Research Article |
Corresponding author: Nisarat Tungpairojwong ( knisar@kku.ac.th ) Academic editor: Ben Price
© 2022 Sirikamon Phlai-ngam, Boonsatien Boonsoong, Jean-Luc Gattolliat, Nisarat Tungpairojwong.
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:
Phlai-ngam S, Boonsoong B, Gattolliat J-L, Tungpairojwong N (2022) Megabranchiella gen. nov., a new mayfly genus (Ephemeroptera, Baetidae) from Thailand with description of two new species. ZooKeys 1125: 1-31. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1125.90802
|
Megabranchiella gen. nov. (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae) is established as a new baetid mayfly genus from northern Thailand. Two new species, Megabranchiella scutulata sp. nov. and Megabranchiella longusa sp. nov., are described. This genus is distinguished from other Baetidae by abdominal segment I, bearing a pair of enlarged, ventrally oriented single gills, covering abdominal sternites II–V; other gills have normal size and are dorsolaterally oriented. The two new species Megabranchiella longusa sp. nov. and Megabranchiella scutulata sp. nov. can be differentiated by the setation of femur dorsal margin and the shape of abdominal gill I. This mayfly genus was found in flowing water with cobble microhabitats in headwater streams of northern Thailand.
Baetidae mayflies, enlarged gills, South East Asia, taxonomy
Baetidae is a common family of mayflies with a worldwide distribution, except for Antarctica and New Zealand. The family comprises ca. 1,070 species assigned to 110 genera; it comprises approximately one-third of the global mayfly diversity and is therefore the most diversified mayfly family (
Three new genera have been described from Southeast Asia in recent times. A new genus, Procerobaetis Kaltenbach & Gattolliat, and four new species, P. leptobranchius Kaltenbach & Gattolliat, 2020 P. petersorum Kaltenbach & Gattolliat, 2020 P. fretagi Kaltenbach & Gattolliat, 2020 and P. totuspinosus Suttinun, Kaltenbach & Boonsoong were, 2021 reported from Indonesia (Sumatra), Philippines and Thailand (
Larval specimens were collected by hand-picking from all stream orders in Northern Thailand. Sampling sites are located in various natural conditions. Megabranchiella larval specimens were found and collected from headwater streams in the northern region only (Table
Species | Provinces | GPS coordinates | Altitudes (m a.s.l.) |
---|---|---|---|
M. scutulata sp. nov. | Chiang Mai | 18°52'01.65N, 99°19'20.83E | 779 |
Chiang Rai | 20°00'39.60N, 99°48'14.47E | 476 | |
M. longusa sp. nov. | Chiang Mai | 18°32'50.02N, 98°30'49.79E | 1,359 |
Nan | 19°09'19.09N, 101°10'12.96E | 995 |
The specimens were preserved in 95% ethanol. The larvae were dissected in glycerin under a Nikon SMZ745 stereomicroscope, with subsequent mounting on slides by glycerin. The micro-characters were observed with a Nikon Eclipse E200LED MV J compound microscope. Drawings were prepared using a camera lucida attached to an Olympus CH30 compound microscope, and they were scanned for illustration with the Procreate application (iOS application). Photographs of larvae were taken with a Canon EOS 700D camera and edited with Adobe Lightroom (http://www.adobe.com). The habitus photographs and measurements (given in mm) were obtained using NIS-Elements software with a Nikon SMZ25 stereomicroscope. Final plates were prepared and processed with Adobe Photoshop (http://www.adobe.com). For scanning electron microscopy (SEM), specimens were preserved in 95% ethanol and transferred to absolute ethanol for dehydration. The specimens were then dissected and transferred to microtubes and covered with a fine mesh net (mesh size 60 µm) for drying in a Critical Point Dryer (CPD). The dried specimens were set on stubs and coated with a 20 nm layer of gold with a Cressington sputter Coater. SEM images were obtained by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM; Fei Model: Helios NanoLab G3 CX). The examined material was deposited in the
Collection of Aquatic Insect of Department of Biology at Khon Kaen University in Khon Kaen, Thailand (
This research has been reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Khon Kaen University, based on the Ethic of Animal Experimentation of National Research Council of Thailand (Record No. IACUC-KKU-65/63) for collecting the baetid mayfly specimens.
Order Ephemeroptera Hyatt & Arms, 1891
Megabranchiella scutulata sp. nov., by present designation.
Megabranchiella longusa sp. nov.
Megabranchiella scutulata sp. nov.
Larva
(Figs
Unknown.
Megabranchiella is a combination of Mega- in reference to the enlarged, -branchio- in reference to gills and -iella in reference to the genera Liebebiella and Acentrella which are most certainly the closely related genera. The “Megabranchiella” refers to the remarkable enlarged abdominal gill segment I of baetid mayfly. The gender is feminine.
Larva
(Figs
Head. Antenna. ca. 2 × as long as head length; scape, pedicel and flagellum without process, without scale bases and spines, covered with scattered long, fine setae; flagellum covered with scattered long, fine setae in each segment.
Labrum
(Fig.
Right mandible
(Fig.
Left mandible
(Fig.
Maxilla
(Fig.
Labium
(Fig.
Hypopharynx
(Fig.
Thorax. Forewing pads. Highly developed related to body size; clearly divergent.
Hindwing pads. Highly reduced.
Forelegs
(Figs
Abdomen
(Fig.
Megabranchiella scutulata sp. nov., larval morphology A dorsal margin of femur B dorsal view of abdomen C enlargement of abdominal tergites V–VII D ventral view of abdominal gills I (arrow) E ventral view of gonostyli. Scale bars: 0.15 mm (A); 0.5 mm (B); 0.25 mm (C); 0.4 mm (D); 0.3 mm (E).
Gills. Seven pairs of gills present on abdominal tergites I–VII; gills I enlarged to covered abdominal sternites II–V, oriented ventrally (Fig.
Paraproct
(Fig.
Caudal filaments. Inner margin of cerci with very thin, long setae; median filament reduced shorter than 0.4× of cerci length, lateral margins with very thin, long setae.
Unknown.
Holotype. Thailand, One male larva on slide (
Paratypes. One larva on slide (
Two larvae in alcohol (ZMKU), Thailand, Chiang Rai, Muang district, Pong Phra Baht waterfall, 20°00'39.60N, 99°48'14.47E, 476 m, B. Boonsoong and C. Sutthinun leg.
Coloration
(Figs
Body
(Fig.
Head
(Fig.
Antenna. ca. 2 × as long as head length (Fig.
Labrum
(Fig.
Right mandible
(Fig.
Left mandible
(Fig.
Maxilla
(Fig.
Labium
(Fig.
Hypopharynx
(Fig.
Thorax. Hindwing pads (Fig.
Forelegs
(Fig.
Abdomen
(Fig.
Gills
(Fig.
Gonostyli bud
(Fig.
Paraproct
(Fig.
Caudal filaments. Cerci 0.4× of body length, inner margin of cerci with very thin, long setae; median filament 0.5 × of cerci length, lateral margins with very thin, long setae.
Unknown
The name of the species “scutula” refers to the outline of abdominal gill I which is rhombus- shaped.
Northern part of Thailand (Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai Provinces) (Fig.
The larvae were collected in headwater stream (Mae Kampong River) (Fig.
One male larva on slide and SEM stubs (
One larva in alcohol (ZMKU), same data as holotype.
One larva in alcohol (
Coloration
(Fig.
Body
(Fig.
Head
(Fig.
Antenna. Ca. 2 × as long as head length (Fig.
Labrum
(Fig.
Right mandible
(Fig.
Left mandible
(Fig.
Maxilla
(Fig.
Labium
(Fig.
Hypopharynx
(Fig.
Thorax. Hindwing pads (Fig.
Forelegs
(Fig.
Megabranchiella longusa sp. nov., larval morphology A dorsal margin of femur B dorsal view of abdomen C enlargement of abdominal tergites IV–VII D ventral view of abdominal gills I (arrow) E ventral view of gonostyli. Scale bars: 0.1 mm (A); 0.8 mm (B); 0.2 mm (C); 0.4 mm (D); 0.3 mm (E).
Abdomen
(Fig.
Gills
(Fig.
Gonostyli bud
(Fig.
Paraproct
(Fig.
Caudal filaments. Cerci 0.4× of body length, inner margin of cerci with very thin, long setae; median filament 0.5 × of cerci length, lateral margins with very thin, long setae.
Unknown.
The name of the species “longusa” refers to the outline of abdominal gill I which is elongate- shaped.
Type locality and larval habitats of Megabranchiella gen. nov. A–C type locality and larval habitats of M. scutulata sp. nov. A Mae Kampong stream, The Royal Project of Teen Tok, Chiang Mai Province B Pong Phra Baht Waterfall, Chiang Rai Province C fast-flowing water with pebble and cobble habitats (D–F) type locality and larval habitats of M. longusa sp. nov. D Siribhum waterfall, Chiang Mai Province E Sapan River, Bor Kluea district, Nan Province F fast-flowing water with boulder, cobble, and pebble habitats.
The larvae were collected in Siribhum waterfall (Fig.
The morphological characters of Megabranchiella gen. nov. clearly confirm that it belongs to the family Baetidae. These include a Y-shaped epicranial suture reaching ventrally of the lateral ocelli, relatively long antennae originating anterolaterally on the head, the developing turbinate eyes of late instar male larvae, a labrum with a median incision, the shape of the glossa, widen basally, and the shape of the right and left prostheca of the mandibles. This genus can be assigned to the clade Anteropatellata due to the presence of a patella-tibial suture on the foreleg and referred to Baetofemorata. The taxon Baetofemorata or Baetis/fg8 sensu Kluge & Novikova, 2011 includes the lineages Baetinae and Acentrella/fg1. As other members of this taxon, Megabranchiella gen. nov. is characterized by a ventral femoral patch (villopore) on the fore femur of larva.
Despite the presence of this femoral patch, which has been used to assign taxonomic status, the position within Baetofemorata remains unclear. Taxon Acentrella/fg1 is a mayfly group assigned to the Baetofemorata. This taxon is composed of the genera Acentrella Bengtsson, 1912, Acerobiella Gattolliat, 2012, Asiobaetodes Gattolliat, 2012, Jubabaetis Müller - Liebenau, 1980, Liebebiella, and Platybaetis Müller-Liebenau, 1980 and Tanzaniops McCafferty & Barber-James, 2005 (
Megabranchiella gen. nov. has a ventrally flattened body with compact mouthparts, as in Acentrella (Bengtsson, 1912) and Liebebiella (Waltz & McCafferty, 1987). The labial palps have a weakly developed inner lobe with a rounded terminal segment. The maxillary palps are 2-segmented, while the 2nd segment with the apical tip is distinct in Megabranchiella gen. nov. The hind wing pads are reduced to absent in all genera (
Larval character comparisons of Megabranchiella gen. nov. and related genera.
Characters | Acentrella | Liebebiella | Megabranchiella gen. nov. |
---|---|---|---|
Body | Body ventrally flattened | Body ventrally flattened | Body ventrally flattened |
Mouthpart | Compact, the 2nd segment of labial palp with weakly developed inner lobe, the 3rd segment evenly rounded to slightly truncate | Compact, the 2nd segment of labial palp with weakly developed inner lobe, the 3rd segment rounded, weakly tapered, or flattened apically | Compact, the 2nd segment of labial palp with weakly developed inner lobe, the 3rd segment relatively rounded |
Maxillary palp | 2-segmented, terminal segment with or without apical tip | 2-segmented, terminal segment usually with apical tip | 2-segmented, terminal segment with apical tip |
Hindwing pad | Present, reduced or absent | Absent | Highly reduced |
Femur | Dorsal margin of femur usually with a row of relatively long setae | Dorsal margin of femur with relatively long, dense multiciliate setae | Dorsal margin of femur with a regular row of long, simple setae |
Ventral femoral patch | Present | Present | Present |
Tibia | Dorsal margin of tibia with 1 or 2 regular rows of long, simple setae | Dorsal margin of tibia usually with 1 or 2 rows of dense, long, multiciliate setae | Dorsal margin of tibia with a row of long, simple setae |
Tarsus | Without a preapical seta | With a preapical seta | Without a preapical seta |
Tarsal claw | Generally without subapical setae (presence in a few species) | Without subapical setae | Without subapical setae |
Abdominal gills | Usually 7 pairs (8 pairs in A. joosti), dorsally oriented; gill margin smooth with a few scattered fine hair-like setae | Seven pairs, dorsally oriented; gill margin smooth with a few scattered fine hair-like setae | Seven pairs; gill I enlarged to cover sternites II–V, ventrally oriented, gill margin smooth without dense long fine hair-like setae; gill II–VII dorsally oriented, gill margin with dense long fine hair-like setae |
Posterior marginal spines | Poorly developed, often spiculate or multidentate | Well developed | Reduced to absent |
Paracercus | Generally reduced (sometimes to a segment) | Reduced to a few segments (generally 10–14 segments) | Reduced to a few segments (Approximately 12–15 segments) |
Distribution | Palearctic, Nearctic and Oriental realms | Oriental realm | Northern Thailand (Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Nan Provinces) |
References |
|
|
Present study |
The gills allow a straightforward identification of the genus: the position of the larval abdominal gills of Megabranchiella gen. nov., specifically the ventral orientation of gill I, is an important character. Ventrally oriented gills are also present in the genera Afrobaetodes (Demoulin, 1970) and Baetodes (Needham & Murphy, 1924), but they differ from Megabranchiella by the following features: the number of ventrally oriented gills, the number of rows of denticles on the tarsal claws, and the presence of accessories’ gills (
The larval body of Megabranchiella gen. nov. was comparable to Acentrella/g1 (including Acentrella and Liebebiella), as the larvae are adapted for inhabitance on stones in rapid flowing water. Megabranchiella gen. nov. larvae have the same general Acentrella-type body, which is dorso-ventrally flattened. They have lost the primary siphlonuroid swimming specialization and lost the ability for normal swimming, similarly to Acentrella/g1 larvae. The legs of Acentrella/g1 and Megabranchiella gen. nov. larvae are widely separated and cannot be stretched backward and pressed to the body. The abdomen is too short, with relatively long cerci, so the larvae cannot make undulating movements and cannot serve as a swimming flipper. In the natural conditions, they do not swim but crawl on the stone surfaces. When the larvae try to swim, they make poorly effective dorso-ventral movements with the abdomen. They swim upward, then stop and slowly fall passively, with their legs kept in lateral position, the abdomen bent dorsally, and the cerci diverging (see
Surprisingly, two species of this new genus were found in the northern part of Thailand. Megabranchiella scutulata nov. sp. was found in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces, while Megabranchiella longusa sp. nov. was collected in Chiang Mai and Nan provinces. These two Megabranchiella larvae can be separated by the following diagnostic characters: i) the dorsal pattern of the body; ii) the number of spine-like setae near the lateral and anterolateral margins of labrum; iii) the number of canines of the mandible; iv) the shape of the setae on the dorsal margin of the femur; these setae are long, apically rounded, simple in Megabranchiella scutulata nov. sp. while they are dense long, robust, apically pointed, pectinate in Megabranchiella longusa sp. nov., vi) number of denticles of the tarsal claw, and vii) the shape of the abdominal gills, which are more elongated and slenderer in Megabranchiella longusa sp. nov. (Table
Larval character comparisons of two new species of Megabranchiella gen. nov.
Characters | M. scutulata sp. nov. | M. longusa sp. nov. | |
Hindwing pads | Highly reduced | Highly reduced | |
Femur | Dorsal margin | Regular row of long, apically rounded, simple setae | Regular row of dense long, robust, apically pointed, pectinate setae |
Number of dorsal setae | 11–13 | 18–20 | |
Dorsal surface | with scattered tiny spines and some long, apically blunt, fine, hair-like setae | with scattered tiny spines and dense long, apically blunt, fine, hair-like setae | |
Tibia | Dorsal margin | A regular row of long, apically pointed, pectinate setae | A regular row of long, apically pointed, pectinate setae |
Abdominal gills | Gill I | Enlarged to covered abdominal sternites II–V, oriented ventrally, relatively rhombus shape, gill margin smooth | Enlarged to covered abdominal sternites II–V, oriented ventrally, relatively rhombus shape, gill margin smooth |
Length/width gill I | 1.4× | 2.5× | |
Gill II–VII | Oriented dorsally, slightly oval, gill margin smooth, surface and gill margin covered with scattered long, fine hair-like setae | Oriented dorsally, slightly oval and slender, gill margin smooth, surface and gill margin covered with scattered long, fine hair-like setae | |
Length/width gill II–VII | 2.1× | 3.3× | |
Gonostyli bud | Acentrella-type, 3-segmented | Acentrella-type, 3-segmented, | |
Terminal filament | Paracercus | Reduced to several segments; approximately 0.4× cerci length | Reduced to several segments; approximately 0.3× cerci length |
Distribution | Northern Thailand (Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai Provinces) |
Northern Thailand (Chiang Mai and Nan Provinces) |
Megabranchiella gen. nov. larvae were found in fast-flowing water in headwater streams and a waterfall. They live on stone surfaces of cobble and sand microhabitats in shallow water streams. Their habitat may possibly explain why Megabranchiella larvae have a ventrally oriented gill I. This feature might be important to Megabranchiella larvae for adaptation to fast-flowing shallow water streams. It is likely an adaptation to shallow fast streams as in Afrobaetodes and Baetodes (Gattolliat & Sartori, 1999). Cymbalcloeon, another genus with a ventral gill insertion, is also found in shallow streams, but occurs in slow-flowing water. Conceivably, ventral gill insertion could be a useful adaptation that allows mayflies to survive in shallow streams under various conditions.
The enlarged abdominal gill I is a remarkable morphological adaptation of Megabranchiella larvae. As in Cymbalcloeon larvae, a single pair of gills is enlarged. Because of the reductions of abdominal gills I–IV in Cymbalcloeon, this feature might be used for active respiration in slow-flowing water, whereas Megabranchiella larvae prefer fast-flowing water. The abdominal gills of mayflies have been revealed to perform various functions, such as respiration, osmoregulation, locomotion, water circulation, protection, and attachment (
In conclusion, Megabranchiella gen. nov. from Thailand can be assigned to Acentrella/g1 Kluge & Novikova, 2011 based on the diagnostic morphological characters of the taxon. However, the complex taxonomy of Acentrella/g1 creates difficulties in deciding the position of this new genus within the clade. Molecular work can resolve and clarify the taxonomic status according to the evolutionary relationship with Acentrella/g1. The ecology and habit of this new genus make its association with Acentrella/g1 quite likely, in view of their similar habitats, behaviors, and morphology. A clearer picture of the adaptation and modifications of the gill morphological characteristics of this genus should be studied intensively in future work.
The research was supported by the Fundamental Fund of Khon Kaen University, fiscal year 2022. This research has received funding support from the National Science, Research and Innovation Fund (NSRF). This work was partially financially supported by Academic Affairs Promotion Fund, Faculty of Science, Khon Kaen University, fiscal year 2022 (RAAPF), Research and Graduated Studies, Khon Kaen Univerisity and a Science Achievement Scholarship of Thailand (SAST). We are deeply indebted to Dr. Chanaporn Suttinun, who provided part of the Megabranchiella specimens to this project. We are thankful to our colleagues for their kindness and support throughout field trips. We would like to thank the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science at Khon Kaen University for facility support.