Asioplax dolani Allen

Asioplax dolani (Allen)

Asioplax dolani was originally described in Leptohyphes by Allen (1967) based upon a small series of larvae from the Savannah River at the South Carolina­Georgia border. It was later reported from Texas (Allen and Roback, 1969) and Florida (Lager, 1985). Allen and Roback (1969) based these records upon specimens collected in 1962 by S.S. Roback from the Guadalupe River near Victoria, Texas, then a second time by Allen (1978) from specimens collected in 1950 and 1952 by T. Dolan IV from near the same locality. No other records of this species in Texas have been reported until now. New records given below document A. dolani from the Austroriparian ecological region of East Texas, where larvae occupied crevices on snags in moderate­sized, sandy­bottomed streams with dense riparian vegetation. Lager (1985) reported a similar microhabitat for this species in a Florida stream.

Study of the published holotype and paratypes of this species showed them to be undissected and in good condition, with clear indications of which specimen was designated the holotype, and which the paratypes. In addition to the type series listed in the literature, a third vial from ANSP contained three larvae of A. dolani, three associated slides, and a label indicating that they were paratypes. Because these specimens were collected many years before the species description, have the same style of labels as the published type series, and have associated slides from which the original figures appeared to have been drawn, it appears that Allen intended to publish them as part of the type series but inadvertently did not include them in the original publication. As such, they should be considered valid paratypes.

Type Material Examined: HOLOTYPE: Savannah River, Dikes above Ellenton, S.C., Station 1, IX­2­1955, S.S. Roback (ANSP). PARATYPES: Savannah River, South Carolina­Georgia, Station 6A, SS Roback, VIII­21­55, 1L (ANSP). Savannah River, Ga­ S.C., Station 5, T.Dolan IV, X­23­51, 1L (ANSP). Following specimens originally unpublished ­ Savannah River, Georgia­South Carolina Station 1, Aiken Co., S.C., T. Dolan IV, VII­26­51, 3L (Survey SRP #1), 3 slides (ANSP).

Additional Material Examined: South Carolina: Newberry Co., Little River on Hwy. #56, 4­xiii­1955, Hynes, 1L (FAMU). Texas: Montgomery Co., Peach Creek, 16­vi­1998, D.E. Bowles, 3L (TAMU); San Jacinto Co., Winters Bayou, Sam Houston National Forest, ca. 5 mi. NW Cleveland, 03­x­1999, D.E. Baumgardner, 2F (reared) (TAMU).