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

description: Wellsomina saeta sp. nov.
Figs 24–26, 47
Diagnosis. This species of Wellsomina can be separated by the following characters: fused inferior appendages each with a prominent shoulder and superior appendages with long apical setae.
Description. Head, body and wings pale brown; wings similar to those of W. stuarti (Fig. 7), length of forewing: male 2.5–2.8 mm, female 2.7–2.9 mm. Wing venation: forewing length about 3.5 times width, each with forks 2, 3, 4 and 5 present; fork 2 relatively short, fork 2 footstalk relatively long, length about 2.0–2.3 times length of cross-vein r -m, length of fork 2 about 1.6–2.0 times length of fork 3; fork 3 very short, length of fork 3 about 0.5–0.8 times length of footstalk, footstalk of fork 3 very long, length about 3.6–5.0 times length of cross-vein m. Hind wing length about 4 times width, each with forks 2, 3 and 5 present; short, fork 2 footstalk relatively long, length about 2.3 times length of cross-vein r -m.
Male. Tergum X membranous (Fig. 26). Superior appendages complex, short, in lateral view robust (Fig. 24), in dorsal view, each with dorso-mesal lobe with spine-like setae mesally, outer lobe with 2 long spine-like setae directed mesad; ventral lobe tapering slightly distally (Fig. 26). Phallus simple, robust, tube-like (Fig. 24). Inferior appendages strongly depressed, in ventral view fused in basal 2/3rds, with prominent shoulders disto-laterally, with pair of narrowly separated digitiform processes apically, diverging slightly distally (Fig. 25); in lateral view, slender, tapering and upturned slightly in distal 1/3rd (Fig. 24).
Female. Genitalia with abdominal sternite VIII relatively broad, basally with slender digitiform mesal process; segment IX relatively short, broad-based, tapered slightly in distal quarter, segment X relatively long, slender with 1 pair of small cerci (Fig. 47).
Holotype male: Western Australia. Wittenoom Gorge, 10 km E of Roebourne Rd, Pilbara, 24 Oct 1979, JB; (NMV, T- 20783).
Paratypes. Western Australia. 4 males, 1 female, collected with holotype; 2 males, 1 female, Wittenoom Gorge, 5 km S of Wittenoom, 26 Oct 1979, JB; 1 male, 1 female (specimen CT-516 figured), Wittenoom Gorge, Hamersley Range, 20 Feb 1977, M.S. and B.J. Moulds. Northern Territory. 2 males (specimen PT- 1086 figured), Katherine R. Gorge Nat. Pk (about 14°29'S, 132°26'E), 13 Aug 1979, JB (NMV).
Other material examined. Western Australia. 5 males, 23 females, Morgan R., Theda H.S., Kimberley, 28 Sep 1979, JB; 1 male, Drysdale R., 15°02'S, 126°54'E, 3–8 Aug 1975, I.F.B. Common and M.S. Upton (ANIC); Charnley R., 2 km SW Rolly Hill, CALM site 25/2, 16°22'S, 125°12'E, 16–20 Jun 1988, I.D. Naumann (ANIC); 2 males, Blue Holes, Ord R., Purnululu Nat. Pk, 17°33'S, 128°15'E, 7 Oct 1996, I. Edwards (NMV).
Etymology. Saeta - Latin word for bristle (long spiny setae on superior appendages).
Remarks. This is a relatively uncommon but widespread species across northern Australia, recorded from the Pilbara and Kimberley regions of northern Western Australia, into the Northern Territory (latitudinal range 14°29'– 22°17'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 12-13, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.194387