Abstract
Two new species of the mayfly family Oligoneuriidae are described based on larval specimens recently collected in Iran. The first new species, Oligoneuriella tuberculata Godunko & Staniczek, sp. nov., can be distinguished from all its congeners by the presence of pronounced protuberances posteromedially on abdominal terga, highly reduced paracercus, large lamella of gill I, and setation on hind margin of middle and hind femora confined to their basal halves. The second species, Oligoneuriopsis villosus Bojková, Godunko, & Staniczek, sp. nov., remarkably belongs to a mostly Afrotropical genus. The new species clearly differs from all its congeners in the shape of setae on the surface of gills and terga, pattern of body colouration, and the shape of posterolateral projections of abdominal segments. Except for the species description, the generic diagnosis of Oligoneuriopsis Crass, 1947 is briefly discussed. COI barcode sequences of both new species are provided and molecular species delimitation is tested using distance-based and likelihood-based approaches, with both new species unambiguously recognised as separate lineages. The analysis of COI also corroborates the respective affinities of both new species, estimated based on morphology. The two new species of Oligoneuriidae described herein highlight the importance of the Middle East as a centre of diversity of this mayfly family within the Palaearctic.
Highlights
The mayfly fauna of Iran is still largely unexplored, considerable progress has been achieved recently. Bojková et al (2018) summarised the investigations on Iranian mayflies published to date to initiate a more systematic research on the topic
Two new species were recognised, attributable to the genera Oligoneuriella Ulmer, 1924 and Oligoneuriopsis Crass, 1947
The Middle East hosts a relatively high diversity of Oligoneuriella, with six species recorded exclusively in this area (O. bicaudata Al-Zubaidi, Braasch & Al-Kayatt, 1987, O. orontensis Koch, 1980, O. tskhomelidzei Sowa & Zosidze, 1973, O. magna Bojková & Soldán, 2015, O. paulopilosa Sroka, 2015, O. pectinata Bojková & Soldán, 2015) and another two species occurring in large parts of the Palearctic, namely O. rhenana (Imhoff, 1852) and O. pallida (Hagen, 1855)
Summary
The mayfly fauna of Iran is still largely unexplored, considerable progress has been achieved recently. Bojková et al (2018) summarised the investigations on Iranian mayflies published to date to initiate a more systematic research on the topic. The new species clearly differs from all its congeners in the shape of setae on the surface of gills and terga, pattern of body colouration, and the shape of posterolateral projections of abdominal segments. Dense rows of long, hair-like setae on posterior margin of proximal 1/3–1/2 of middle- and hind femora (Fig. 2B, C);
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