Kamimuria extremispina Du 2006

Kamimuria extremispina Du, 2006 Kamimuria extremispina Du, 2006: 87. Stark & Sivec, 2013: 117. Yang & Li, 2018: 29. Kamimuria circumspina Li, Mo & Yang, 2019: 139. syn. nov. Kamimuria dabieshana Yan, Kong & Li, 2021: 550. syn. nov. Materials Type status: Holotype. Occurrence: recordedBy: Sun Changhai; individualCount: 1; sex: male; lifeStage: adult; Location: country: China; stateProvince: Jiangxi; locality: 38 km north of Wuyishan National Nature Reserve (formerly known as Chong’an); Event: year: 1990; month: 5; day: 29 Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: recordedBy: Du Yuzhou; individualCount: 3; sex: 2 males, 1 female; lifeStage: adult; Location: country: China; stateProvince: Guizhou; county: Jiangkou; locality: Fanjing Mountain, Heiwan River.; Event: year: 1994; month: 6; day: 19 Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Xue Haiyang; individualCount: 5; sex: 3 males, 2 females; Location: country: China; stateProvince: Fujian; county: Nanping; locality: Mount Wuyi; Event: year: 2009; month: 6; day: 2 Distribution China (Fujian, Guizhou, Guangxi, Hubei, Jiangxi) Taxon discussion The type locality of Kamimuria circumspina is Foding Mountain in Guizhou Province, China, with additional distribution records from Mount Wuyi in Fujian Province (Yan et al. 2021). Huo et al. (2022 b) provided supplementary descriptions of K. simplex (Chu, 1929), based on adult specimens collected from Mount Wuyi, Fujian Province. However, Kang et al. (2025) revised K. simplex and suggested that Huo’s specimens should be identified as K. circumspina. We examined the type specimens of K. extremispina and specimens of K. circumspina collected from Mount Wuyi in Fujian Province (see fig. 8 in Li et al. (2019)), finding that the male adult morphology and penis characteristics of the two species are highly consistent (Figs 5, 6, 7). Additionally, the holotype of K. extremispina was collected 38 km north of Mount Wuyi in Jiangxi Province (formerly known as Chong’an) and the paratype originates from Fanjing Mountain in Guizhou Province (Fig. 8), both of which are geographically close to the distribution range of K. circumspina. Therefore, we propose that K. circumspina should be regarded as a synonym of K. extremispina. Another species, K. dabieshana, was described from Dabie Mountain in Hubei Province and was compared with its closely-related K. circumspina. The differences in the penis between the two species are as follows: in K. dabieshana, the apical two-thirds of the penis are distinctly constricted, with a small dorsal lobe preceding the constriction. The differences in male adults are as follows: the sensilla on tergum 9 of K. dabieshana are pale brown, whereas K. circumspina has black tergal sensilla, as well as differences in the curvature of the hemitergal lobes (Yan et al. 2021). However, Kamimuria species from different regions exhibit variable morphological characteristics, including thoracic and abdominal patterns, the number of basiconica sensilla and the shapes of the hemiterga (Huo et al. 2022 b). Furthermore, intraspecific morphological variation in stoneflies, such as differences in head patterns, sensilla patches, wing venation and subgenital plates, has been well-documented in Chinese Perlodidae (Zwick 1997, Huo et al. 2020, Huo et al. 2022 a). Given this established variability, we consider the observed differences between K. dabieshana and K. circumspina to represent normal intraspecific variation, potentially influenced by factors such as photographic angles, penis dissection techniques or specimen preservation. These variations are insufficient to justify the establishment of a new species. In conclusion, we propose that K. dabieshana should be regarded as a synonym of K. extremispina. After a comparative morphological analysis of the male of Kamimuria extremispina, K. circumspina and K. dabieshana, we concluded that K. circumspina and K. dabieshana should be treated as synonyms of K. extremispina. Considering that the morphological features of female specimens are less susceptible to variations caused by photographic angles, dissection techniques or preservation conditions, we conducted a morphological comparison of female specimens collected from Hubei, Fujia and Guizhou Provinces. Despite nearly 20 years of alcohol immersion causing the head patterns of the Guizhou specimens to fade, the markings are still consistent with those of the Hubei and Fujian specimens, exhibiting the following characteristics: black markings covering the ocellar area, with the patch extending anterolaterally between the M-line and the tentorial callosites and frons brownish to brown (Yan et al. 2021). Regarding the abdominal structure of female specimens, the subgenital plate of the female from Hubei is much wider, covering 2 / 3 width of the segment and the posteromedial notch between the posterior lobes is shallow, but wide. In comparison, the subgenital plate of the female from Fujian and Guizhou is narrower, approximately half the width of the segment and the posteromedial notch is deep and narrow arch-like (Fig. 9). The morphological variation in the subgenital plate exhibits a continuous and gradual transition amongst these specimens.