Research Article |
Corresponding author: Du Yu-Zhou ( yzdu@yzu.edu.cn ) Academic editor: Pavel Stoev
© 2021 Zhao Meng-Yuan, Du Yu-Zhou.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Meng-Yuan Z, Yu-Zhou D (2021) A new species of Nemoura (Plecoptera, Nemouridae) and supplementary description of Amphinemura cordiformis from the Nanling Mountains of southern China. ZooKeys 1039: 109-122. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1039.60144
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Two species of Nemouridae are described and illustrated from the Nanling Mountains of southern China, including a new species, Nemoura biplatta sp. nov. from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and a new regional record species, Amphinemura cordiformis Li & Yang, 2006 from Hunan Province. The morphological characteristics of the new species are compared to related taxa and the new images with supplementary description of A. cordiformis are also provided.
Mangshan National Natural Reserve, Maoershan National Natural Reserve, Nemoura biplatta sp. nov.
Nemoura Latreille, 1796 and Amphinemura Ris, 1902 are the two largest genera of Nemouridae in China. Both of these genera are comprised of approximately 200 valid species known from the Holarctic and Oriental regions (
The Nanling Mountains are located at 24°00'–26°30'N, 110°–116°E and are the boundary of Guangdong province, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Hunan province, Jiangxi province, and Fujian province. The mountains are regarded as a priority area for biodiversity conservation, containing 19 wildlife natural reserves, such as Maoershan National Natural Reserve in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Mangshan National Natural Reserve in Hunan province (
Herein, an additional Nemoura species, Nemoura biplatta sp. nov. from Maoershan National Natural Reserve, is described as new to science and one Amphinemura species, Amphinemura cordiformis Li & Yang, 2006, is proposed from Guizhou province and it is reported for the first time in Mangshan National Natural Reserve. Detail descriptions, illustrations, and new images of the two species are provided and discussed.
All examined specimens were collected by hand or net and preserved in 75% ethanol. Terminalia of adults were examined and illustrated using Keyence VHX-5000 system and final images were prepared using Photoshop CS6. All listed specimens are deposited in the Insect Collection of Yangzhou University (ICYZU), Jiangsu Province, China. The new species is named after the morphological characteristics of the terminalia.
Holotype, 1♂, China, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guilin City, Ziyuan County, Maoershan National Natural Reserve, the walkway beside the swamp (Fig.
Adult habitus (Fig.
Male (Figs
Female (Figs
Regarding to the affinities of the new species, N. biplatta belongs to the cercispinosa complex proposed by
Amphinemura cordiformis: Li & Yang, 2006. Zootaxa 1154: 42.
Amphinemura cordiformis: Wang, Du, Sivec & Li, 2006. Illiesia 2(7): 50.
Amphinemura cordiformis: Yang, Li & Zhu, 2015. Fauna Sinica Insecta 58: 182.
Amphinemura cordiformis: Yang & Li, 2018. Species Catalogue of China. Vol. 2. Animals, Insecta (III), Plecoptera, 8.
China, Guizhou Province, Dashahe.
2♂♂, China, Hunan Province, Chenzhou City, Yizhang County, Mangshan National Natural Reserve, Guizizhai (Fig.
China (Guizhou, Hunan).
Adult habitus (Fig.
Male (Figs
Compared to the specimens described from Guizhou province, the ones from Hunan province present slight discrepancies in males. The Hunan specimens have a pair of V-shaped sclerotized stripes below the notch in the dorsal view of epiproct, and the ventral sclerite basally bears two small spines, which are obscure in the Guizhou specimens. Additionally, the paraproct outer lobe of the Hunan specimens is thicker, apically rounded, and bears some irregular nicks along the inner edge. The inner lobe has a slender sclerotized stripe along its inner margin and the median lobe bears two rows of spines subapically and a ring of claw-like spines apically whereas the inner lobe is triangular and slightly sclerotized in the Guizhou specimens, and the number and arrangement of the spines near the apex of median lobe are variable. As mentioned above, the enumerated characters probably refer to geographical or individual variability.
The Nanling Mountains, where the two species discovered, including Nemoura biplatta sp. nov. from Maoershan National Natural Reserve in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Amphinemura cordiformis from Mangshan National Natural Reserve in Hunan Province, are a priority area for biodiversity conservation. Although there are similar species exist, the two species documented here are new to science or represent new records based on detailed morphological comparison. Considering the geographical or individual variability of some similar species, molecular methods should be considered to confirm the status of new taxa in the future. Meanwhile, it is expected that more new species of stonefly may be discovered in the Nanling Mountains in the future with additional specimen collection and biodiversity surveys.
We express our gratitude to Huo Qing-Bo for collecting the specimens and photographing the habitat of the species. This project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 31572295; 31872266) and GDAS Special Project of Science and Technology Development (no. 2020GDASYL-20200102021, 2020GDASYL-20200301003).