Rhyacophila aphrodite Malicky 1975
Creators: name: Waringer, Johann
name: Malicky, Hans
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Trichoptera
Rhyacophilidae
Rhyacophila
Rhyacophila aphrodite

description: Description of the final instar larva of Rhyacophila aphrodite Malicky 1975   
 Biometry. Body length of final instar larva 18.2 to 22.0 mm, head width 1.24 to 1.34 mm (n = 2). Chaetotaxonomy according to Williams & Wiggins (1981) and Friedrich et al. (2015), anal proleg terminology following Nielsen (1942).   
 Head. Head capsule elongate, mean length: width ratio 1.33, lateral margins slightly convex with maximum width at height of posterior tip of frontoclypeal apotome (Fig. 1); surface finely wrinkled. Base coloration yellow, with conspicuous reddish brown, oval muscle attachment spots on dorsal, ventral, and lateral sides of parietalia, on frontoclypeal apotome, and along coronal suture (Figs. 1–3). Additional brown pigmentation on parietalia, dorsally from posterior frontoclypeal suture along posterior coronal suture to foramen occipitale, laterally from setae #12 and #14 to apophysis of foramen occipitale and ventrally, from foramen occipitale to center of parietalia (Figs. 1–3). On each parietal, setae #7, #9, #12, #14, #15, and #16 long and conspicuous (Fig. 1). Frontoclypeal apotome with deep central constriction, 5 pairs of primary setae, dark brown anterior margin, and U-shaped light brown pigmented area posterior of central constriction including 4–5 light muscle attachment spots (Fig. 1). Antennae inconspicuous, close to anterior parietal border, with short flagellum (not visible in Fig. 1). Yellowish labrum with 6 pairs of primary setae (Fig. 1). Ventral apotome (Fig. 2 va) shaped like isosceles triangle, dark brown, with thickened anterior border (Figs. 2, 4). Sclerites of maxillolabium yellowish brown; lateral borders of cardines, stipites, and mentum dark brown to black (Fig. 4). Mandibles medium brown, almost black apically, and asymmetrical (Fig. 4): right mandible with short, stout basal tooth (Fig. 4 bt), lacking on left mandible and replaced there by straight cutting edge (Fig. 4 ce). Each mandible with apical tooth (Fig. 4 at) and 2 lateral setae (Fig. 4, arrows).   
 Thorax. Pronotum fully covered by 2 large sclerites with their maximum widths at insertions of setae # 7 and 9; sclerites tapering anteriorly and posteriorly; lateral borders slightly concave (Fig. 5). Pronotal sclerites yellowish, each with reddish brown muscle attachment spots over light brown pigmentation creating arrow-shaped pattern pointing mesad (Fig. 5). In addition, oval concentrations of muscle attachment spots in posterolateral sections of sclerites, each with seta #5 near its anterior border. Additional muscles attachment spots and narrow stripes of pigment bordering posterior half of median suture (Fig. 5). Posterior margin thick and black, with pair of semicircular posterior submesal bulges each with yellow center (Fig. 5 pm) and posterolateral prolongations (Fig. 3 pp). Posterolateral border of pronotal sclerites with black stripe fading laterally, absent anterior of insertion of seta #9; with thin black stripe above insertions of setae #9 and #7 (Fig. 3). Pronotal notch at anterolateral corner semicircular, with 2 long setae (Figs. 3 and 5, #22, #23) and 3 tiny setae (Fig. 5, dotted oval). Prosternal horn lacking, prosternite ill-defined, quadrangular, yellowish white (Fig. 2 p). Meso- and metathoraces totally unsclerotized, with pale purplish-blue coloured areas subdivided by whitish longitudinal and transversal stripes; each with single pair of anterior (setal area 1 = sa 1) setae and pair of groups of one long and two tiny posterior (setal area 2 = sa 2) setae.   
Procoxae each with triangular conical basal process (Fig. 3 bp) touching ventral extension of black pleural suture (Fig. 3 ps). Dorsal apex of pleural suture close to posterolateral prolongations of pronotum (Fig. 3 pp). Proepisternum small, quadrangular, yellowish brown; pro-epimeron very narrow, creating yellowish ventral plate below pleural suture (Fig. 3 em). Protrochantin triangular, yellow, with dark posterior tip and dark dorsal and ventral borders (Fig. 3 tr); its anterior process finger-shaped, bearing seta #10 (Fig. 6). Episterna and epimera of meso- and metathoraces almost completely reduced to black vertical pleural sutures (Fig. 9 ps), fused with horizontal trochantin bearing seta #10 (Lepneva 1964; seta #10 hidden by thoracic gill in Fig. 9). Legs yellowish brown, with forefemora distinctly wider than mid- and hind femora, and sclerite borders dark brown to black (Figs. 6–9). Counts of long setae on each leg as follows: coxa 5 (#1, #3, #4, #5, #6; Figs. 6, 9), trochanter 5 (#3–#6 visible in anterior view), femur 6 (#1, #2, #5, and #6 visible in anterior view), tibia 6 (#3–#6 and one secondary seta visible in anterior view), tarsus 4 (#1–#4; Fig. 6). Tarsal claws sickle-shaped, pointed (in Fig. 6, tarsal claw heavily worn), with basal spur originating from conical base (Figs. 6–8).  
 Abdomen. Abdomen slightly depressed (flattened dorsoventrally), with purplish–blue dorsal colouration subdivided by whitish lines. Laterally and ventrally pale cream coloured. Each segment with 2 pairs of long dorsal primary setae (Fig. 10, setae #2, #5), one pair of tetrafilament lateral gills (Fig. 10), and pair of ventral setae #10 (Fig. 11). Lateral fringe lacking.   
Abdominal dorsum IX covered by large, yellow quadrangular sclerite with black anterior and posterior borders and dark brown markings and pair of lateral black projections; setae #2 and #3 inserted on sclerite, seta #4 on posterior edge and seta #5 inserted on small isolated posterolateral sclerite (Figs. 11, 12). With tufted, white anal gills (Figs. 11, 12 ag). Anal proleg sclerites yellowish brown, with dark brown borders and dark brown suture between anterior and posterior parts of proximal sclerite ’b’ (Fig. 11). Each proleg having proximal sclerite ’b’ (Fig. 11 pb) with oblique dark bar of suture extending onto strong basoventral hook (Fig. 11 h) anteriorly and with long terminal sword process (Fig. 11 sp) posteriorly; distal sclerite ’b’ with dorsal hornlike process with blunt tip (Fig. 11 bd). Ventral sclerite ‘c’ nearly round (Fig. 11 c). Ventral sclerite (Fig. 11 bv) with short median seta. Anal claw (ac) partially divided by ventral membrane into proximal and distal sections, latter fitted with two short basoventral teeth (Fig. 11, arrow). Anal claw teeth perpendicular to longitudinal axis of anal claw; distal anal claw tooth shorter than half anal claw width at distal tooth insertion (Fig. 11 arrow).
description: Published as part of Waringer, Johann & Malicky, Hans, 2019, Identification and morphology of a rhyacophilid caddisfly larva from Cyprus: Rhyacophila aphrodite Malicky 1975, pp. 563-570 in Zootaxa 4623 (3) on page 564, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4623.3.8, http://zenodo.org/record/3335954