Baumann, R. W. & J. J. Lee 2007. Paracapnia humboldta (Plecoptera: Capniidae), a new winter stonefly from northern California, U.S.A.                             Illiesia, 3(3):17?19. Available online: http://www2.pms?lj.si/illiesia/Illiesia03?03.pdf
PARACAPNIA HUMBOLDTA (PLECOPTERA: CAPNIIDAE), A NEW WINTER STONEFLY FROM NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, U.S.A.
Richard W. Baumann 1 and Jonathan J. Lee 2
1 Department of Integrative Biology, Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum,
Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602
E?mail: richard_baumann@byu.edu
2 2337 15th Street, Eureka, CA 95501
E?mail: jlee@humboldt1.com
ABSTRACT
Paracapnia humboldta, n.sp., is described from specimens collected at Mason Gulch in the Coast Range of northern California. The new species is compared to the three named species that occur in the Pacific coastal states.
Keywords: Plecoptera, Capniidae, Paracapnia, new species, California
INTRODUCTION
The winter stonefly genus Paracapnia was reviewed by Stark and Baumann (2004). The three Palearctic species were noted and the five Nearctic species were studied in detail. Paracapnia boris Stark and Baumann, was described as new from northern California. Thus, it was a pleasant surprise when an additional new species was discovered in 2007 from the region. Since the genus Paracapnia was revised so recently, it was easy to see that these specimens represented a taxon not previously described. This paper provides the description and compares the new species with the three presently recognized species that occur in the Pacific coastal states of the United States.
This new stonefly has only been found in Mason Gulch, Humboldt County, California. Mason Gulch Creek, a second order stream flowing from the north, runs under State Highway 299 at mile marker 29.68 and immediately into the upper portion of Willow Creek. Specimens were collected at the mouth of Mason Gulch and upstream about a hundred meters. Elevation along this stretch of creek is approximately
800 meters. Wilkinson (1986), in a study of the spring emergence of stoneflies in the Willow Creek drainage, noted Mason Gulch had the lowest pH (5.4? 5.6) of his study sites. Primary riparian vegetation in the lower section of Mason Gulch includes (from Wilkinson 1986): Alnus rubra, Salix sp., Rubus sp., and Pseudotsuga menziesii. The aquatic moss, Fontinalis antipyretica, is common in the creek.
If only female individuals were known, it could be difficult to separate them from P. disala (Jewett), which occurs in coastal California and Oregon. However, the females of these two species can be differentiated by examining the length of the light band on the abdominal terga. The male is quite distinctive and easy to recognize by the epiproct shape.
The holotype male will be deposited at the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California, and paratype specimens will be placed in the following collections: Bill P. Stark Collection, Mississippi College, Clinton, MS; Brigham Young University Collection, Provo, UT; California Academy of Sciences Collection, San Francisco, CA;
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Volume 3 – Number 3 – Page 17
Baumann, R. W. & J. J. Lee 2007. Paracapnia humboldta (Plecoptera: Capniidae), a new winter stonefly from northern California, U.S.A. Illiesia, 3(3):17?19. Available online: http://www2.pms?lj.si/illiesia/Illiesia03?03.pdf
Figs. 1?6. Paracapnia humboldta: 1. Male terminalia, epiproct, dorsal. 2. Epiproct tip, dorsal. 3. Male terminalia, epiproct, lateral. 4. Epiproct tip, lateral. 5. Female terminalia, ventral. 6. Female subgenital plate, ventral.
C.P. Gillette Collection, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, and Jonathan Lee Collection, Eureka, CA.
Paracapnia humboldta sp.n.
(Figs. 1?6)
Material examined. Holotype > from California,
Humboldt County, Mason Gulch Creek, January 20, 2007, J.J. Lee. Type deposited at the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California. Paratypes: California, Humboldt Co., Mason Gulch Creek, Hwy 299, mile 29.68, near junction Willow Creek, 19 Jan. 2007, J.J. Lee, 5> 1+; 20 Jan. 2007, J.J. Lee, 23> 12+; 1 Feb. 2007, J.J. Lee, 4>1+; 14 Feb. 2007, J.J. Lee, 10> 9+; 23 Mar. 2007, J.J. Lee, 1+.
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Volume 3 – Number 3 – Page 18
Baumann, R. W. & J. J. Lee 2007. Paracapnia humboldta (Plecoptera: Capniidae), a new winter stonefly from northern California, U.S.A. Illiesia, 3(3):17?19. Available online: http://www2.pms?lj.si/illiesia/Illiesia03?03.pdf
Male. Apterous. Body length 4.5?5.5 mm. Body and appendages dark brown, with light areas laterally at junction of terga and sterna and between segments, light areas medially on terga 7, 8 and 9. Epiproct recurved anteriorly over terminal abdominal segments, long and very thin, width similar from base to apex, extending almost to tergum 7 (Figs. 1, 3); tip rounded dorsally and slightly upturned laterally, bearing elongate feather?like structures (Figs 2, 4); curve of epiproct nearly flat laterally, slightly turned to the left dorsally, near apex (Figs. 1, 3). Cerci long, composed of 10?14 segments. Female. Apterous. Body length 6.0?7.0 mm. Body and appendages dark brown, with light areas at junction of segments and in pleural space, with broad, light membranous band dorsally extending from abdominal segments 2?7. Subgenital plate large and well defined, extending to posterior border of sternum 8, broadly rounded to truncate, sometimes with a tiny median point, with triangle shaped hairless area medially (Figs 5, 6). Cerci long, composed of 14?16 segments.
Etymology. The species name is taken from Humboldt County, California where this species occurs.
Diagnosis. The male of P. humboldta has the narrowest epiproct of any known species in the genus. It is equally wide from base to apex and slightly upturned at the tip. In addition, it always turns slightly to the left near the apex. Only P. boris has an epiproct that turns up at the apex, however, it is much wider both dorsally and laterally. The feather?like projections occur only very near the apex of the epiproct in P. humboldta while they extend to nearly 1/3 the length of the apex in both P. disala and P. ensicala (Jewett). Females of P. humboldta exhibit a wide dorsal abdominal band that only extends to segment 7. This makes it possible to separate the females of this species from the other Nearctic Paracapnia species since their band extends to segment 8 as it does in the genus Capnia. Generally the females of P. disala and P. ensicala can be hard to distinguish in the absence of males. However, P. humboldta can be separated from them by the above character and also from the females of the odd species C. fialai Nelson and Baumann, which occurs in the Willow Creek drainage (Nelson and Baumann 1990).
Notes. Paracapaia disala is recorded in the revision of the genus Paracapnia by Stark and Baumann (2004) as
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occurring only in Benton and Lane County, Oregon. However, recent collecting of winter stoneflies in Humboldt County, California, by the second author, has shown that this species is common in northwestern California. The following are records from five sites: Red Mountain Creek at rd. 10 N 12, 23 November 2005, 12> 11+; 24 February 2006, 36> 50+. Slide Creek at rd. 13 N 01, 14 December 2005, 9> 17+; 23 January 2006, 8> 11+. Upper Willow Creek drainage, Hwy 299: stream, mile 31.23, 7 February 2006, 4> 11+; stream, mile 31.33, 14 February 2007, 10> 7+; stream, mile 32.23, 7 February 2006, 4+. In addition, 4+ specimens were collected at Del Norte Co., tributary Middle Fork Smith River, 10 miles upstream from Jedediah Smith State Park, 12 March 1994, G.R. Fiala, that probably belong to this species.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks are given to our colleagues Boris Kondratieff, Colorado State University and Bill Stark, Mississippi College for their encouragement and help on this paper. The SEM micrographs were taken at the Brigham Young University Electron Microscope Laboratory using a Philips XL 30, ESEM FEG. Technical support was provided by Michael Standing. Figure plates were prepared with the help of Randy Baker, graphic artist at the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum.
REFERENCES
Nelson, C.R. and R.W. Baumann. 1990. New winter stoneflies (Plecoptera:Capniidae) from the Coast Range of California. Pan?Pacific Entomologist, 66: 301?306.
Stark, B.P. and R.W. Baumann. 2004. The winter stonefly genus Paracapnia (Plecoptera:Capniidae). Monographs of the Western North American Naturalist, 2:96?108.
Wilkinson, P. 1986. The spring emergence of Plecoptera (stoneflies) in the Willow Creek drainage, Humboldt County, California. Unpublished master’s thesis, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California. 100pp.
Received 16 April 2007, Accepted 31 May 2007, Published 26 June 2007
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