Notoperla magnaspina, McLellan

Mclellan, Ian, Miserendino, María Laura & Hollmann, María Eugenia Teresa, 2006, redescription of Notoperlopsis femina Illies, Zootaxa 1140, pp. 53-68 : 59-62

Notoperla magnaspina, McLellan , new species

( Figs. 12–20 )

Adult

Male. Body length 15–21.5 mm; forewing 2 mm; antenna 14–16 mm; cercus 7.5–8.5 mm. Head with light brown frons; a dark brown patch in front of median ocellus and two others postero–laterally to each of the posterior ocelli; epicranium with dark brown vermiculate markings. Antennae pale brown with each segment densely covered with minute dark spines.

Pronotum subrectangular with dark markings which in some cases may be an indistinct pale grey. Mesonotum and metanotum with scutum and scutellum pale with a light brown patch in each lateral half; postnotum of both pale centrally but brown in each outer third. Procoxal projections on all legs with that of the front legs ( Fig. 12 ) large, triangular and sharply pointed. Legs ( Fig. 13 ) pale brown with a greyish longitudinal stripe along the length of the anterior face of femora with a thin grey stripe along the posterior of the face. All legs with a pair of tibial spurs. Wings brachypterous, sub equal to nota to twice as long.

Abdominal tergite markings usually present but may be indistinct. Cerci pale brown, each segment covered with minute dark spines and a ring of hairs distally, and the length of each hair about half the width of the segment. Genitalia from dorsal aspect ( Fig. 14 ) with tergite 10 central sclerite free from anterior sclerites, epiproct with a pale triangular tip; two small sclerotised knobs on either side of tergite 10 at the base of the membranous cone; inner surface of basal cercal segment heavily sclerotised and with a rounded lobelike protrusion. Genitalia from lateral aspect ( Fig. 15 ) with epiproct short with a rounded, tapered tip, about eight teeth on each margin; paraproct broad with rounded apex and a wide posterior membranous strip; membranous cone wide and deep at base and tapering to a small posterior sclerite.

Female. Body length 22 mm; forewing 21 mm; antenna 11 mm; cercus 7 mm. Head dark brown with brown vermiculate markings on epicranium; ocelli pale and distinct. Antennae with scape and pedicel brown and flagellum pale brown with each segment densely covered with minute dark spines.

Pronotum subrectangular with the usual pattern of dark markings on a light brown field which becomes brown towards the edges of the notum. Mesonotum and metanotum with scutum and scutellum almost black and each postnotum white centrally but brown in outer third. Forewing uniform brown with the pterostigma dark brown; hindwings a lighter brown. Legs with femora brown with a wedge­like pale patch beginning at the distal end and extending to middle; tibiae brown, pale distally; first and third tarsal segments pale brown with the tip of the third darker, the second segment dark brown. A procoxal projection on all legs but that of the front legs larger, triangular, sharply pointed and dark brown.

Abdomen brown. Cerci pale brown. Subgenital plate ( Fig. 16 ), with numerous transverse striations and convex posterior margin produced one fifth of the plate’s depth over sternite 9.

Larva (final instar)

Body length 22 mm; antenna 14 mm; cercus 20 mm. A large, squat animal with a heavy fringe of hairs dorsomedially along the body, and also dorsally on antennae, cerci and legs. Head ( Fig. 18 ) with large black eyes; brown vermiculate markings on epicranium; frons pale brown with three brown patches laterally on both sides and a brown patch in front of the anterior ocellus. Antenna pale brown with hairy fringe extending for over half its length.

Pronotum subrectangular, pale brown with a pattern of dark markings similar to the adult. Mesonotum and metanotum pale brown with brown C­shaped markings in each half. Wingpads present but short in male larva. Legs pale brown; procoxal projection on foreleg large, pointed and triangular with a posterior pronounced hairy ridge extending out distally; each femur with a dark tip and two longitudinal stripes, a grey one anteriorly and a brown one posteriorly.

Distinct brown marks across abdominal tergites 1–9 and four dark marks on the mid base of tergite 10. Hind margin of tergite 10 of mature male larva ( Fig. 19, 20 ) not greatly produced nor raised. An anal membranous cone is present but without anal gill filaments.

Material examined

Holotype. Male, Argentina, Chubut, La Hoya Stream, 42° 50’ 27,8” S 71° 15’ 54,8” W, 1200 m, M. E. Hollmann, vial P5 ( INSUE). Paratypes: 1 female, same location 25 Jan 2005, M. E. Hollmann, vial P7 ( INSUE); 1 male, same location, 25 Jan 2005, M. E. Hollmann, vial P11; 1 male, same location, 25 Jan 2005, M. E. Hollmann, vial P12; 1 female larva (full wingpads), same location, 23 Nov 2004, M. E. Hollmann, vial P3 (LIE SA). Other specimens. 1 male larva, Argentina, Neuquén, Lago Huechulafquen, 39° 44’ 00”S 71° 20’ 00” W, 26 Jan 1974, O. S. Flint (USNMNH); 1 final instar larva (labelled Notoperla archiplatae by Illies), Arroyo Ñireco near Bariloche (35° 26’ 49” S 62° 12’ 30” W), ca. 800 m., Río Negro Province, Argentina, 31 Oct 1959, Best leg. ( ILFS); 2 larvae (mid­late instars), Arroyo del Puesto. Provincia de Santa Cruz. 750 m, April 1996, M. L. Miserendino, vial N1; 6 larvae, La Hoya stream, Chubut Province, 42° 50’ 27,8” S 71° 15’ 54,8” W, 1237 m, 21/09/2004, M. E. Hollmann, vial N2; 7 larvae (1 last instar female), La Hoya stream, Chubut Province, 42° 50’ 27,8” S 71° 15’ 54,8” W, 1237 m, 21/ 09/2004, M. E. Hollmann, vial N3;1 larva (small), Arroyo las Cascada. Los Alerces National Park. Chubut Province, 550 m, April 1996, M. L. Miserendino, vial N5; 1male, Arroyo del Puesto. Santa Cruz Province, 750 m, April 1996, M. L. Miserendino, vial N6; 2 larvae, La Hoya Stream Chubut Province, 42° 50’ 27,8” S 71° 15’ 54,8” W, 1237 m, 7 July 2004, M. E. Hollmann, vial N9; 1 larva, Río Blanco.Chubut Province. 450 m, 4 Sept 1991, M. L. Miserendino, vial 11.

Remarks

Note that apart from Chubut and Santa Cruz Provinces, this species is also found at two other localities. Arroyo Ñireco near San Carlos de Bariloche, 35° 26’ 49” S, 62° 12’ 30” W, in Río Negro Province, Argentina and Lago Huechulafquen, 39° 44’ S, 71° 20’ W, Neuquén Province, Argentina.

Both N. magnaspina and N. fasciata are usually associated with large boulders in the very low conductivity waters of Cordillera and Precordillera headwater streams and the fast flowing water in rivers from the Subantarctic Forest.

Most collecting of both new Notoperla species was in La Hoya Stream which is a permanent, second order tributary in the headwaters of the Esquel Stream. Esquel Stream is a tributary of the Percy River (Futaleufú­Yelcho basin), which drains into the Pacific Ocean in Chile. The stream has two seasonal peaks in flow, one in winter due to rainfall and the other in spring due to snowmelt. During several months the headwaters accumulate snow and their watercourses are frozen. The riparian vegetation in La Hoya stream (1200 m) mainly consists of Nothofagus pumilio and Berberis buxifolia Lamarck (Berberidaceae) , Mulinum spinosum , Adesmia boronioides Hooker f. ( Fabaceae ), Stipa spp., S enecio spp., and Colletia spinosissima ( Tell et al. 1997) . In La Hoya Stream, maximum densities of the species were recorded in December and most mature nymphs were found from September to November. Adults were mostly captured from December to February. It is possible that it takes more than two years for each species to complete their life cycle. Further research is needed to describe the life history attributes of both N. fasciata and N. magnaspina .

Figures

FIGURES 12 – 20. Notoperla magnaspina. 12. Adult front procoxal projection, dorsal. 13. Adult foreleg, dorsal .. 14. Male genitalia, dorsal; 15. Male genitalia, lateral. 16. Female genitalia, ventral. 17. Larval front procoxal projection, dorsal. 18. Larval head, dorsal. 19. Larval tergite 10, dorsal. 20. Larval tergite 10, lateral.