Oecetis quadrula Wells 2006, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Wells, Alice
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2006
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Trichoptera
Leptoceridae
Oecetis
Oecetis quadrula

description: Oecetis quadrula sp. nov.
Figures 40–42, 70
Material examined. Holotype. Male, NT, Kakadu National Park, UDP Falls, 7 Sep 1979, J. Blyth (NMV T-18844, on slide).
Paratypes. NT: 1 male, Litchfield National Park, Florence Falls, 9 Apr 1991, Horak, Upton and Wells (ANIC); 1 male, Jabiru Town Lake, 13 May 1991, C. Humphrey (ANIC); 1 male, Kakadu National Park, Baroalba Springs, 4 Oct 1991, Wells and Webber (NTM); 1 male, same locality, 16 Jan 1992, Wells, Webber and Bickel (NTM); 1 male, Magela Creek Site 009, 3 Mar 1992, A. Wells (NTM).
Other material. NT: 1 male, Muirella Park, 12 Oct 1972, J.C. Cardale (ANIC); 1 male, 12°17'S, 133°13'E, Birraduk Ck, 18 km E by N of Oenpelli, 4–5 Jun 1973, J.C. Cardale (ANIC); 1 male, 12°31'S, 132°54'E, 9 km N by E of Mudginberri HS, 10–11 Jun 1973, J.C. Cardale (ANIC); 1 male, 12°50'S, 132°51'E, 16 km E by N of Mt Cahill, 16 Jun 1973, J.C. Cardale (ANIC); 1 male, 16°25'S, 136°05'E, 45 km SW by S of Borroloola, 5 Nov 1975, J.C. Cardale (ANIC); male, Jim Jim Creek, 3 km below falls, Kakadu National Park, 1 Sep 1979, J. Blyth (NMV, on slide); male, South Alligator R. at UDP Falls [Gunlom], 7 Sep 1979, J. Blyth (NMV, on slide); 1 male, ARR, creek 5 km W of OSS South Alligator Field Station, 19 Apr 1989, Wells and Suter (NMV); 1 male, Melville I., Andranangoo Creek, 11°31'S, 130°54'E, 8 Oct 1996, G.R. Brown (NTM); 1 male, Melville I., Maxwell Creek, 11°33'S, 130°35'E, 14 Oct 1996, G.R. Brown (NTM); 1 male, same locality and collector, 15 Oct 1996 (NTM). WA: numerous males, females, 15°02'S, 126°55'E, Drysdale R., 3–5 Jul 1975, I.B.F. Common (ANIC); numerous males, females, 15°02'S, 126°55'E, Drysdale R., 3–8 Aug 1975, I.B.F. Common and M.S. Upton (ANIC); male, Mitchell Plateau, Camp Creek, 31 Jan 1978, J.E. Bishop (NMV, on slide); male, Mitchell Plateau, Camp Creek at Crusher, 15 Feb 1979, J.E. Bishop (NMV, on slide); 3 males, Mitchell Plateau, at Mining Camp, 14°49'S, 125°50'E, 9–19 May 1983, J.C. Cardale (ANIC); 1 male, Kimberley, Mt Barnett Station, Manning Gorge, 30 Apr 1992, P.S. Cranston (ANIC); 1 male, 15°55'S, 127°56'E, El Questro Station, Chamberlain R. pool, 26 Aug 1996, I. Edwards, NMV); numerous males, females, 15°42'S, 126°22'E, Drysdale R. Crossing, Kalumburu Road, 28 Aug 1996, I. Edwards (NMV); 2 males, 14°54'S, 126°12'E, King Edward R., 3 Sep 1996, I. Edwards (NMV); 1 male, 16°40'S, 125°56'E, Manning R. near Mt Barnett, 8 Sep 1996, I. Edwards (NMV). Qld: 1 male, The Crater, Atherton Tableland, 25 Apr 1970, S.R. Curtis (ANIC); numerous males, females, Tewah Creek, Tin Can Bay, 17–18 Oct 1971, S.R. Monteith (ANIC); 1 male, Upper Freshwater Creek, Whitfield Range near Cairns, 15 Dec 1974, Moulds (NMV, on slide); 1 male, Mulgrave R. W of Gordonvale, 29 Apr 1979, Wells (NMV); 1 male, 15°12'S, 143°52'E, Hann R. NW by W of Laura, 27 Jun 1986, J.C. Cardale (ANIC). NSW: 4 males, 8 females, Wallagarough R., Princes Highway bridge, 29 Jan 1975, A. Neboiss (NMV). Vic.: 1 male, Wingan R., 8 km S Princes Hwy, 30 Jan 1975, A. Neboiss (NMV, slide); 1 male, Tanjil R. near Old Tanjil, S 34, Latrobe C. Survey, 5 Feb 1980 (NMV).
Diagnosis. In the male, resembling O. australis and O. burtoni in having long downy vestiture on the wings and no scales, but distinguished by absence of acute ventro-mesial processes on the inferior appendages, and inferior appendages short and stout in ventral view, tapered distally in lateral view, phallus short and beak-like, with a short slightly curved paramere. The form of the inferior appendages of this species is similar to O. jenniae, but the phallus is far shorter, its paramere short and slender.
Description. Male. Wings rounded apically, with long hair on veins; forewing without scales, length 4.6–7.0 mm. Antennae with a brush of long setae on leading edge of segments. Abdominal segments 3–5 with tergites sclerotised; segment IX narrow, lateral angles produced, segment X elongate coneshaped in ventral view, in lateral view elongate, rounded apically and with a small triangular ventral process. Genitalia, see figs 40–42. Pre-anal appendages short, rounded, phallus scarcely longer than wide, with membranous apex of aedeagus folded and down-turned; a short, slightly curved paramere present. Inferior appendages in ventral view subquadrate, with apico-lateral lobes short, convergent; in lateral view, simple, straight, tapered at apex, without basi-dorsal pouch.
Distribution. Found across northern Australia, from WA, NT and Qld, and from south-eastern Vic.
Remarks. With a dense brush of setae on the leading edge of the antennae, antennae erect (at least in spirit material), and long maxillary palpi, males of this species look particularly moth-like. Material here referred to O. quadrula shows variability in genitalic form, but a conservative approach is taken in assigning all to a single species as examination of more material from the south-east of the continent is required to justify recognition of two distinct morpho-species.
Etymology: Derived from the Latin, quadra — square, for the shape of the inferior appendages in ventral view.
description: Published as part of Wells, Alice, 2006, A review of Australian long-horned caddisflies in the Oecetis pechana-group (Trichoptera: Leptoceridae), with descriptions of thirteen new species, pp. 107-128 in Memoirs of Museum Victoria 63 (2) on pages 121-122, DOI: 10.24199/j.mmv.2006.63.13, http://zenodo.org/record/8064969