Helicopsyche (Feropsyche) chiriquensis Johanson & Malm, 2006, new species
Creators: name: Johanson, Kjell Arne
name: Malm, Tobias
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2006
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Trichoptera
Helicopsychidae
Helicopsyche
Helicopsyche chiriquensis

description: Helicopsyche (Feropsyche) chiriquensis, new species
Fig. 17–25, 61
Helicopsyche chiriquensis is unique in having a relatively short Dc vein of the forewing, a very long and straight dorsal margin of segment IX, a half circle­shaped primary branch of gonocoxite in lateral view, 2 spines present apically on the primary branch of gonocoxite, and a short basimesal lobe of gonocoxite without megasetae. With respect to the genitalia, especially the shape of the gonocoxite, H. chiriquensis is very similar to H. paralimnella Hamilton, H. umbonata Hagen, H. ochthephila Flint, H. propinqua Botosaneanu & Flint, H. tuxtlensis, H. planata, H. paucispina Botosaneanu & Flint, H. neblinensis Johanson & Holzenthal, H. lara Johanson & Holzenthal, and H. cipoensis, new species, but it is separated by genitalic characters listed in the remarks below.
Male head. Cephalic warts oval, postantennal warts wart­like and small. Antenna with scape as long as eye diameter and maxillary palp segments.
Male wings. Venation as in Fig. 17 (holotype) and Fig. 18 (forewing of male paratype). Forewing grey brownish, length 3.8 mm; hind wing length 2.8 mm, with 21 hamuli.
Male abdomen and genitalia (Fig. 19–25). Sternal process VI (Fig. 19–20) about half as long as its segment length (Fig. 19–20), nearly straight in lateral view (Fig. 19), oriented posteroventrally and tuboid along its length, apex rounded and divided into lamellae (Fig.
20). Segment IX with anterior lobe hyperboloid in lateral view (Fig. 21), slightly oriented ventrad at middle, anterodorsal margin about as long as gonocoxite and nearly straight, anteroventral margin short and concave; in dorsal view (Fig. 22) with inner margin uniformly hyperboloid; in ventral view (Fig. 23) with central posterior process. In lateral view (Fig. 21), lateral apodeme oriented anteroventrally, nearly straight line at middle, tapering anteriorly, fades and meets anterior margin; sub­marginal line present; tergal and sternal transverse apodemes absent. Tergum X in lateral view oriented posteroventrad (Fig. 21), nearly straight along its length, apex truncate; in dorsal view, about equally wide along its length (Fig. 22), apical notch wide and shallow, with about 10 pairs of megasetae in dorsal line starting at anterior half of segment, and 3 pairs of megasetae in lateral line near apex; length of lateral and dorsal megasetae approximately equal. Superior appendage weakly club­shaped (Fig. 21). Primary branch of gonocoxite in lateral view generally half­circle shaped (Fig. 21), narrowest at base, with undulate dorsal margin resulting from produced setal bases; apex rounded posteriorly, with two stout megasetae, narrowest part of primary branch about as wide as maximum height of tergum X and narrower than width of tergum X (Figs. 21, 22); anterodorsal margin slightly convex, smooth, posteroventral margin long, nearly straight; basimesal lobe small, not protruding posterior of primary branch in lateral view (Fig. 21), without megasetae (Fig. 21, 23). Basal plate in lateral view (Fig. 21) nearly straight, tapering anteriorly; sharply triangular in ventral view (Fig. 23), with narrowly rounded anterior apex. Phallus in lateral view gently curved ventrally along its length (Fig. 24), equally wide along its length except slightly wider at base; in ventral view (Fig. 25), phallic basis well developed and forming a circular structure. Endotheca not produced, posteroventral part weakly sclerotized. Sperm channel divided inside phallus into thick posterior and narrow anterior parts.
Holotype male: PANAMA: Chiriqui: Fortuna Dam Site, nr. Hornitos, 1050 m, 8°55’N, 82°16’W, 20.ix–21.xi.1978, LT trap [H. Wolda] (NMNH, alcohol).
Paratypes: same data as holotype — 1 male; ditto, except 2–15. v.1979 — 1 male, 2 males; ditto, except 19.x–1. xi.1977 — 1 female; ditto, except 18.v–7. vi.1977 — 2 males; ditto, except 24.viii–6. ix.1977 — 2 males, 1 female; ditto, except 19.x­1. xi.1977 — 2 males, 1 female (NRM, alcohol).
Distribution: Panama (Chiriqui) (Fig. 61).
Etymology: chiriquensis, derived from the Panaman province Chiriqui, the type locality of the species.
Remarks: Helicopsyche chiriquensis is separated from H. paralimnella by having sternal process VI with lamellate apex (spinose in H. paralimnella), a longer anterodorsal margin of segment IX, a more rounded apex of gonocoxite primary branch, the basimesal lobe not produced posteriorly and lacking megasetae, and an anteriorly pointed basal plate (rounded in H. paralimnella). It is distinguished from H. umbonata by having a posteroventral orientation of sternal process VI (ventrally in H. umbonata), a much longer anterodorsal margin of segment IX, an anteriorly oriented anterior lobe of segment IX, a shorter anteroventral margin of segment IX, a less setose tergum X, a more weakly developed basimesal lobe without megasetae, and a more slender phallus. It is separated from H. ochthephila by the absence of a brush of long setae at the basal segment of the maxillary palp, a shorter wing length (forewing 4.4 mm in H. ochthephila), a much shorter anteroventral margin of segment X, a much longer and straight anterodorsal margin of segment IX, absence of dorsal setae on tergite IX and basally on segment X, a short basimesal lobe without megasetae, and a more uniformly thick phallus. Helicopsyche propinqua also lacks the megasetae on its weakly developed basimesal lobe but has a much shorter anterodorsal margin of segment IX, and lacks the sternal process VI. Helicopsyche chiriquensis is separated from H. tuxtlensis by the absence of the prominent postantennal and cephalic warts on the head, narrower hyperboloid anterior lobe of segment IX, longer and straight anterodorsal margin of segment IX, a poorly developed basimesal lobe, and no megasetae present on the basimesal lobe. The larger H. planata (forewing length 4.8 mm) is separated also by having relatively longer forewing Dc, a spinose apex of the sternal process VI, a shorter segment IX having an anterior lobe located dorsally and with a convex anterodorsal margin, a less rounded dorsal margin of the gonocoxite primary branch, and a megaseta present on the basimesal lobe. In H. paucispina the sternal process VI is shorter and more horizontally oriented, tergum X is narrower in dorsal view, the primary branch of the gonocoxite is more produced apically, and the basimesal lobe has 2 minute megasetae. In H. neblinensis, the sternal process VI is more slender, segment IX has a shallowly concave anterodorsal and anteroventral margin, tergum X has 5 pairs of short megasetae, the gonocoxite primary branch is more triangular, and the basimesal lobe is produced posteriad and bears many megasetae. The larger H. lara (forewing length 5.1–5.4 mm) is also separated by having a horizontally oriented sternal process VI, shorter anterodorsal margin of segment IX, the more densely setose tergum X, a triangular primary branch of the gonocoxite, and the posteriorly produced basimesal lobes bearing many, minute megasetae. Helicopsyche chiriquensis is separated from H. cipoensis by having a longer anterodorsal margin of segment IX, a shorter row of megasetae on tergum X, and no prominently produced basimesal lobe.
description: Published as part of Johanson, Kjell Arne & Malm, Tobias, 2006, Seven new Helicopsyche (Feropsyche) Johanson, 2002 from the Neotropical region and Nearctic Mexico (Insecta: Trichoptera: Helicopsychidae), pp. 1-24 in Zootaxa 1208 on pages 8-9, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.172404