Rhopalopsole curvispina Qian & Du

Qian, Yu-Han & Du, Yu-Zhou, 2013, Two new species of Rhopalopsole (Plecoptera: Leuctridae) from China, Zootaxa 3599 (6), pp. 588-592 : 588-589

Rhopalopsole curvispina Qian & Du , sp. nov.

Figs. 1–3

Material examined. Holotype male, Guizhou Province, Zunyi City, Dasha River, 1615m, 22–29 May 2004, Leg. Liao Qi-Rong. Paratypes 3 males, the same data as holotype.

Adult habitus. Head brown, wider than pronotum; hind ocelli much closer to the eyes than to each other, antennae and palpi light brown. Pronotum brown, quadrate, longer than wide, all angles rounded and some black irregular stripes on it. Legs brown or light brown. Wings hyaline and veins yellowish brown.

Male. Approximate measurement: forewing length 6.2 mm, body length 7.0 mm. On the mid-hind margin of tergum 9, a small semicircular ridge projects dorsally from a house-shaped sclerite ( Fig. 1 ). Subgenital plate of sternum 9 wider than long and rounded apically, basally a tongue-like vesicle bears dense hairs ( Fig. 2 ). Central sclerite of tergum 10 with mid-posterior and margins darkly sclerotized; pair of transverse sclerites triangular with rounded angles ( Fig. 1 ); lateral process long, slender and sinuous, approaching mid-line of segment and crossing tip of the corresponding process from other side ( Figs. 1, 2 ). Epiproct much flattened but thick, hook-like, and terminating in a sharp tip gradually attenuated; tip extended ventrally into a point ( Fig. 3 ), in frontal view triangular ( Fig. 1 ). Subanal lobes narrow at base and expanding slightly to a rounded apex ( Fig. 2 ). Cerci bent upwards at mid-length, terminating in a small spine ( Fig 3 ).

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Guizhou Province.

Etymology. Latin “ curvi” means sinuous; Latin “ spina” means sharp pointed part. The name “ curvispina ” refers to the long slender and sinuous process of lateral process on segment 10.

Diagnosis. The R. dentata group as proposed by Sivec et al. (2008) presently includes 14 species, twelve of which are reported to occur in Mainland China. Males of this group are recognized by an upwardly projecting process near the mid-hind margin of tergum 9, and by extremely long lateral projections arising on the sides of tergum 10 and extending to near, or beyond, the posterior margin of this segment. The cerci of most species are bent upwards near mid-length and the central sclerite of tergum 10 is often covered with minute scales or knobs. Rhopalopsole curvispina exhibits most of these features and is generally similar to R. basinigra Yang & Yang, 1995a , known from Mt. Gutian in Zhejiang Province, but differs in having a small, apical cercal spine, more rounded subanal lobe apex and in having a “house-shaped sclerite” on tergum 9. Additionally, new species is also similar to R. yangdingi Sivec & Harper, 2008 , known from Mt. Dayue in Jiangxi Province, but differs in terminal shape of the epiproct and cerci having a tiny spine. In R. yangdingi , the epiproct terminates in a trilobed tip in dorsal view, but in R. curvispina , the apex of the epiproct is rounded and acute in dorsal view. In R. curvispina the processes of tergum 10 cross just beyond mid-width of the segment, a feature shared with several other Chinese Rhopalopsole species; however, all these species of these lack the “house-shaped” sclerite of tergum 10 found in R. curvispina .

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. Rhopalopsole curvispina, sp. nov. 1. Terminal abdominal segments of male, dorsal view; 2. Terminal abdominal segments of male, ventral view; 3. Terminal abdominal segments of male, lateral view.