Holotype ♂ from China, Guizhou, Yanhe County, Shaba Village, 903m, 5 Oct. 2007, Leg. Xue Hai-Yang. Paratypes 18♂♂, the same details as holotype.

General color: Light brown. Head brown or light brown, wider than prothorax, hind ocelli much closer to the eyes than to each other, antennae and palpi yellowish brown. Prothorax light brown, subquadrate, all angles somewhat rounded and some black irregular stripes on it. Legs light brown. Wings hyaline and veins light brown.

Approximate measurement: forewing length 6.0 mm, body length 6.5 mm. Mid-posterior margins of tergite 9 sclerotized, slightly emarginated (Fig. 1). Sternite 9 basally with a tongue-like vesicle bears dense hairs, apically with a subgenital plate wider than long and rounded apically (Fig. 2). Tergite 10 with strongly sclerotized lateral process beak-like somewhat acute and curving inward apically and a small spine at the middle of lateral process in dorsal view, thick basally and slightly curved upward apically in lateral view. Mid-anterior sclerite sclerotized, posterior margin more sclerotized; one pair of transverse triangle sclerite weakly sclerotized (Fig. 1). Epiproct a simple curved process, erect hook-like apical portion curved inward (Fig. 4). Subanal lobe sinuate in lateral aspect, rounded and strongly sclerotized apically, apex membranous in ventral aspect; subanal lobe clearly with a pair of little lobes at middle of subanal lobe and each little lobes rounded apically in ventral aspect. Cerci long and cylindrical, thick basally and thin apically, distinctly upturned in lateral aspect, apex with a tiny spine.

Unknown.

The species name refers to the small spine at the middle of lateral process of tergite 10.

This new species resembles Rhopalopsole aculeata Harper (1977) from Nepal and Rhopalopsole xui Yang, Zhu & Li (2004) from Guangdong in having an epiproct with a thin spine-like apical portion and a strongly sclerotized lateral process without bifurcation of tergite 10. The new species can be distinguished from Rhopalopsole aculeata by the presence of spines on the lateral processes and cerci. Rhopalopsole aculeate has no spines on the middle of lateral process or on the cerci. The new species can be distinguished from Rhopalopsole xui by the shapes of the mid-anterior sclerite, lateral process, subanal lobe and cerci. In Rhopalopsole xui, the mid-anterior sclerite is wider than long and has two short obtuse lateral processes. Rhopalopsole xui lacks spines at the middle of the lateral processes and on the cerci and has a wide and apically rounded subanal lobe without a pair of small lobes. The characteristics of the subanal lobe and lateral process distinguish this new species from other Rhopalopsole species, which possess an epiproct with thin spine-like apical portions and no bifurcated lateral processes on tergite 10.

Holotype ♂ from China, Guizhou, Yanhe County, Shaba Village, 903m, 5 Oct. 2007, Leg. Xue Hai-Yang. Paratypes 6♂♂, the same details as holotype.

General color: Brown and dark brown. Head brown or dark brown, wider than prothorax, hind ocelli much closer to the eyes than to each other, antennae and palpi brown. Prothorax dark brown, quadrate, longer than wide, all angles rounded and some black irregular stripes on it. Legs light brown. Wings hyaline and veins light brown.

Approximate measurement: forewing length 8 mm, body length 8.5 mm. Tergite 9 sclerotized, with a large central membranous area, the mid-posterior margin strongly sclerotized (Fig. 5). Sternite 9 with a subgenital plate wider than long and rounded apically, basally with a tongue-like vesicle bears dense hairs (Fig. 6). Tergite 10 with two small narrow lateral mid-anterior sclerites and one large broad median mid-anterior sclerite; mid-posterior more sclerotized and protrusive; one pair of transverse sclerite weakly sclerotized (Fig. 5). Lateral processes each strongly sclerotized, spine-like rather than thick basally, narrowed apically and downward in lateral aspect (Fig. 7). Epiproct curved forward, thick and blunt apically (Fig. 5, 7). Subanal lobe strongly sclerotized at base, trident-like apically in ventral aspect and membranous at its apex (Fig. 6). Cerci long and cylindrical, ampulla-like, thick basally and thin apically, each with a tiny spine.

Unknown.

The species name refers to the shape of cerci on segment 10.

This new species is similar to other species in the Rhopalopsole assamensis group (Sivec et al. 2008) in having a sclerotized area on the mid-posterior margin of tergite 9, thick epiproct, lateral sclerites at each side of the central sclerite and cerci with tiny spines. It can be diagnosed by the shape of the subanal lobes, which are trident-like apically. Other species in the Rhopalopsole assamensis group possess subanal lobes that are flat and narrow at the base but expand into a wide rectangular apical portion. The lateral processes of species in the Rhopalopsole assamensis group typically end in a forked process on tergite 10, but those of this new species lack bifurcation. Rhopalopsole ampulla is similar to Rhopalopsole exiguspina, but Rhopalopsole ampulla can be distinguished by the shapes of the subanal lobes and the lateral processes on tergite 10. The subanal lobes of Rhopalopsole exiguspina are rounded apically and each posses a small spine at the middle of lateral process, but those of Rhopalopsole ampulla are strongly sclerotized and trident-like apically in ventral aspect.