Wellsomina stuarti Cartwright, 2010, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Cartwright, David I.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Trichoptera
Ecnomidae
Wellsomina
Wellsomina stuarti

description: Wellsomina stuarti sp. nov.
Figs 7, 8, 33–35, 50
Diagnosis. Wellsomina stuarti can be distinguished from congeners by the large flask-shaped, fused inferior appendages with a pair of relatively short digitiform projections distally.
Description. Head, body and wings light brown; wings typical for the genus (Fig. 7), length of forewing: male 2.6–2.9 mm, female 3.0 mm. Wing venation: forewing length about 3.7 times width, each with forks 2, 3, 4 and 5 present; fork 2 relatively short, fork 2 footstalk relatively long, length about 1.7–3.0 times length of cross-vein r -m, length of fork 2 about 1.6–2.1 times length of fork 3; fork 3 very short, length of fork 3 about 0.5–1.0 times length of footstalk, footstalk of fork 3 very long, length about 3.4–4.9 times length of cross-vein m. Hind wing length about 4–4.5 times width, each with forks 2, 3 and 5 present, all short; fork 2 footstalk relatively long, length about 2.1–2.9 times length of cross-vein r -m.
Male. Tergum X membranous, with membrane reaching inferior appendages (Figs 33, 35). Superior appendages in dorsal view each with broad, truncate mesal lobe with short, curved apical spine, distal lobe with 2 long spines apically (Fig. 35); in lateral view, broad basally, tapered distally. Phallus simple, tube-like, beak-like apically (Fig. 33). Inferior appendages strongly depressed, in ventral view with large fused flasklike shape, rounded laterally, with pair of relatively small digitiform processes apically, separated narrowly by notch (Fig. 34); in lateral view, slender, narrowed slightly in distal 1/4th (Fig. 33).
Female. Genitalia with abdominal sternite VIII relatively broad, basally with slender digitiform mesal process; segment IX relatively short, broad-based, tapered slightly in distal 1/4th, segment X relatively long, slender with 1 pair of small cerci (Figs 50, 50 a).
Holotype male: Northern Territory, Alligator R., Two Mile Hole, 12°42'S, 132°09'E, 5 Aug 1996, I. Edwards (NMV, T- 20815).
Paratypes: Northern Territory. 1 male (specimen PT-1085 figured), Katherine R. Gorge Nat. Pk, 13 Aug 1979, JB; 1 female (specimen CT-539 figured), collected with holotype; 2 males, S. Alligator R., UDP Falls, 7 Sep 1979, JB. Western Australia. 5 males, Drysdale R. at Kalumburu Rd crossing, Kimberley, 28 Sep 1979, JB; 3 males, Camp Ck at crusher, Mitchell Plateau, UV lt, 15 Feb 1979, JEB.; 1 male, same site and collector, 18 Feb 1979; 4 males, Camp Ck, Mitchell Plateau, lt tr., 31 Jan 1978, JEB (NMV).
Other material examined. 1 female, Camp Ck at crusher, Mitchell Plateau, UV lt, 18 Feb 1979, JEB (NMV).
Etymology. Stuarti – named after McDougall Stuart, the European explorer who first discovered and named Katherine Gorge (one of the paratype localities).
Remarks. Wellsomina stuarti has been collected from the Northern Territory, and the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia (latitudinal range 12°42'– 15°42'S).
description: Published as part of Cartwright, David I., 2010, Descriptions of 2 new genera and 13 new species of caddisflies from Australia (Trichoptera: Ecnomidae), pp. 1-21 in Zootaxa 2415 on pages 15-16, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.194387