Leuctra variabilis Hanson 1941
Creators: name: Grubbs, Scott A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Plecoptera
Leuctridae
Leuctra
Leuctra variabilis

description: <i>Leuctra variabilis</i> Hanson 1941 Variable Needlefly http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Plecoptera.specie sfile.org:TaxonName:460700 (Figs. 48‒52) <i>Leuctra variabilis</i> Hanson 1941:62. Holotype &amp;male; (USNM), Paradise Trail, Sunderland, Massachusetts <i>Leuctra variabilis</i>: Illies 1966:111 <b>Male.</b> The 7th abdominal dorsal process shown herein from eastern Tennessee is symmetricallytrapezoidal with no appearance of lateral lobes (Fig. 48). The specimens examined from eastern Kentucky have small, laterally-directed spurs, yet still lack the appearance of lateral lobes. The specilla are broad basally, tapering slightly and not recurved; specilla mostly smooth in appearance, bearing shallow pits along the distal outer margin and very few raised tubercles (Figs. 49‒52). The subanal lobes are narrow throughout length, gently recurved anteriorly, and ca. 90% the length of the inner lobes (Figs. 49, 51‒52). <b>Material examined.</b> <b>USA</b>, <b>Kentucky</b>, Harlan Co., Watts Creek, Blanton Forest State Nature Preserve, 36.8619, -83.3753, 9 September‒4 November 2009, M.A. Floyd, 4&amp;male; (DCTC). <b>North</b> <b>Carolina</b>, Mitchell Co., tributary to Holder Creek, FS 130, 36.1018, - 82.1266, 23 October 2014, A.L. Sheldon, 1&amp;male;, 1&amp;female; (WKU). <b>Tennessee</b>, Carter Co., Twin Springs, 26 km N Spruce Pine (NC), Cherokee National Forest, 36.1213, -82.0865, 29 November 2002, S.A. Grubbs, 3&amp;male; (WKU). <b>Distribution.</b> USA: MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, VA, VT (DeWalt et al. 2015), NC, TN (new state records). <b>Remarks.</b> The abdominal dorsal process of <i>L. variabilis</i> is similar only to <i>L. usdi</i>. Hanson (1941, fig. 7) depicted three forms of the dorsal process, namely with the absence or presence of small lateral lobes that appear superficially-similar to <i>L. usdi</i> (Fig. 43). These two species can more readily be separated by characteristics of the specilla. The distal outer margin of the specilla of <i>L. usdi</i> bears numerous raised tubercles (Figs. 45, 47) whereas on <i>L. variabilis</i> the tubercles are lacking along the distal outer margin and at the tips (Figs. 49‒52). The shallow pits present along the outer margin on <i>L. variabilis</i> are lacking on <i>L. usdi</i>. Additionally, <i>L. usdi</i> is a spring-emergent species whereas <i>L. variabilis</i> emerges during late summer and autumn.
description: Published as part of <i>Grubbs, Scott A., 2015, Leuctra Schusteri, A New Stonefly Species (Plecoptera: Leuctridae) Of The L. Tenuis (Pictet) Group From The Southeastern Usa, pp. 147-166 in Illiesia 11 (12)</i> on page 165, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.4752768
description: {"references": ["Hanson, J. F. 1941. Studies on the Plecoptera of North America, II. Bulletin of the Brooklyn Entomological Society, 36: 57 - 66.", "Illies, J. 1966. Katalog der rezenten Plecoptera. Das Tierreich 82. Walter de Gruyter and Company, Berlin. 632 pp.", "DeWalt R. E., M. D. Maehr, U. Neu-Becker, &amp; G. Steuber. 2015. Plecoptera species file online. Version 5.0 / 5.0. Available online: http: // Plecoptera. SpeciesFile. org [retrieved 19 July 2015]"]}