Graf, W. 2005. Leuctra astridae, a New Species of Plecoptera from the Austrian Alps. Illiesia, 1(8):47-51. Available online: http://www2.pms-lj.si/illiesia/papers.html LEUCTRA ASTRIDAE, A NEW SPECIES OF PLECOPTERA FROM THE AUSTRIAN ALPS. Wolfram Graf University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Max Emanuelstr. 17, A-1180 Vienna, Austria E-mail: wolfram.graf@boku.ac.at ABSTRACT Leuctra astridae sp. n., a member of Leuctra hippopus-group, occitana-subgroup from Styria, Austria, is described and illustrated. Differences to its closest relative, Leuctra festai, are given. Keywords: Plecoptera, Austria, Leuctra, new species INTRODUCTION Among the Leuctra in Central Europe, Leuctra festai is somehow isolated belonging to a species-group known from Southwestern Europe and Northern Africa. It was described from Monte-Bo (Val Chiobba, Piemont) at 2400 m a.s.l. (Aubert 1954). Until now the species is known from few localities in the Sesia valley, Northwestern Italy (Aubert 1957, Ravizza & Ravizza Dematteis 1980, 1990, 1991, 1993) and Southern Switzerland (Wallis: Simplon- Susten-and Gotthardpass, Lubini in litt.). Aubert (1957), Ravizza & Ravizza Dematteis (1980, 1990, 1991, 1993) and Ravizza (2002) characterise the species as a microendemic of the Pennine Alps, as strictly rheophilous and restricted to high altitudes between 1850 m and 2400 m a.s.l.. Recently, some 450 km as a crow flies northeast of the range of L. festai, a similar species was found in a single spring within the Styrian Limestone Alps. Comparison with specimens from type localities (Oropa Valley, Mucrone, 1900 m a.s.l., leg. & det. C. Ravizza & E. Ravizza Dematteis and Lys Valley, Nestio, 2550 m a.s.l., 20.7.03, leg. & det. G. Vinçon) resulted in the description of the new species. DESCRIPTION Leuctra astridae, sp. n. (Figs. 1-4) Material examined. Holotype ? from Austria, Styria, Ennstaler Alpen, Gesäuse, 1570 m a.s.l., Paratypes: 12 ?, 4 ?, 24.8.04, leg. E. Weigand; 28 ?, 28 ?, 23.7.05, leg. A. Schmidt-Kloiber, E. Weigand & W. Graf; all material in coll. W. Graf, Vienna, except 1 ? and 1 ? paratypes, deposited at the Linzer Landesmuseum, Linz. Adult habitus. General colour of body and appendages dark brown. Length of body 5.5-6.9 mm. Length of forewing 3.5-3.9 mm. Fig. 1. Leuctra astridae sp. n. male abdomen, dorsal view. Illiesia - http://www2.pms-lj.si/illiesia/ Volume 1 - Number 8 - Page 47 Graf, W. 2005. Leuctra astridae, a New Species of Plecoptera from the Austrian Alps. Illiesia, 1(8) 47-51. Available online: http://www2.pms-lj.si/illiesia/papers.html Male. Tergites I-V simple, caudal part weakly sclerotized. Anterior edge of tergites VI and VII entirely sclerotized, with a largely membranous central area, which takes a rectangular form in tergite VI, tergite VII with an additional semicircular area anteromedially. Antecosta of tergites VIII and IX interrupted for one third of tergite width, free ends sharp, tergites largely membranous medially. Tergite IX mostly membranous with two connected subtriangular dark areas posteromedially which cover half of the tergal width. Anterior margin of Female. Sternites I-V simple, with paired, small caudal sclerotizations. Sternite VIII rectangular and large, divided posteriorly for two third of its length by a well delimited, narrow notch, which separates two conical, short lobes (Fig. 3). A transversal pigmented area exists below the subgenital plate similar to L. festai. tergite X bilobed, posterior margin trapezoidally notched. Epiproct mushroom-shaped with a broadly pigmented stalk in the form of two half-moons (Fig. 1). Cerci simple, cylindric. Sternites simple, sternite IX with vesicle. Specilla slightly longer than paraproct styles and rounded apically in lateral view. Paraproct styles thin and straight in posterior view, basal outer margins of paraproct slighty convex. Lateral lobes of paraprocts significantly elongated dorsally (Fig. 2). Both sexes are brachypterous, the wings do not exceed the posterior edge of segment VII (Fig. 4). Armature of spermatheca seems to be very similar to L. festai (Ravizza & Ravizza Dematteis 1980). Affinities. Leuctra astridae as well as its congener, Leuctra festai both belong to Leuctra hippopus-group, occitana–subgroup which can be characterised as Fig. 2. Leuctra astridae sp. n. male abdomen, dorsal view, paraprocts. Illiesia - http://www2.pms-lj.si/illiesia/ Volume 1 - Number 8 - Page 48 Graf, W. 2005. Leuctra astridae, a New Species of Plecoptera from the Austrian Alps. Illiesia, 1(8) 47-51. Available online: http://www2.pms-lj.si/illiesia/papers.html Fig. 3. Leuctra astridae sp. n. Subgenital plate of female . follows: male either with two paired processes or lacking any processes (Ravizza 2002). The following southwestern distributed species can be associated with it: L. cyrnea cyrnea C onsiglio & Guidicelli, 1975 (Corsica), L. cyrnea incudensis Vinçon & Ravizza, 2000 (Corsica), L. khroumiriensis Vinçon & Pardo, 1998 (Tunisia), L. maroccana Aubert, 1956 (Ibero-Maghreb), L. medjerdensis Vinçon & Pardo, 1998 (Tunisia), L. occitana Despax, 1930 (Southern France, Iberia, Pyrenees), L. sartorii Vinçon & Pardo, 1998 (Tunisia), L. thomasi Zwick & Vinçon, 1993 (Pyrenees), L. vaillanti Aubert, 1956 (Morocco). Males of Leuctra festai and L. astridae lack any processes and both species differ in the following features: The male of L. astridae has lateral lobes of paraprocts which are dorsally elongated and which are two and a half times longer than wide. The lateral lobes of L. festai do not exceed the paraproctal base. The outer margins of the paraprocts are slightly curved in L. astridae, whereas they are rectangular and more straight in L. festai (Fig. 5). In females, L. astridae has a deeply notched subgenital plate which is rectangular; the lobes are conical and finger shaped. L. festai has a short cleft dividing the smaller and more plain lobes. Its subgenital plate is obtuse-angled (Fig. 6). Both sexes are brachypterous in L. astridae, in L. festai the wings are longer and reach the tip of the abdomen. DISCUSSION The new species was found in one single crenal area in the Ennstaler Alps (Styria) although several springs in the surrounding were intensively investigated as well as adjacent parts of Upper Austria. Its local and restricted occurrence may be seen in the context of the tendency to reduced wings and its limited dispersal capacity which can be observed frequently in crenophilous species of mountainous areas. The quite wide disjunction of the L. festai and L. astridae is probably due to glacial phenomena, the recent occurrence seems to be a refugia of a once widespread ancestral species. Future studies along the northern and western edge of alpine regions might reveal more isolated populations which could clear the taxonomic status of L. astridae as an allopatric race of L. festai. At present interbreeding between the two species is very improbable. Illiesia - http://www2.pms-lj.si/illiesia/ Volume 1 - Number 8 - Page 49 Graf, W. 2005. Leuctra astridae, a New Species of Plecoptera from the Austrian Alps. Illiesia, 1(8) 47-51. Available online: http://www2.pms-lj.si/illiesia/papers.html Fig. 4. Leuctra astridae sp. n. Adult habitus. Etymology. The new species is dedicated to Astrid Schmidt-Kloiber, my partner in life. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dr. Erich Weigand, Molln, collected the specimens of the new species. I want to thank him cordially for the long and prosperous cooperation. I am very grateful to Dr. Carlalberto Ravizza, Milano, and Dr. Gilles Vinçon, Grenoble, who both loaned specimens of L. festai from their collections and their valuable comments and discussion. Dr. Verena Lubini, Zürich, provided information on the distribution of L. festai in Switzerland. REFERENCES Aubert, J. 1954. Note sur quelques Plécoptères du Piémont et de le Ligurie avec la description de deux espèces nouvelles. Bol. Soc. Ent. Italiana, 84:107-113. Aubert, J. 1957. Les Leuctra du groupe de inermis Kempny et quelques espèces inermes isolees (Plécoptères Leuctridae). Mitt. schweiz. Ent. Ges. Bd. 30, H. 4:285-312. Ravizza, C. 2002. Atlas of the Italian Leuctridae (Insecta, Plecoptera) with an appendix including Central European species. Lauterbornia, H. 45:1-42, Dinkelscherben. Illiesia - http://www2.pms-lj.si/illiesia/ Volume 1 - Number 8 - Page 50 Graf, W. 2005. Leuctra astridae, a New Species of Plecoptera from the Austrian Alps. Illiesia, 1(8) 47-51. Available online: http://www2.pms-lj.si/illiesia/papers.html 5 ™6 Figs. 5-6. Leuctra festai: 5. Male paraprocts, 6. Female subgenital plate. Ravizza, C. & E. Ravizza Dematteis 1980. Su un raro Endemismo delle Alpi pennine:Leuctra festai Aubert. Natura- Soc. ital. Sci. nat., Museo civ. Stor. nat. e Acquario civ., Milano 71 (1-2):83-91. Ravizza, C. & E. Ravizza Dematteis 1990. The stonefly fauna of the Oropa valley (Pennine Alps) (Plecoptera). Boll. Mus. reg. Sci. nat. Torino , Museo regionale di Scienze naturali, Vol. 1, N.1:321-342. Ravizza, C. & E. Ravizza Dematteis 1991. Altitudinal, seasonal and coenotic distribution patterns of stoneflies (Plecoptera) in the Oropa valle (Pennine Alps). Memoire dell'Instituto Italiano di Idrobiologia "Dott. Marco De Marchi". Pallanza, 49:29-50. Ravizza, C. & E. Ravizza Dematteis 1993. Zoogeographical aspects of the Plecoptera population of the Biellese mountains (Pennine Alps, Italy). Boll. Soc. ent. ital. Genova, 125 (1):6-22. Received 11 May 2005, Accepted 27 September 2005, Published 30 November 2005 Illiesia - http://www2.pms-lj.si/illiesia/ Volume 1 - Number 8 - Page 51