Neoperla dashahena Du, 2005

Neoperla dashahena Du, 2005 View in CoL

Neoperla dashahena Du, 2005: 51. View in CoL

Materials

Type status: Holotype. Occurrence: recordedBy: Du Yu-Zhou; individualCount: 1; sex: 1 male; Taxon: scientificNameID: Neoperla dashahena Du, 2005 ; kingdom: Animalia; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Plecoptera ; family: Perlidae ; genus: Neoperla ; Location: country: China; countryCode: CN; stateProvince: Guizhou Province; county: Daozhen; locality: Dasha River National Nature Reserve, Xiannvdong ; Identification: identifiedBy: Zeng Liang-liang, Du Yu-Zhou, Huo Qing-Bo; Event: year: 2004; month: 5; day: 22-29; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: ICYZU; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen

Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: recordedBy: Du Yu-Zhou; sex: 3 males; lifeStage: adult; Taxon: scientificNameID: Neoperla dashahena Du, 2005 ; kingdom: Animalia; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Plecoptera ; family: Perlidae ; genus: Neoperla ; Location: country: China; countryCode: CN; stateProvince: Guizhou Province; county: Daozhen; locality: Dasha River National Nature Reserve, Xiannvdong ; Identification: identifiedBy: Zeng Liang-liang, Du Yu-Zhou, Huo Qing-Bo; Event: year: 2004; month: 5; day: 22-29; Record Level: language: en; institutionCode: ICYZU; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen

Description

Adult habitus: General body colour brown. The head is pale yellow with two ocelli. The ocelli are black, surrounded by a quadrate brown area. An inverted brown triangle is present centrally on the frons (Fig. 1 View Figure 1 A); Pronotum is light brown and trapezoidal in shape; Abdominal segments and cerci pale brown.

Male: The middle posterior part of tergite 7 has square or quadrate areas that are slightly raised, the posterior margin of which is sclerotised and has a small sensilla basiconica patch. As specimens of this species have been preserved in alcohol for nearly 20 years, lateral sclerotised areas give the impression of a broad, shallow arc. Tergite 8 bears a recurved tongue-like process with small spines at the distal margin. Hemitergal processes of tergite 10 up-curved, extending backwards to the central process of tergite 9, tip rounded. (Fig. 1 View Figure 1 B-C).

The medial pair of spinule-covered projections appear to be part of the penis base. The endophallus starts distal of these lobes. The connected distal patch of spinules is located anti-apically on the endophallus. (Fig. 2 View Figure 2 B-C and Fig. 3 View Figure 3 A). Larger spinule patch on the dorsal surface of the middle part of the everted endophallus (Fig. 2 View Figure 2 A and Fig. 3 View Figure 3 B), with a row of small spines on the ventral surface of the proximal endophallus (Fig. 2 View Figure 2 C and Fig. 3 View Figure 3 C).

Distribution

China ( Guizhou).

Taxon discussion

Neoperla dashahena was originally assigned to the montivaga species group ( Zwick 1983, Zwick 1986) with the penis having incomplete sclerotisation in the ventral aspect. Zwick (2023) recently made this grouping obsolete and erected two subgenera, Neoperla ( Borneella) and Neoperla ( Formosita) Klapálek.

Due to the presence of paired, ventral spiny lobes at the apex of the penis base, we now assign N. dashahena to the N. ( Formosita) lushana - group. The penis of N. dashahena is most similar to Neoperla latamaculata Du, 2005 and Neoperla yaoshana Li, Wang & Lu, 2011 . In N. dashahena , a larger spinule patch exists on the dorsal surface of the everted endophallus, with a row of small spines on the ventral surface of the endophallus. In N. latamaculata , the dorsal surface of the everted endophallus has a " V " - shaped spinules patch. In N. yaoshana , the apical half of the everted endophallus bears a field of fine dorsal and ventral spinules separated by a lateral membranous area.