Metrichia thurmani Harris and Armitage 2019, new species

Metrichia thurmani Harris and Armitage, new species

Fig. 10

Diagnosis. Metrichia thurmani is placed in the aberrans group of Flint (1972) as it lacks abdominal modifications and the phallus has a pair of subapical spines and an elongate tubule. The new species has a similar appearance to that of M. enigmatica Bueno-Soria and Santiago-Fragoso in the lateral shape of the inferior appendages and the structure of the phallus, but M. enigmatica displays abdominal modifications which are absent in the new species.

Male. Length 2.3–2.6 mm. Head without modification. Antennae simple with 20 segments. Body and wings brown in alcohol, forewing with diagonal white band at midlength. Abdominal segments lacking any hair brushes or setal pouches. Segment VII annular, with small ventromesal process. Segment VIII annular in lateral view widening posteromesally, deeply incised ventrally. Segment IX triangular in lateral view, anterior portion within segments VII and VIII, posterior margin rounded. Preanal appendage (cercus) rectanguloid in lateral view, rounded distally; in dorsal view ovate, margins irregular distally; dorsolateral hook shorter than segment X, curving downward to acute apex in lateral view; in dorsal view narrow over length, subapical lateral point. Segment X membranous and triangular laterally; in dorsal view triangular, apex rounded and setose. Inferior appendages in lateral view wide basally, gradually narrowing over length to acute apex; in dorsal and ventral views wide basally, sharply narrowing near midlength on inner surfaces. Phallus widening basally and apically, apex bulbous in dorsal view with pair of spines subapically, inner spine short and stout, outer spine elongate and sinuate, ejaculatory duct enclosed within thin tubule extending slightly beyond outer spine; in lateral view, tubule elongate and narrow, lower apical spine short, upper apical spine thin and sinuate.

Female. Unknown.

Type material. male— Panama, Bocas del Toro Province, Quebrada Rambala, near Rambala Jungle Lodge, 3.74 km SSE Rambala, 8.91627°N and 82.15469°W, 120 m, Malaise trap, E. Carlson, March 31–April 11, 2015. Paratypes. ibid., 2 males; ibid., October 7–9, 2016, 2 males; ibid., November 15–20, 2016, 2 males; ibid., February 6–12, 2017, 2 males; ibid., December 21–31, 2016, 1 male; tributary of Quebrada Rambala, Rambala Jungle Lodge, 3.7 km SSE Rambala, 134 m, 8.91627°N and 82.15649°W, August 9, 2014, E. Carlson, 1 male (SCH).

Etymology. We take great pleasure in naming this species for Albert A. Thurman of Phoenix, AZ for introducing lay entomologists to the insects of Panama, and for assisting us with the collection of Trichoptera and Plecoptera specimens.