Protonemura dakkii Vinçon & Mur

Vinçon, Gilles, Mur, vid & nyi, 2009, Contribution To The Knowledge Of The Protonemura Corsicana Species Group, With A Revision Of The North African Species Of The P. Talboti Subgroup (Plecoptera: Nemouridae), Illiesia 5 (7), pp. 51-79 : 72-77

Protonemura dakkii Vinçon & Mur {nyi sp. n.

( Figs. 6-8 , 59-74, 77-79 )

Nemoura (Protonemura) algirica auctt., nec Aubert, 1956: Aubert 1961 (partim):218. (records from Morocco). Nemoura (Protonemura) talboti auctt., nec Nav{s, 1929: Aubert 1961 (partim):219. (records from Morocco).

Material examined: Holotype male: Morocco, Middle Atlas: Ifrane , Ifrane Oued , 1700 m, 3-V-1960, micropterous (Besuchet leg, labeled P. algirica by Aubert, Aubert coll. ZML, published as N. (P.) algirica in Aubert 1961); Paratypes: same date and locality, 5♂ 5♀ micropterous, 2 larvae - 2♂ 2♀, 1 non matured larva. Holotype and 2♂ 2♀ paratypes are deposited in the ZML, other paratypes held in the CGV.

Other material: Morocco, Middle Atlas: Ain Leuh, 4-V-1960, 1♀ macropterous (Besuchet leg, labeled P. talboti Aubert 1960 , Aubert coll. ZML, published as N. (P.) talboti in Aubert 1961); Azrou, 3-V-1960, 2♀ macropterous (leg. Besuchet, labeled P. talboti Aubert 1960 and Protonemura spec. Zwick 1982 , Aubert coll. ZML, published as N. (P.) algirica in Aubert 1961); Oriental Middle Atlas, Imouzzer des Marmoucha, high Oued Al Mahçar, karstic permanent spring, labeled P. algirica, SM ( JI), 20-VII-1981, 3♂ 5♀ macropterous, 5 larvae (Dakki leg, Berthélemy coll., CGV); from them: 1♂ 1♀, 1♂ 1♀ larvae ( HNHM; female larva prepared for SEM); karstic temporary spring of the same hydrographic basin, ‚Aghbalou Abekhbakh‛, labeled P. algirica, AA (JN 83), 2♂ macropterous, 20-VI-1983 (Dakki leg, Berthélemy coll., CGV).

Description ( Fig. 65 ). Medium-sized Protonemura of the corsicana group. Body length, male: 5.6–6.1 mm; female: 7.5–8.4 mm; forewing length, male: 0.2 (micropterous specimens) – 6.2 mm; female: 0.2 (micropterous specimens) – 9.0 mm. Head dark brown with a median rounded yellow spot between the ocelli; antennae brown. Pronotum brown with dark pattern, its anterior corners light brown. Legs and abdomen light brown. Gills short, without subterminal constriction.

Male ( Figs. 7-8 , 59-62 ). Tergites I-VII simple; tergite VIII with a median rounded group of spines on its posterior edge; tergite IX with two oval groups of spines widely separated by a space about as wide as the width of each group of spines ( Fig. 59 ); tergite X with two groups of spines placed on each side of the epiproct’s tip. Paraprocts ( Fig. 62 ): Inner lobe bladeshaped, partly hidden under the expansion of the hypoproct. Median lobe wide, with well developed globular membranous apex covered with thin setae; sclerotized base slightly longer than wide and ending in a gently curved, blade-shaped expansion which is more or less long, about reaching the tip of the outer lobe. Outer lobe sclerite enlarged at the tip, with a rounded posterior expansion with many (more than 5) spines; the anterior part of the lobe weakly produced and bearing no spine. Epiproct: Rather strong and pale, slightly enlarging towards the tip in dorsal view and ending abruptly in a rounded tip ( Figs. 8 , 59 ). A smooth bilobed expansion is visible at the tip. The epiproct terminal filament is of moderate size, bifid at the apex; in side view the filament is risen upwards ( Figs. 7 , 61 ). Dorsal sclerite of the epiproct forked, well visible in dorsal view. The two lateral branches are getting nearer and narrowing toward the epiproct’s apex; they are curving upwards on each side of the epiproct’s tip where they meet close to the terminal filament ( Fig. 8 ). Ventral sclerite with a prominent bulge partly covered with two rows of long spines ( Fig. 7 ). In ventral view, the rows of spines are getting nearer towards the apex, forming a ‘V’. Sternite IX: Hypoproct rounded distally ending in a short, slightly tapering extension. Vesicle short, slightly widening at the tip ( Fig. 60 ).

Female ( Figs. 63-64 ). Abdomen typical of the genus. Sternite VII: Pregenital plate very slightly sclerotized and therefore hardly visible. Sternite VIII: Subgenital plate well sclerotized, posterior margin rectilinear, very slightly indented; vaginal lobes strong, extending on each side of the subgenital plate. Sternite IX simple.

Mature larva ( Figs. 66-74, 77 ). Body relatively stout, body length 7.0–9.0 mm ( Fig. 66 ). General color pale, yellowish brown. Pilosity not distinct. Scales present only in the dorsal midline of the femora and on the tarsi. Legs typical of the genus, tibiae slightly longer than femora; width of hind femora equivalent to one third of its length. Head stout, brown with dark patches. The pronotum is subtrapezoidal, with distinct granules and rounded corners; it is slightly narrowing towards the posterior margin and its length is two thirds of its maximum width. Cervical gills simple, the longest one is equivalent to the width of the fore coxa ( Fig. 77 ). Wing pads shortened or completely absent. Abdomen relatively stout, integument light and matt, first 6 abdominal segments divided by pleura. Posterior margin of sternite IX of the mature male larva triangular, weakly pointed; paraprocts not pointed ( Fig. 74 ). Genital opening well visible on the mature female larva and placed under the anterior half of sternite VIII; paraprocts not pointed ( Fig. 73 ). Cerci of the matured larva with about 20 segments; they are longer, with more than 30 segments, in the not matured larva.

Pilosity: Head with dense, stout but acute bristles and a few hairs and sensilla; the eyes bear small setae between the ocelli ( Fig. 72 ). Antennal segments with short pilosity. Pronotum with stout bristles, a few sensilla and thin hairs. Margin of the pronotum bearing acute bristles, the length of the longest ones is less than 1/20 of the pronotum’s width ( Fig. 67 ). The bristles on the anterior corners of the meso and metanotum are as long as the marginal bristles of the pronotum. The setae placed in lines on the wing pads are short and blunt. Legs with dense setation. All femora bear both short and long, blunt bristles and thin hairs. Long bristles occur mostly on the outer surface; on hind femora they are placed all along its length. Bristles not in a regular arrangement; the longest ones reach one fifth of the femur’s width on all legs ( Figs. 68-69, 71 ). A bald median line is conspicuous on the dorsal surface of all femora and it is covered with rounded scales. Tarsi relatively stout, covered with thin hairs and bristles, metatarsi with triangular scales on the dorsal surface; apical spike of tibiae short. Tergal segments with acute bristles and thin hairs. Paired spines on the posterior margin acute, hardly longer than the other spines of the row; on tergite V they reach one fourth of the segment’s length ( Fig. 70 ). Distal margin with scarce tiny triangular spikes around the row of bristles. Cercal pilosity of the larva similar to that of the closely related species.

Etymology. This species is named in honor of Mohamed Dakki (Rabat Scientific Institute), who has collected this species in several places of the Middle Atlas.

Affinities. Protonemura dakkii sp. n. is distinguished from P. algirica and P. berberica by the shape of the epiproct in lateral view and by the shape of the exterior lobe of the paraprocts. The females resemble those of P. algirica and P. talboti and therefore the presence of P. dakkii sp. n. in new localities should be confirmed by the capture of males. The larva is very similar to P. berberica and P. talboti , and only the pharate males can be identified with sure, on the basis of the male imago terminalia under the larval skin. However, it differs from P. talboti by its pale habitus and the scarcity of stout, blunt bristles on the pronotum, tergites and femurs, from P. berberica by the shorter bristles on the margin of the pronotum. Larvae of the micropterous form can be separated by the absence of wing pads, as micropterous form are hitherto not known in the other North African species. The diminution of the imaginal ventral sclerites from the normal winged form towards the micropterous form ( Figs. 78-79 ) shows a similar, but lesser degree than it was shown by Berthélemy (1969) in the case of the genus Capnioneura Ris, 1905 , and by Vinçon & Pardo (1994) in the case of the genus Leuctra Stephens, 1835 .

Geographical distribution. This species is probably endemic of the Moroccan Middle Atlas ( Fig. 6 ).

Figures

Figs. 5-6. Distribution of the species of the Protonemoura corsicana group. 5: Protonemura corsicana subgroup; 6: P. talboti subgroup, P. consiglioi subgroup and P. spinulata subgroup.

Figs. 7-15. Epiprocts of the North African species of the Protonemura talboti subgroup. 7-8: Protonemura dakkii sp. n.; 9-10: P. talboti (Nav{s, 1929); 11-12: P. berberica Vinçon & S{nchez-Ortega, 1999; 13-14: P. algirica algirica Aubert, 1956; 15: P. algirica bejaiana ssp. n. (7, 9, 11, 13: lateral view; 8, 10, 12, 14-15: dorsal view; scale 0.5 mm).

Figs. 59-64. Terminalias of the imago of Protonemura dakkii sp. n. 59: male terminalia, dorsal view; 60: male terminalia, ventral view; 61: male terminalia, lateral view; 62: male paraproct, ventrolateral view; 63: female terminalia, ventral view; 64: female terminalia, lateral view (scales 0.5 mm; scale 1: Fig. 62, scale 2: Figs. 59-61, 63-64).

Figs. 65-66. Habitus of the micropterous form of Protonemura dakkii sp. n. 65: male imago; 66: not matured larva (scale 1 mm).

Figs. 67-72. Larva of Protonemura dakkii sp. n. 67: front angle of the pronotum; 68: hind femur; 69: outer apical part of the femur; 70: 5–6th tergal segments; 71: fore femur; 72: eye (scale 0.1 mm).

Figs. 73-77. Larval terminalias and gills of the North African species of the Protonemura talboti subgroup. 73: Protonemura dakkii sp. n., matured female terminalia; 74: P. dakkii sp. n., matured male terminalia; 75: P. talboti (Nav{s, 1929), matured male terminalia; 76: P. algirica bejaiana ssp. n., male exuviae terminalia; 77: Protonemura dakkii sp. n. gills (ventral views; scale 0.5 mm).

Figs. 78-79. Ventral view of the thorax of Protonemura dakkii sp. n. 78: micropterous form; 79: macropterous form (scale 1 mm).