Mortoniella (Nanotrichia) venezuelensis Blahnik & Holzenthal 2017, new species
Creators: name: Blahnik, Roger J.
name: Holzenthal, Ralph W.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Gentianales
Apocynaceae
Mortoniella
Mortoniella venezuelensis

description: Mortoniella (Nanotrichia) venezuelensis, new species   
Fig. 96, 123  
 Mortoniella venezuelensis is very closely related to M. eduardoi Rueda Martín and Gibon and M. licina, n. sp. All of these species have the apical spine-like projections from the mesal pockets of the inferior appendages very elongate and fused to the ventral part of the inferior appendages to form elongate, projecting lobes. All of the species also have an endophallic membrane that is ornamented with a dorsomesal projection with minute spines, membranous lateral lobes with minute spines, and paired ventral sclerites, each with a somewhat forked apex. Mortoniella venezuelensis differs from M. eduardoi in having paramere appendages that are uniform in width and not modified apically. Additionally, the color is different, medium brown, rather than very dark brown. Mortoniella licina differs in having slightly longer paramere appendages, which are also usually curved apically, rather than projecting straight. It also differs in that the fused ventral lobes of the inferior appendages are more elongate and more strongly dorsally curved than in M. venezuelensis. Additionally, M. licina differs in lacking a field of upright scale-like setae on the hind wing, which characterizes both M. venezuelensis and M. eduardoi.   
 Adult —Length of forewing: male 2.6-2.9 mm; female 3.0- 3.3 mm. Forewing with forks I, II, and III present, hind wing with fork II only. Spur formula 0:3:4. Overall color medium brown, apices of tarsi paler. Tibial spurs slightly darker than legs, weakly contrasting in color. Forewing with narrow whitish wing bar at anastomosis. Males with scale-like setae paralleling veins in fore- and hind wings, hind wing with additional field of darkened, semi-erect, scale-like setae.   
 Male genitalia —Ventral process of segment VI posteriorly projecting, narrow basally, length about 3 times width at base. Segment IX with anterolateral margin rounded and distinctly produced in ventral ½, posterolateral margin nearly straight; segment deeply mesally excised dorsally and ventrally, forming lateral lobes, separated dorsomesally by more than ½ width of segment. Tergum X, as viewed laterally, relatively short, narrow, slightly declivous; as viewed dorsally, short and wide, apicomesally with deep U-shaped emargination, extending more than ½ length of tergum; ventrolateral lobes obsolete. Inferior appendage with digitate, setose, dorsolateral projections, fused apicoventrally to spine-like projections of the mesal pockets; composite apical structure forming prominent, elongate ventral lobes. Mesal pockets of inferior appendage very large, with elongate, thick, spine-like, apicoventral projections. Paramere appendage elongate, narrow, nearly uniform in width, extending nearly straight, apex acute. Phallobase very short, with elongate ventral rod-like projections, each strongly flared apically. Dorsal phallic spine, as viewed laterally, somewhat widened basally, strongly reflexed in about apical 1/3, apex rounded; as viewed dorsally, with distinct dorsolateral projections, widest in basal ½, tapering apically, reflexed apex rounded. Phallicata short, continuous with endophallic membrane apically, laterally with broadly rounded, sclerotized projections, surrounding mesal pockets of inferior appendage. Endophallic membrane continuous with phallicata, dorsomesally with slightly raised projection with numerous minute spines, laterally with projecting membranous lobes with minute spines, ventrally with pair of sclerotized projections, each with v-shaped apical notch (modified phallotremal spines?).   
 Holotype male (pinned)— VENEZUELA: Barinas: Río Sinigüis in Caño Grande, 8.40000° N, 70.77417° W, el 520 m, 22.iii.1997, Holzenthal (UMSP000001551) (UMSP).   
  Paratypes — VENEZUELA: Barinas:  same data as Holotype– 8 males, 7 females (pinned), 42 males (alcohol) (UMSP), 15 males (alcohol) (MIZA); Río Santo Domingo, Barinas, 17.ii.1976, CM and OS Flint, Jr – 81 males, 198 females (alcohol) (NMNH); Zulia: Perija El Tucuco, Missión El Tucuco, small stream nr. church, 27.ix.1979, HM Savage – 1 male, 1 female (alcohol) (NMNH); Perijo El Tucuco, Missión El Tucuco, Río El Tucuco, 1/ 2 km from church, 1-5.x.1979, HM Savage – 47 males, 31 females (alcohol) (NMNH); El Tucuco, Sierra de Perija, montane forest, 28-29.i.1978, JB Heppner – 4 males (alcohol) (NMNH); Zulia: Parque Nacional Perijá, Río Negro in Toromo, 10.0510° N, 72.7120° W, el 360 m, 15.i.1994, Holzenthal, Cressa, Rincón – 3 males (alcohol) (UMSP).   
 Etymology —This species is named M. venezuelensis for Venezuela, the country of origin of the holotype specimen.
description: Published as part of Blahnik, Roger J. & Holzenthal, Ralph W., 2017, Revision of the northern South American species of Mortoniella Ulmer 1906 (Trichoptera: Glossosomatidae: Protoptilinae) *, pp. 1-251 in Insecta Mundi 2017 (602) on pages 111-112, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5170203