Zwicknia komica Muranyi & Boumans
Creators: name: Boumans, Louis
name: Murányi, Dávid
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Plecoptera
Capniidae
Zwicknia
Zwicknia komica

description: Zwicknia komica Murányi & Boumans
(Figs. 9–13, Figs. 20–21)
Capnia bifrons (Newman, 1838) — Loskutova 2003 (faunistic data, at least some of the northwestern Russian populations belong to the new species)
Morphological diagnosis. Process of male tergite 9 high, perpendicularly elevated, 3× as wide as epiproct sclerite (Figs. 10, 13), rectangular, the membranous portion sides parallel in caudal view (Figs. 13, 21). Main epiproct sclerite (Ep-scl): narrow and acute in dorsal view (Fig. 10), tip upcurved in lateral view (Figs. 11, 20); ventral membranous section ends far before the base in lateral view, apical spines stout, distributed on membranous portion and a few also on the sclerite (Fig. 20). Male micropterous, ventral vesicle half as wide as the subgenital plate (Fig. 12).
Type material. Holotype male: RUSSIA: Komi Republic, Vyl’gort, Tyla-yu stream, N 6134.699' E 5039.635', 95 m, 25.04.2012, leg. O. Loskutova (NHMO: 10073065; used for molecular studies as No.1653).
Paratypes, 5 males: RUSSIA: Komi Republic, Vyl’gort, Tyla-yu Stream, N 6134.699' E 5039.635', 95 m, 25.04.2012, leg. O. Loskutova: 2♂ (HNHM: PLP4281; used for drawings Figs. 9–13, Figs. 20–21); Idem: 3♂ (NHMO: 10073143, 10073149, 10073227; used for molecular studies as No.1654, 1655, 1660);
Description: Head, thorax, appendages and basal segments of the abdomen as is typical for the genus. Males micropterous; females macropterous (personal communication O. Loskutova, specimens were not available for study). Body length: holotype 7.3 mm, male paratypes 5.5–6.0, forewing length: holotype 1.2 mm, male paratypes 1.1–1.2 mm.
Male terminalia (Figs. 9–13, Figs. 20–21): Process of tergite 9 high, perpendicularly raised, its apex is three times as wide as the medial section of the main epiproct sclerite (Ep-scl); its shape is rectangular, the apex bearing two hump-like apices which are visible only in dorsal view; sides slightly indented in caudal view, the membranous portion parallel. Tergite 10, basal and laterobasal epiproct sclerites as is typical for the genus. Main epiproct sclerite narrow and pointed in dorsal view, medially not swollen; its medial width is half the basal width; tip upcurved and moderately acute in lateral view, divided section long. Ventral membranous part between the left and right divisions of the main epiproct sclerite ends far before the base in lateral view; apical spines stout, distributed on membranous portion, few spines occur on the sclerite. Inner sclerite (I-scl) as is typical for the genus, eversible crest (Ec) long but contorted on the studied specimens. Sternite 9 slightly projecting medially, vesicle rather large, half as wide as the subgenital plate. Subgenital plate rounded with triangular shape, tip rounded. Paraprocts, fusion plate, retractoral plate and cerci as is typical for the genus.
Morphological affinities: Males of the species can be easily distinguished from congeners on the basis of the very large, rectangular process of tergite 9. The epiproct resembles that of Z. acuta, but differs in having an upcurved, moderately acute tip, not straight and acute. The rather large ventral vesicle is probably also distinctive, but given that only one population was examined, the value of this feature, variable in some other species, is questionable. Female specimens were not available for study, but are most probably indistinguishable from congeners, like other females in the genus.
Drumming. Unknown.
Distribution and ecology. We describe this species on the basis of six males from a single population in the Komi Republic, Russia (Fig. 22). The type locality is a lowland forest stream, tributary of the Sysola River, Dvina drainage basin. Further populations of Zwicknia from European Northeast Russia (Loskutova, 2003) probably belong to this species, but the actual distribution of this species in the East European Plain or Russian Plain is unknown. Zwicknia komica and Z. bifrons from Norway (Lillehammer, 1988; Boumans, 2011) have the northernmost distribution of the genus.
Etymology. The species is dedicated to the Komi Republic where the type specimens were found. The species epithet ends in the Latin adjectival suffix – icus “pertaining to”. Agreeing with the genus name in grammatical gender, the adjective has the feminine form.
Contribution to the morphological key of adult Zwicknia males, published in Murányi et al. (2014):
Z. komica keys out to couplet 3, which should be modified as:
3a Process of tergite 9 low and caudally projecting (Murányi et al. 2014: Figs. 92, 157–159).................. Z. rupprechti - Process of tergite 9 high and perpendicularly raised........................................................... 3 3 Process of tergite 9 three times as wide as main epiproct sclerite (Figs. 9–10, 13, 21)......................... Z. komica - Process of tergite 9 less than 1.5× as wide as main epiproct sclerite (Murányi et al. 2014: Figs. 82, 85, 120, 152–156).......
............................................................................................. Z. bifrons Z. westermanni keys out to couplet 4, which should be modified as:
4a Brachypterous (Fig. 6); ventral vesicle half as wide as the subgenital plate (Fig. 4)....................... Z. westermanni - Micropterous or macropterous (Murányi et al. 2014: Figs. 57, 59, 61); ventral vesicle narrower than half the width of subgenital plate (Murányi et al. 2014: Figs. 79, 95, 99, 103).......................................................... 4
description: Published as part of Boumans, Louis & Murányi, Dávid, 2014, Two new species of Zwicknia Murányi, with molecular data on the phylogenetic position of the genus (Plecoptera, Capniidae), pp. 1-91 in Zootaxa 3808 (1) on pages 11-14, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3808.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/286171