Neoperla mesospina Li & Wang

Wang, Guo-Quan, Li, Wei-Hai & Yang, Juan, 2013, New species and records of the stonefly genus Neoperla (Plecoptera, Perlidae) from Jinhuacha Nature Reserve, Guangxi of China, ZooKeys 351, pp. 37-48 : 39-41

Neoperla mesospina Li & Wang sp. n. Figs 3-4

Type material.

Holotype: 1 male (HIST), Guangxi, Fangcheng, Jinhuacha Nature Reserve, 21°76,09'N, 108°43,49'E, light trap, 16 April 2012, G.Q. Wang. Paratypes:2 males (HIST), same as holotype; 1 male (CAU), same locality, 2013. May 15, G.Q. Wang.

Male.

Forewing length 11.1-11.3 mm. Distance between ocelli about as wide as diameter of the ocellus. Head mostly yellow brown, lateral margins and frons pale, a subquadrate dark area covering ocelli, slightly wider than pronotum; antennae brown; compound eyes dark; mouthparts brown (Fig. 3a). Thorax brownish with darker median stripe and scattered rugosities, legs brown; wings pale. Abdomen brownish yellow.

Terminalia. Tergum 7 with an elevated trapezoidal median process at posterior margin, which is covered by many tiny sensilla basiconica. Process of tergum 8 moderately sclerotized, recurved backward and tougue–shaped, lateral marings with tiny spines. Tergum 9 without sensilla patches. Hemitergal processes of tergum 10 strongly sclerotized and with slightly curved apex (Figs 3a, b). Aedeagal tube long and slender, relatively straight and moderately sclerotized, medially with a nipple-like process in ventral surface; everted sac strongly curved ventrad as a loop, about half as long as tube, irregular rows of small to median sized spines present along dorsal and lateral surfaces from medial portion to apex of the sac (Figs 3d & 4).

Female.

Unknown.

Etymology.

The specific epithet refers to the location of the nipple-like process on the aedeagal tube.

Distribution.

China (Guangxi).

Diagnosis and remarks.

The new species seems closely related to Neoperla dao Stark & Sivec, 2008, a recently described species from Vinh Phu Province of Vietnam. They are very similar in head pattern, general features of male terminalia and the aedeagal tube. However, the new species can be easily separated from Neoperla dao Stark & Sivec by the relatively long (about half as long as tube) and strongly curved aedeagal sac in lateral view. In Neoperla dao Stark & Sivec, the sac is very short, somewhat straight and triangular in outline (fig. 22 in Stark and Sivec 2008). There are no other Chinese species of Neoperla that appear related to Neoperla mesospina .