New synonyms in the Australian micro-caddisfly fauna (Trichoptera: Hydroptilidae)
Author
Wells, Alice
text
Zootaxa
2012
3177
66
68
journal article
45544
10.5281/zenodo.279936
b00a6aa3-766c-4365-9d09-2db765b28758
1175-5326
279936
Orthotrichia flabella
Wells
Orthotrichia flabella
Wells, 1983
: 637
Orthotrichia lapka
Olah & Johanson, 2010
: 47
,
syn. nov.
Orthotrichia flabella
is a species of the highly distinctive
Orthotrichia aberrans
-group, a group of species with very characteristic male genitalia and a parasitoid late larval stage (
Wells 1992
,
2005
). Two Australian species have a broad ventral lobe on abdominal segment VIII and, while
O. pectinella
Wells, 1983
, has few stout black setae apically on this structure,
O. flabella
Wells, 1983
, has a dense, very closely appressed brush of stout black setae. Oláh and Johanson described
O. lapka
as having, on sternum VIII “… a stout apico-mesal lobe with black flattened apex.” However, observed closely, the 'black flattened apex' can be resolved into a brush of stout black setae, tightly pressed to one another, exactly as in
O. flabella
. The other apparent differences cited by Oláh and Johanson also are probably a consequence of poor resolution of structures.
In conclusion, close examination of the
holotypes
of four of five species described recently from
Australia
reveals that they are conspecific with earlier described Australian species. The bases for the following new synonyms are given:
Helleythira
hiana
Olah & Johanson, 2010
, junior to
Xuthotrichia simplex
Mosely, 1934
(=
Hellyethira simplex
(Mosely, 1934))
;
Oxyethira elora
Olah & Johanson, 2010
, junior to
Trichoglene columba
Neboiss, 1977
(=
Oxyethira columba
(Neboiss, 1977))
;
Orthotrichia capa
Olah & Johanson, 2010
, junior to
O. zonata
Neboiss, 1977
; and
O. lapka
Olah & Johanson, 2010
, junior to
O. flabella
Wells, 1983
.