi, J. Kontschán, D. Murányi: 4f ( HNHM: 3142), 1f (CGV), 1f ( CPZ).

Other material. GREECE: Messinia prefecture, Agii Apostoli, stream E of the village, N 37°04.158’ E 21°47.275’, 415 m, 0 5.04.2009, leg. L. Dányi, J. Kontschán, D. Murányi: 1f ( HNHM: 3371; in a poor condition, found dried in a spider web).

Diagnosis. This species is characterized in the male by a V-shaped ventral process of the epiproct with two rounded lobes at its base, a pointed tip of the subgenital plate and a well sclerotised basicercal process. The female is characterized by the pregenital plate having a wide transverse strip that is curved back medially, and by the uniformly brown postgenital plate.

Description. Small species, macropterous in both sexes. Body length: male 9.5 mm, females 10.0–13.0 mm; forewing length: male 9.5 mm, females 10.5–12.5 mm. General appearence dark; pilosity short, with the exception of the mesonotum, metanotum and the terminalia which have longer hairs. Head dark brown with distinct yellow markings around the compound eyes, the antennal bases and the tentorial callosities, and with two yellow spots on the occiput ( Fig. 9 ). Tentorial callosities distinct, black; occiput with rugosities obscurred by background pigmentation. Eyes normal sized. Antennae nearly as long as the body, scape brown, pedicel and the following six or seven antennomeres are light brown but the distal part of the antenna is darker brown; palpi light brown. Scape longer than wide, pedicel as long as wide, third antennomere subdivided, nearly three times longer than wide, following three or four segments less than two times longer than wide, further antennomeres about two times longer than wide with the exception of the distal fourth of the flagellum where segments decrease in length; antennomeres slightly wider distally than basally. Pronotum light brown, about as wide as long, slightly wider posteriorly, darker rugosities form an X-shaped marking;. Mesonotum and metanotum dark brown. Femora brown, distal half dark brown; tibia and tarsal segments dark brown. Wings brownish grey with two barely visible transverse darker stripes in the apical third; venation brown.

Male abdomen: Tergites I–II mostly pale, weakly sclerotised, tergites III–VIII brown with dark brown patches laterally and posteriorly; a transverse row of four pigmented spots seen on tergites I-VIII. Sternites II–VIII consist of a light brown posterior, two dark brown anterior sclerites; two lateral, dark brown spots seen on the posterior sclerites of segments I-VIII. Tergite IX dark brown with a strongly sclerotised antecosta, widely and deeply incised on anterior surface. Sternite IX dark brown, forming an elongate subgenital plate that is weakly upcurved forming a distinct, separated, pointed tip; vesicle small, rounded ( Fig. 3 ). Tergite X dark brown dorsally and lighter laterally, the dorsal part bearing low, rounded lobes. Basal plate of the epiproct brown, weakly developed; basal bulb large, rounded, brown coloured ( Fig. 1 ). Dorsal sleeve of the epiproct long, extrudable filaments long, dark brown with acute tip ( Fig. 2 ). Distal plate of the ventral process of the epiproct large, V-shaped, the rod of the plate bearing two rounded lobes laterally just beneath the plate; in lateral view, the plate is slightly raised posteriorly while slightly downcurved apically ( Figs. 6–8 ). Left paraproct with well developed, divided apophyses bearing setae mediolaterally; the lateral lobe is not so prominent, sclerotised on outer lateral surface and with an acute tip; membranous prolongation long and erect. Right paraproct with downward, well developed lateral lobe, and a long, slender flagellum; basal vesicle seems to be vestigial ( Figs. 4–5 ). Cerci small, weakly sclerotised and globose; vestigial segment small. Basicercal process well sclerotised and large, tip rounded and slightly bent; membranous only around of the basis of the cercal segment.

Female abdomen: Tergite I membranous with a poorly sclerotised, dark brown transverse band posteriorly; tergite II entirely membranous. Tergites III–VII membranous with a transverse, light brown sclerotised plate medially; tergite VIII similar, but the sclerotised plate located posteriorly. Tergite IX membranous only anterio-medially, brown; tergite X entirely sclerotised, brown. Sternites II–VII membranous with a transverse, brown posterior, and two small, brown anterior sclerites. Sternite VIII membranous beside the pregenital plate and the vulvar lobes. Pregenital plate small but well sclerotised and black, forming a wide transverse strip curved back medially; vulvar lobes weakly sclerotised and light brown, rounded, slightly converging posteriorly ( Fig. 10 ). Sternite IX bear a well developed postgenital plate, and two brown lateral sclerites. Postgenital plate long, uniformly brown to dark brown; tongue shaped, slightly widening medially, posteriorly narrowed and with a blunt, rectangular tip ( Fig. 13 ). Sternite X and the paraprocts normal, brown coloured; epiproct normal, light brown. Cerci small, rounded, segments weakly separated, light brown.

Larva: unknown.

Affinities. The new species is closely related to B. dinarica but males of B. kontschani can be easily separated from it by the V-shaped distal plate of the epiproct and its two rounded lobes ( Figs. 6–8 ). In B. dinarica this plate is hook-like with dark margins ( Fig. 12 ). Females of the new species have a pregenital plate with a wide transverse strip that is curved back medially ( Fig. 10 ), while in B. dinarica there is a small bifid plate ( Fig. 11 ). The males of the northwest Anatolian B. sislii Kazanci, 1983 has a subgenital plate ending in two, upcurved lateral projections and not in a separated, pointed tip as in B. kontschani (see Kazanci 1982: Figs. 1–4 and Kazanci 2000: Figs. 6–9 ). These three species all have a small ventral vesicle. All species emerge in late winter and early spring. Brachyptera kontschani cannot be placed into an existing species group sensu Aubert (1946) since the antennae correspond with the B. risi group, whereas the basicercal process corresponds to the B. trifasciata group. Both states are true of B. dinarica as well.

Ecology and distribution. The new species was collected from streams ranging in width from 1.5–3.0 m (e.g. Fig. 14 ) and from a small river (10 m width) in the central and southwest Peloponnes ( Fig. 15 ). The localities are between 320 and 1035 m, and the specimens were caught in early April. All streams were swift flowing and moderately cold with coarse substrates mixed with sand. Occasionally, aquatic mosses clung to larger stones. The riparian vegetation consisted of sedges and other semiaquatic plants, and an open willow, plane tree, or alder gallery. The bulk of the population probably emerges earlier than our collection records would indicate since a preponderance of darkly pigmented female specimens were collected and no larvae attributable to this species remained in the stream. This is contrary to the other Brachyptera species found during our April tour, all of which tended to emerge reach peak emergence later. The holotype was collected with B. beali beali ( Navás, 1923) (3m, 8f, 4 larvae), Capnioneura balkanica balkanica Baumann & Kaċanski, 1975 (2m, 5f), Protonemura beaumonti ( Aubert, 1956) (3m), P. mattheyi ( Aubert, 1956) (1m) and an Isoperla sp. (4 larvae). The paratypes were found in common at the Magouliana locality with B. b. beali (4m, 7f, 4 larvae), C. b. balkanica (1m, 5f), Leuctra olympia Aubert, 1956 (3f), P. beaumonti (2m - topotypes), P. mattheyi (1m, 2f), Protonemura sp. (1 larva), Nemoura cinerea turcica Zwick, 1972 (2m, 3f, 2 larvae - collected from small tributary adjacent to stream) and N. aetolica Zwick, 1978 (1m, 1f); at the Lousios River with Protonemura aroania Tierno de Figueroa & Fochetti, 2001 (1m) and Dinocras megacephala (Klapálek, 1907) (2m, 1 larva); at the Agia Theodora locality with B. b. beali (9m, 9f, 5 larvae), B. phthiotica Berthélemy, 1971 (1m), C. b. balkanica (4f), Leuctra metsovonica Aubert, 1956 (1f), P. beaumonti (5m, 4f) and an Isoperla sp. (2 larvae). The dried female from Messinia prefecture, Agii Apostoli, was found together with B. b. beali (1f), P. beaumonti (7m, 3f, 5 larvae) and an Isoperla sp. (2 larvae).

Etymology. The species is dedicated to my friend and colleague Dr. Jenő Kontschán (HNHM, and Systematic Zoology Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), a noted Acarologist and participant of many collecting tours to the Balkans. The epithet is used as the genitive of a noun of male gender.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Male terminalia of Brachyptera kontschani sp. n. — 1: male terminalia, dorsal view; 2: male terminalia, lateral view; 3: male terminalia, ventral view; 4: paraprocts, ventral view; 5: paraprocts, apical view; 6: distal plate of ventral process of epiproct, dorsal view; 7: distal plate of ventral process of epiproct, lateral view; 8: distal plate of ventral process of epiproct, dorso-lateral view — scales 1 mm; Figs. 1 – 3 to scale 1, Figs. 4 – 8 to scale 2.

FIGURES 9 – 13. Brachyptera kontschani sp. n. (Figs. 9 – 10, 13) and B. dinarica Aubert (Figs. 11 – 12) — 9: head and pronotum; 10 – 11: female pregenital plate and vulvar sclerites, ventral view; 12: distal plate of the male ventral process of epiproct, dorsal view; 13: female terminalia, ventral view — scales 1 mm; Figs. 9, 13 to scale 1, Figs. 10 – 12 to scale 2.

FIGURES 14 – 15. Distribution of Brachyptera kontschani sp. n. — 14: type locality, stream SW of Vitina; 15: known distribution - holotype locality (white circle) and paratypes (black circle).