Neoperla caii Li & Wang, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Li, Weihai
name: Wang, Ying
name: Wang, Rongfeng
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Plecoptera
Perlidae
Neoperla
Neoperla caii

description: Neoperla caii Li & Wang, sp. nov.   
 ( Figs. 1–2)   
 Male. Forewing length 16.6–17.2 mm. General body color brown. Distance between ocelli barely as wide as diameter of the ocellus. Head reddish brown with triangular darker area covering ocelli and triangular dark area anterior to M-line, area around compound eyes pale (Fig. 1 a); compound eyes black; antennae brown to dark brown. Pronotum brown with scattered pale markings (Figs. 1 a–b); wing membrane brownish, veins brown; legs yellow brown but distal fourth of femora, anterior fourth of tibia and tarsi darker. Abdominal segments and cerci brown.   
 Terminalia. Tergum 7 with posterior margin slightly produced into a trapezoidal process, covered with ventral and distal sensilla basiconica (Fig. 1 b). Tergum 8 with anteromedial area sclerotized, extended into a recurved tougue-shaped process with small spines (Figs. 1 b–c). Tergum 9 without sensilla basiconica, with median patch of long hairs. Hemitergal processes of tergum 10 sclerotized and slightly bent medially. Aedeagal tube plump, dorsal surface moderately sclerotized, apically with a small spinous triangular patch (Fig. 1 d), ventral surface with a pair of nipple-like spinous projections (Fig. 2 a). Aedeagal sac slightly over 2X longer than tube, with a rounded dorsal lobe subapically; tiny spinules occur almost on the entire surfaces except basal third bald, larger spines concentrating on a large dorsal and two neighboring lateral patches medially (Figs. 1 d, 2 a & b), 2–3 irregular rows of ventral line of small spines present along apical half of the sac (Fig. 2 c).   
 Female. Unknown.   
 Type material. Holotype: male (HIST), China: Sichuan Province, Emeishan City, Emeishan Mountain, Zero Kilometer, Longdong Lake, 2011. VI.29, light trap, Wanzhi Cai; paratypes: 1 male (HIST), China: Sichuan Province, Emeishan City, Emeishan Mountain, Zero Kilometer, Longdong Lake, 2011. VI.29, light trap, Xiao Zhang; 1 male (CAUC), China: Sichuan Province, Emeishan city, Emeishan Mountain, Zero Kilometer, Longdong Lake, 2011. VI.29, light trap, Chenliang Zhang.   
 Etymology. The patronym honors one of the collectors of the types, Prof. Wanzhi Cai.   
 Distribution. China (Sichuan Province).   
 Diagnosis and remarks. The new species shares similar external terminalia and a similar dorsoapical lobe of aedeagus with N. goguryeo Murányi & Li, 2015, known from North Korea. However, they may be easily separated by details of aedeagal armature. The dorsoapical lobe on aedeagal sac of N. goguryeo is surrounded by two lateral and one dorsal field of strong spines (figs. 21–23, Murányi et al. 2015), whereas the lobe in N. caii lacks surrounding spines, but with similar armature present on the median portion of the sac. Additionally, two irregular ventral rows of spines (Fig. 2 c) and a small triangular basodorsal patch of spines of aedeagal sac (Fig. 1 d) are present in N. caii, but absent in N. goguryeo.
description: Published as part of Li, Weihai, Wang, Ying & Wang, Rongfeng, 2017, Taxonomic notes on Neoperla (Plecoptera: Perlidae) from Sichuan Province of China with the description of two new species, pp. 191-204 in Zootaxa 4221 (2) on page 192, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.248632