Neoperla lianhuashana, Mo & Lin & Li, 2025

Mo, Raorao, Lin, Aili & Li, Weihai, 2025, Comprehensive review of the genus Neoperla (Plecoptera: Perlidae) from Guangdong, China: unveiling two new species and a new record, Zootaxa 5659 (2), pp. 240-256 : 243

Neoperla lianhuashana sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–3 )

Diagnosis. The male aedeagus is hook-like in shape and features a Y-shaped ventral lobe. The Y-lobe of the aedeagal tube bifurcates in the subapical part, where the stalk measures 2.5X the length of each arm. The proximal part of the aedeagal sac has a dense cluster of spines.

Adult habitus ( Fig. 1 ). Body color brown. Head yellow, with a prominent subtriangular dark brown ocellar patch; palpi brown; antennae dark brown, scape and pedicel paler; biocellate, distance between ocelli about one diameter apart; head slightly wider than pronotum. Pronotum mostly brown except the anterior part with a pair of small yellow spots anteromedially, rectangular, with scattered indistinct rugosities; corners rounded. Wings brownish and transparent, veins brown; legs brown; cerci brown.

Male ( Figs. 2–3 ). Forewing length 10.0– 11.1 mm, hindwing length 9.0–10.0 mm (n = 3). Tergum 6 with a few scattered sensilla basiconica arranged medially. Posterior process of tergum 7 trapezoidal, covered with dense sensilla basiconica. Tergum 8 with a tongue-shaped upcurved process, with many sensilla basiconica at distal margin. Tergum 9 with two paramedian patches of long hairs without sensilla patches. Hemitergal processes of tergum 10 slender, finger-like, slightly bent medially, with a blunt tip ( Figs. 2a–c ). Aedeagal tube long, slender, well sclerotized but less sclerotized ventrally, ventrally with a slender, bifurcate Y-lobe; arms without apical spines, about two-fifths the length of the stalk ( Figs. 2d , 3a, 3c ). Aedeagal sac about two-thirds the length of the tube, strongly curved ventrad forming an open loop with a blunt tip; basal half bare; apical half mostly covered with spines of varying sizes, of which the base covered with a dense cluster of spines ( Figs. 2d , 3a–b ).

Female. Unknown.

Eggs. Unknown.

Type Material. Holotype: male ( HIST), China: Guangdong Province, Huizhou City, Huidong County, Lianhuashan Mountain , Baipenzhu Provincial Nature Reserve , Kengkou Village , 23°2'59" N, 115°8'4" E, 380 m, 2024.VII.14, light trap, Raorao Mo, Yizhen Han, Haoqiang Zhang, Leyou Zhang, Sihan Li . Paratypes: 1 male ( HIST), same data as holotype ; 1 male ( HIST), same locality and collector as holotype, Luwo Village , 23°1'57" N, 115°8'25" E, 330 m, 2024.VII.15.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the type locality, Lianhuashan Mountain.

Distribution. China: Guangdong Province (Huizhou City). Known only from the type locality.

Remarks. The new species belongs to the Neoperla diehli subgroup ( Mo et al. 2024; Zwick 1983). It is most similar to Neoperla moae Zeng, Huo & Du, 2024 in having similar terminalia and the hook-like aedeagus ( Zeng et al. 2024b). Both species, however, can be distinguished by details of the aedeagal armature. For the new species ( Figs. 2d , 3a, 3c ), the arms of the Y-lobe lack apical spines and are shorter than half of its stalk on the aedeagal tube; the length covered by the cluster of spines is approximately half that of the smooth basal part on the aedeagal sac. However, in the latter species ( Fig. 9a ), the arms of the Y-lobe are covered with apical spines and are obviously longer than half of its stalk on the aedeagal tube; the length covered by the cluster of spines is distinctly longer than that of the smooth basal part on the aedeagal sac.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Neoperla lianhuashana sp. nov. (a–b. holotype male; c. paratype male). a. Adult habitus, dorsal view. b. Head and pronotum, dorsal view. c. Head and pronotum, dorsal view. Scales = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 2. Neoperla lianhuashana sp. nov. (holotype male). a. Terminalia, dorsal view. b. Terminalia, lateral view. c. Terminalia, oblique lateral view. d. Aedeagus, lateral view. Scales = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 3. Neoperla lianhuashana sp. nov. (holotype male). a. Aedeagus, oblique ventral view. b. Aedeagus, ventral view. c. Ventral lobe of aedeagal tube, ventral view. Scales = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 9. Aedeagus (male). a. Neoperla moae Zeng, Huo & Du, 2024, lateral view, illustration from Zeng et al. (2024b). b. Neoperla anjiensis Yang & Yang, 1998, lateral view, illustration from Huo et al. (2021). c. Neoperla shiwandashana Mo, Yao, Wang & Li, 2019, lateral view, illustration from Mo et al. (2019). Not to scale.