Nikita J. Kluge

New version of the database “Ephemeroptera of the World” as the first experience of a permanent and objective web catalogue in biology

Two databases, “Ephemeroptera of the World” and “Phylogeny of Ephemeroptera”, are now available from the website http://www.insecta.bio.pu.ru. They are linked by a common front-page, common alphabetic index, common list of references and numerous links, however, both are basically different and each database can be used separately. While the web database “Phylogeny of Ephemeroptera” represents a usual scientific work, the web database “Ephemeroptera of the World” is unusual in a way that it can objectively reflect all scientific literature on the Ephemeroptera. This is the first attempt to build such a database in all biology. Cataloguing of biological information of a group of animals as a web database is necessary, but existing sites do not fulfill the requirements needed in such catalogues. In existing web catalogues, objective information is mixed with subjective opinions by the compilers in such a manner that further development of these databases for scientific needs is impossible. Principles elaborated for the database “Ephemeroptera of the World” can be used to create such comprehensive global databases, which could be used and filled up for an unlimitedly long time without reconstruction. The most important principles include correct selection of objective nomenclatural information from subjective scientific information, using primary binomina as universal markers for nomenclatural species, uniting typified supra-species nomenclatural taxa according to their type genera, and using the universal form of typified names.

Systematics of Indobaetis Müller-Liebenau & Morihara 1982, and related implications for some other Baetidae genera (Ephemeroptera).

Imagoes, subimagoes and eggs of Indobaetis costai Müller-Liebenau & Morihara 1982 are described for the first time; additional larval characters of I. costai and I. starmuehlneri Müller-Liebenau & Morihara 1982 are reported. A new species Indobaetis microfolius sp.n. is described based on larvae, a male subimago reared from larva and a female subimago extracted from a mature larva. Baetis michaelohubbardi (Selva-kumar et al. 2012) comb.n. is proposed for a species originally attributed to Indobaetis, based on the presence of hind protoptera, three maxillary dentisetae and other characteristics. Newly discovered diversity within the holophyletic taxon Indobaetis disproves a formerly erected idea about the close relationship of Indobaetis and the muticus-group. Thus, the senior genus-group name for the holophylum including the muticus-group is Takobia/g1; in rank-based nomenclature the names Alainites Waltz & McCafferty (in Waltz et al.) 1994 and Acerbaetis Kang & Yang (in Kang et al.) 1994 should be junior synonyms of Takobia Novikova & Kluge 1987 (new synonymy). The Neotropical taxon Caribaetis Kluge 1992 is accepted as genus (stat.n.), rather than a synonym of Fallceon, based on the original diagnosis of the subgenus Caribaetis and taking into account the significance of such character as presence of a posterior seta on the claw, shared with Indobaetis, Baetodes and some other taxa; resultant new combinations are proposed: Caribaetis planifrons (Kluge 1992) comb.n., Caribaetis alcarrazae (Kluge 1992) comb.n. and Caribaetis grandis (Gonzalez-Lazo & Salles 2007) comb.n. A new species synonymy in Fallceon is proposed, based on the presence of a hind wing costal hook in both species: Fallceon poeyi (Eaton 1995) = F. nikitai McCafferty & Lugo-Ortiz 1994 syn.n.

A NEW SOUTHEAST ASIAN MAYFLY SPECIES (EPHEMEROPTERA: EPHEMERELLIDAE: EPHEMERELLINAE)

Abstract Ephemerella quadrata, Kluge and Zhou, new species (Ephemeroptera: Ephemerellidae: Ephemerellinae) is described based on larval material from Thailand and Yunnan Province, China. The new species may be differentiated from other Ephemerellinae by its well-developed genae, smooth frons, anterior projections on the pronotum, paired anterolateral mesonotal projections, and dorsal abdominal tubercles.

New Oriental tribe Iscini, new non-dilatognathan species of Notophlebia Peters & Edmunds 1970 and independent origin of Dilatognathus-type mouth apparatus in Atalophlebiinae (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae)

A new tribe, Iscini tr. n., comprising the Oriental genera Isca Gillies 1951 and Notophlebia Peters & Edmunds 1970, is established. A new species, Notophlebia ganeshi sp. n., is described based on male and female imagos reared from larvae. The new species markedly differs from N. jobi Sivaramakrishnan & Peters 1984 by its non-specialized larval mouth apparatus. The larva of N. jobi has a highly specialized mouth apparatus of the «Dilatognathus-type»; this type of mouth apparatus has evolved independently in several non-related leptophlebiid taxa.

Notes about Acentrella (Liebebiella) vera (Müller-Liebenau, 1982) (= Pseudocloeon difficilum Müller-Liebenau, 1982 syn. n. = Platybaetis arunachalae Selvakumar, Sundar, and Sivaramakrishnan, 2012 syn. n.) (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae)

Larvae described from southern India under the name Platybaetis arunachalae, are re-evaluated taxonomically. Platybaetis arunachalae Selvakumar, Sundar, and Sivaramakrishnan, 2012 and Acentrella (Liebebiella) difficila (Müller-Liebenau, 1982), originally described from Sri Lanka, are synonymized with Acentrella (Liebebiella) vera (Müller-Liebenau, 1982), originally described from Malaysia. Taxonomic characters for the species identification are discussed, and a table of diagnostic characters for the subgenus Liebebiella is provided. Eggs of A. (L.) vera and A. (L.) bispinosa Kluge and Novikova, 2011 are figured for the first time; male genitalia of A. (L.) orientale (Müller-Liebenau, 1982) are figured for the first time. Acentrella (L.) vera is distributed over a wide area, including the south of Hindustan, Indochina, Malay Peninsula, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, Java, and Lombok.

A new subgenus Oculogaster subgen. n. for viviparous representatives of Procloeon s. l., with discussion about status of the generic name Austrocloeon Barnard 1932 and the species name africanum Esben-Petersen 1913 [ Cloeon ] (Ephemeroptera, Baetidae)

A new subgenus Oculogaster subgen. n. is established in the genus Procloeon Bengtsson 1915. It is characterized by viviparity and constant presence of one vein in pterostigma. Widely distributed African species Procloeon (Oculogaster) cylindroculum Kimmins 1956 is redescribed based on male and female imagoes reared from larvae in Zambia and Uganda. A new species Procloeon (Oculogaster) album sp. n. is described based on reliably associated larvae, subimagoes and imagoes of both sexes from Thailand. Status of the generic name Austrocloeon Barnard 1932 and the species name Cloeon africanum Esben-Petersen 1913 are discussed, and the nominal species C. africanum is fixed as the type species of the genus-group name Austrocloeon; according to this type fixation, the binomen Austrocloeon africanum belongs to a species of the subfamily Rhithrocloeoninae.

A new Afrotropical genus Monocentroptilum gen. n. (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae: Protopatellata)

A new genus Monocentroptilum gen. n. is established for a single Afrotropical species, originally described as Centroptilum badium Kopelke 1980 from Congo. Larvae, subimagoes, imagoes of both sexes and eggs of Monocentroptilum badium comb. n. are described here based on reared material from Uganda.

Fossil record of the mayfly family Ephemerellidae (Insecta: Ephemeroptera), with description of new species and first report of Ephemerellinae from Baltic amber

The fossil record of the mayfly family Ephemerellidae is reviewed. Of previously described fossil Ephemerellidae, all records but one are doubtful or erroneous. We reinvestigate the holotype of Ephemerella viscata Demoulin, 1968 from Eocene Baltic amber and confirm its previous placement within the subfamily Timpanoginae Allen, 1984, based on the presence of vestigial gill sockets on abdominal segments IV–VII only. It is transferred to the genus Eurylophella Tiensuu, 1935 [Eurylophella viscata (Demoulin, 1968) comb. nov.] based on proportions of the forelegs, elongated abdominal segment IX, and the shape of the subimaginal penis. Additionally, we describe two new specimens from Eocene Baltic amber: Ephemerella trigonoptera sp. nov. represents the first fossil record of subfamily Ephemerellinae. It can be separated from other representatives of Ephemerella Walsh, 1862 sensu lato by the shape of the hind wings, which are remarkably narrowed towards the apex, with a costal projection located rather proximally. The second new specimen, a male subimago, cannot be differentiated from other Ephemerellinae due to its poor preservation. The discovery of Ephemerella trigonoptera sp. nov., together with the taxonomic reassessment of Eurylophella viscata comb. nov., provide the first reliable evidence that both subfamilies of Ephemerellidae, Ephemerellinae and Timpanoginae, date back at least to the Palaeogene. The biogeographical and palaecological implications of these findings are discussed. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B520497A-B28C-44C9-98E6-BE45D99608A2

Redescription of the Afrotropical genus Crassabwa Lugo-Ortiz & McCafferty 1996 (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae: Protopatellata)

Larvae, subimagoes, imagoes of both sexes and eggs of Crassabwa flava (Crass 1947) are described based on reared material from South Africa, Zambia and Tanzania. Larvae, subimagoes, imagoes of both sexes and eggs of a new species Crassabwa ludmilae sp. n. are described based on reared material from Zambia, Guinea and Mali. Larvae and details of a male subimago extracted from a mature larva of a new species, Crassabwa ameliae sp. n., are described from Zambia, Guinea and Mali. Diagnosis of the genus Crassabwa Lugo-Ortiz & McCafferty 1996 is corrected. Among species formerly attributed to Crassabwa, the species originally described as Centroptilum loweae Kimmins 1949 is moved to Cheleocloeon Wuillot & Gillies 1993 and synonymized with Ch. excisum (Barnard 1932): Cheleocloeon excisum (Barnard 1932) = Cheleocloeon loweae (Kimmins 1949) comb. n., syn. n. The species formerly attributed to Crassabwa and originally described as Centroptilum badium Kopelke 1979 belongs to a new genus, which will be described in a separate paper by N. Kluge. Crassabwa is closely related to Susua Lugo-Ortiz & McCafferty 1998; the species originally described as Cheleocloeon sigiense Gillies 2001 is treated here as Susua sigiense comb. n.; redescription of Susua and argumentation of this new combination will be given in a separate paper.

Revision of Ephemerythus Gillies 1960 (Ephemeroptera: Tricorythidae)

Four species of Ephemerythus Gillies 1960 are described here. Larvae, subimagoes, imagoes of both sexes and eggs of Ephemerythus niger Gillies 1960 (= E. niger ugandanus Kluge 2010 syn. n.) and Ephemerythus pictus Gillies 1960 (= E. kiboensis Gillies 1960 syn. n.) are redescribed based on reared material from their type localities (Amani in Usambara Mountains and Marangu in Kilimandjaro respectively) and from other places in Tanzania. Larvae, subimagoes, imagoes of both sexes and eggs of a new species Ephemerythus nigricolor sp. n. are described based on reared material from Zambia. The species formerly reported as «Ephemerythus sp. C» (Kluge 2010a) is described here as Ephemerythus gilliesi sp. n., based on one larva with eggs, collected by M.T. Gillies in Cameroon.