Neoperla juxtadidita, Zwick & Zwick, 2023

18. Neoperla juxtadidita n. sp.

( Figs. 87–90 View FIGURES83–90 )

Type material studied: Gabonese Republic, ♀ holotype, Belinga 155 L Coiffait leg. ( NEOP042 ; SMNS, slide Z16.162) .

Habitus. Large size, WL 15.8mm. Faded, even the ocellar spot indistinct, uniformly light ochre, wings slightly tinged and turbid.

Male. Unknown.

Female ( Figs. 87–88 View FIGURES83–90 ). S8 unmodified. Vagina elongate, some wide transverse folds at base, many fine folds along sides. SSt originates in front of some folds on top of vagina ( Fig. 87 View FIGURES83–90 ). SSt long, slender, forming a single oval loop. Basal third internally with longitudinal undulating folds, more distally an internal cover of brown elongate closely packed scales ( Fig. 88 View FIGURES83–90 ), a wide band along concave side is bare. Longitudinal folds occur also in the spinose part of coil. End of SSt blunt, the narrow spermathecal duct is attached to the convex side.

Egg ( Figs. 89–90 View FIGURES83–90 ). Slender, 368*215µm, poles relatively wide, deep cells on operculum ( Fig. 89 View FIGURES83–90 ). The flat anchor pole has a rim-like very wide collar around a minute sclerotised projection in the centre of the pole, the mushroom-like anchor is attached to it ( Fig. 90 View FIGURES83–90 ). About 20 straight fine and low smooth ridges. Micropyles are in the wide areas between ridges, there are no visible punctures, even at magnification 630*.

DNA ( Figs. 491–493 View FIGURE 491 View FIGURE 492 View FIGURE 493 ). The female holotype from Gabon was sequenced with the genome-skimming approach, obtaining 10,959bp of mitochondrial, protein-coding genes. Its placement as sister to the well-supported (85.7/92/86) remainder of the N. duodeviginti -assemblage is only moderately well supported (96.6/69/5).

Etymology. The name is an adjective describing the close relation with N. didita, Latin juxta meaning close by or next to.

Notes. Neoperla juxtadidita and N. didita may be relictual early members of the N. africana- group (below). They have been rarely collected. The SSt is spiral but has an armature of slender spicules which resembles N. kalengonis in the transvaalensis -group and N. pickeri . Other members of the large africana -group have wide flat scales in the SSt.