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Grubbs, Scott A. 2012. An amended redescription of the male of Perlesta etnieri (Plecoptera: Perlidae) plus new Perlesta
state records.	Illiesia, 8(09):111-113. Available online: http://www2.pms-lj.si/iniesia/papers/nliesia08-09.pdf
AN AMENDED REDESCRIPTION OF THE MALE OF PERLESTA ETNIERI (PLECOPTERA: PERLIDAE) PLUS NEW PERLESTA STATE RECORDS
Scott A. Grubbs
Department of Biology and Center for Biodiversity Studies, Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, Kentucky, U.S.A. 42101 E-mail: scott.grubbs@wku.edu
ABSTRACT
An amended, partial redescription of the male of Perlesta etnieri Kondratieff and Kirchner (Plecoptera: Perlidae) is given, namely regarding the fully-extruded aedeagus that had not been previously reported or illustrated. The aedeagus bears a very small caecum, calling into the question the relatedness of this species to others in the P. frisoni Banks "group" that clearly lack a caecum. New state records for P. decipiens (Walsh) (Tennessee), P. lagoi Stark (Alabama), and P. shawnee Grubbs (Kentucky) are reported.
Keywords: Perlesta etnieri, Perlidae, Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky
INTRODUCTION
Perlesta etnieri Kondratieff & Kirchner 2002 is a large, dark-bodied member of this genus known only from a few localities in middle Tennessee (Kondratieff & Kirchner 2002). They placed this species in the P. frisoni Banks 1948 "group" because the male aedeagus apparently lacked a caecum, a characteristic shared only among P. frisoni, P. nelsoni Stark 1989, P. shawnee Grubbs 2005, and P. teaysia Kirchner & Kondratieff 1997 (Stark 2004). In his review of the eastern Nearctic Perlidae, however, Stark (2004, Fig. 7.362) noted for P. etnieri that the ".. .caecum reportedly absent but a small unextruded caecum apparently present.". The author recently collected a small series of P. etnieri from middle Tennessee, including gravid females that easily confirmed the identity of this species, and fully-extruded the aedeagi of two males. An amended, partial redescription of the male was deemed necessary and follows below.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Perlesta etnieri Kondratieff & Kirchner
(Fig. 1)
Perlesta etnieri Kondratieff & Kirchner 2002:51. Holotype S (National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution), Harpeth River, Millview, Williamson Co., Tennessee Perlesta etnieri: Stark, 2004:92.
Material examined. U.S.A., Tennessee, Grundy Co., Elk River, Rte. 50, 13 km N Monteagle, 35.3578, -85.8363, 28 May 2012, S.A. Grubbs, 2S, 3? (WKU).
Male. Same as Kondratieff & Kirchner (2002) and Stark (2004) except aedeagus very long and small in diameter, bearing a very small, rounded caecum; lateral sclerite very broad basally and tapering to a faintly visible line (Fig. 1).
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Volume 8 - Number 9 - Page 111
Grubbs, Scott A. 2012. An amended redescription of the male of Perlesta etnieri (Plecoptera: Perlidae) plus new Perlesta state records.
IUiesia, 8(091:111-11. Available online: httD://www2.Dms-li.si/illiesia/DaDers/Illiesia08-09.pdf
Fig. 1. Perlesta etnieri. Male aedeagus, lateral view.
Comments. The aedeagus for this species is unique among the 30 Nearctic Perlesta species in that it is (a) very long and exceptionally small in diameter, and (b) the caecum is very small. The caecum of P. etnieri is markedly smaller even when compared to other species (e.g., P. nitida Banks 1948 and P. lagoi Stark 1989) that seemingly bear a small caecum. Perlesta etnieri has two additional distinctive characteristics: a near fully-punctate egg lacking a collar (Kondratieff & Kirchner 2002, Fig. 6; Stark 2004, Fig. 7.402) and an X-shaped ocellar patch clearly visible on both the adult male and female (Kondratieff & Kirchner 2002, Fig. 1; Stark 2004, Fig. 7.313). This species cannot be mistaken with any of the other four Perlesta congeners (P. adena, P. decipiens (Walsh 1862), P. lagoi
Stark 1989, and P. teaysia) known from the middle Tennessee region.
The combination of the four unique morphological characteristics, however, also makes it very difficult to ascertain relatedness to other Perlesta species. Although the presence of the caecum is evidence that this species does not belong in the P. frisoni "group", robust phylogenetic analyses using modern molecular techniques (e.g. mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I gene sequencing) are needed to better understand species relationships within the genus as a whole.
New state records
Perlesta decipiens is widely distributed across the eastern and central Nearctic regions, extending west to the foothills of the southern Rocky Mountains (DeWalt et al. 2012). New Tennessee state records are reported from two riverine systems. Material examined. U.S.A., Tennessee, Marion Co., Sequatchie River, 2 km NE Whitwell, 35.2039, -85.4928, 29 May 2003, S.A. Grubbs, 2$, 3? (WKU); Marshall Co., Duck River, U.S. 431, 19 km E Columbia, 35.6087, -86.8224, 19-26 May 2004, S.A. Grubbs, 3$, 2? (WKU).
Perlesta lagoi is a widespread central and eastern Nearctic species known from Iowa south to Mississippi and east to West Virginia (DeWalt et al. 2012). New Alabama records are reported from the Cumberland Plateau region in the northeastern corner of the state.
Material examined. U.S.A., Alabama, Jackson Co., Estill Fork, Paint Rock River, CR 9, Estillfork, 34.9104, -86.1682, 28 May 2012, S.A. Grubbs, 2$, 7? (WKU); Larkin Fork, Paint Rock River, Rte. 65, 5 km NW Estillfork, 34.9276, -86.2187, 28 May 2012, S.A. Grubbs, $ (WKU).
Perlesta shawnee was initially described from Illinois and Indiana (Grubbs 2005), with subsequent new state records reported from Alabama, North Carolina, and Virginia (Grubbs & DeWalt 2008). This species was recently collected from western Kentucky, representing a new state record. Material examined. U.S.A., Kentucky, Trigg Co., tributary to Elbow Creek, Forest Road 165, Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area, 36.7688, -88.0351, 16 May 2012, S.A. Grubbs, $ (WKU).
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Grubbs, Scott A. 2012. An amended redescription of the male of Perlesta etnieri (Plecoptera: Perlidae) plus new Perlesta state records.
Illiesia, 8(09):111-11. Available online: http://www2.pms-lj.si/illiesia/papers/Illiesia08-09.pdf
REFERENCES
Banks, N. 1948. Notes on Perlidae. Psyche, 55:113130.
DeWalt, R.E., U. Neu-Becker, & G. Steuber. 2012. Plecoptera species file online. Version 1.1/4.0 [2 April 2012]. Available online, http://Plecoptera.SpeciesFile.org
Grubbs, S.A. 2005. Perlesta shawnee (Plecoptera: Perlidae), a new stonefly species from eastern North America. Aquatic Insects, 27:63-69.
Grubbs, S.A. & R.E. DeWalt. 2008. Taxonomic and distributional notes on Perlesta teaysia, P. golconda, and P. shawnee (Plecoptera: Perlidae). Illiesia, 4:143-149.
Kirchner, R.F. & B.C. Kondratieff. 1997. A new species of Nearctic Perlesta (Plecoptera: Perlidae) from Virginia. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 99:290-293.
Kondratieff, B.C. & R.F. Kirchner. 2002. Perlesta etnieri (Plecoptera: Perlidae), a new species of stonefly from Tennessee. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 104:51-55.
Stark, B.P. 1989. Perlesta placida (Hagen), an eastern Nearctic species complex (Plecoptera: Perlidae). Entomologica Scandinavica, 20:263-286.
Stark, B.P. 2004. Perlidae (The Stones). In B.P. Stark & B.J. Armitage, Editors. Stoneflies of eastern North America, Volume II. Chloroperlidae, Perlidae, and Perlodidae (Perlodinae). Ohio Biological Survey Bulletin, New Series, 14:61-148.
Walsh, B.D. 1862. List of the Pseudoneuroptera of Illinois in the cabinet of the writer, with descriptions of over forty new species, and notes on their structural affinities. Proceedings of the Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 13: 361-402.
Received 18 June 2012, Accepted 21 June 2012, Published 16 July 2012
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