Rhopalopsole ampulla Du & Qian,

Yu-Han, Qian & Yu-Zhou, Du, 2011, Two new species of genus Rhopalopsole (Insecta, Plecoptera, Leuctridae) from China, ZooKeys 154, pp. 1-7 : 4-5

Rhopalopsole ampulla Du & Qian, sp. n. Figs 5-7

Material examined.

Holotype ♂ from China, Guizhou, Yanhe County, Shaba Village, 903m, 5 Oct. 2007, Leg. Xue Hai-Yang. Paratypes 6♂♂, the same details as holotype.

Adult habitus.

General color: Brown and dark brown. Head brown or dark brown, wider than prothorax, hind ocelli much closer to the eyes than to each other, antennae and palpi brown. Prothorax dark brown, quadrate, longer than wide, all angles rounded and some black irregular stripes on it. Legs light brown. Wings hyaline and veins light brown.

Male.

Approximate measurement: forewing length 8 mm, body length 8.5 mm. Tergite 9 sclerotized, with a large central membranous area, the mid-posterior margin strongly sclerotized (Fig. 5). Sternite 9 with a subgenital plate wider than long and rounded apically, basally with a tongue-like vesicle bears dense hairs (Fig. 6). Tergite 10 with two small narrow lateral mid-anterior sclerites and one large broad median mid-anterior sclerite; mid-posterior more sclerotized and protrusive; one pair of transverse sclerite weakly sclerotized (Fig. 5). Lateral processes each strongly sclerotized, spine-like rather than thick basally, narrowed apically and downward in lateral aspect (Fig. 7). Epiproct curved forward, thick and blunt apically (Fig. 5, 7). Subanal lobe strongly sclerotized at base, trident-like apically in ventral aspect and membranous at its apex (Fig. 6). Cerci long and cylindrical, ampulla-like, thick basally and thin apically, each with a tiny spine.

Female.

Unknown.

Etymology.

The species name refers to the shape of cerci on segment 10.

Diagnosis.

This new species is similar to other species in the Rhopalopsole assamensis group ( Sivec et al. 2008) in having a sclerotized area on the mid-posterior margin of tergite 9, thick epiproct, lateral sclerites at each side of the central sclerite and cerci with tiny spines. It can be diagnosed by the shape of the subanal lobes, which are trident-like apically. Other species in the Rhopalopsole assamensis group possess subanal lobes that are flat and narrow at the base but expand into a wide rectangular apical portion. The lateral processes of species in the Rhopalopsole assamensis group typically end in a forked process on tergite 10, but those of this new species lack bifurcation. Rhopalopsole ampulla is similar to Rhopalopsole exigus pina, but Rhopalopsole ampulla can be distinguished by the shapes of the subanal lobes and the lateral processes on tergite 10. The subanal lobes of Rhopalopsole exiguspina are rounded apically and each posses a small spine at the middle of lateral process, but those of Rhopalopsole ampulla are strongly sclerotized and trident-like apically in ventral aspect.