Epiophlebia laidlawi subsp. daliensis Zhang, Yang, Wei & Lyu 2025, subsp. nov.

Epiophlebia laidlawi daliensis Zhang, Yang, Wei & Lyu, subsp. nov. Descriptions of the adults Figs. 1–6 Material examined. Holotype ♂: Mt. Cangshan, Hengduan Mountains, Dali City, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan, China, 22 May 2022, collected by Hao-miao Zhang and Rui-bin Song; Paratypes: 1 ♀, same data as the holotype; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 23 May 2022, same site and collectors; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 18 May 2022, same site and collectors; 1 ♀ (head missing), 26 May 2022, same site, collected by Guo-hui Yang. Measurements (mm). Holotype: total length 57.0; abdomen (incl. appendages) 45.5; hind wing 31.0; paratype males: total length 56.0–60.0; abdomen (incl. appendages) 45.0–48.5; hind wing 31.0–32.0; paratype females: total length 52.0–53.0; abdomen (incl. appendages) 42.0–43.0; hind wing 31.5–32.0. Etymology: The name “ daliensis ” refers to its type locality, which lies within the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan. The name is also related to Dali Ice Age, which is conjectured the time for the formation of the new species. Habitus. A large-sized and robust species for the genus, the body is fundamentally blackish with yellow markings and hyaline wings (Fig. 1). Description of holotype male Head largely brown and covered with dense black setae (Fig. 2). Eyes greenish grey when alive (Fig. 3c). Labium brown and divided into four lobes, shaped like evenly divided semicircle. Labrum brown, short but broad, with sides protruding transversally. Division of anteclypeus and postclypeus not well defined, the latter being strongly sclerotized, the former weakly so. Antefrons largely yellowish brown; post-frons with fan-like transverse ridge lying between the mid-ocellus and lateral ocelli. Antenna black; scape thick and short, cylindrical shaped; pedicel broad, distinctly flattened dorsoventrally about 3.5 times as long as scape, long setae cover the flattened pedicle at edges; antennomeres 3–5 (flagellum) developed and extremely slender. First flagellomere approximately half as long as pedicel, second flagellomere half as long as first flagellomere, and third flagellomere as long as second. Compound eyes well separated by dorsal part of the occiput, which is black and covered with dense setae; posterior to dorsal area, on either side with flatly rounded process. Thorax short and rather globular, fundamentally black, slightly paler on the venter where brown; three pairs of yellow stripes present, antehumeral stripe broad and comma shaped; stripe on metepisternum very broad and ending at metastigma; posterior-ventral margin of metepimeron with tear-drop shaped mark. Legs short and almost black except for coxae, trochanters and base of femora, all tinted with reddish brown (Fig. 3c). Wings hyaline and palely tinted with brown, wing apices slightly pointed, veins black. Pterostigma black covering 3.0–3.5 cells, no brace vein; nodal-index: forewings: 13 (right) and 12 (left) antenodals above Sc; 9 (right) and 10 (left) postnodals above R1. Hindwing: 8 antenodals above Sc; 9 postnodals above R1. No crossvein in quadrilateral cell. Other characters of wings typical of other species of genus, including quadrilateral cell of fore wings elongated, having long dorsal side (the base of R4+5); distal primary antenodal vein situated obliquely; slightly developed anal angle present. Abdomen very long, coloration black dorsally but with a dorso-ventral colour gradient to nearly brown towards venter, S2–7 with white narrow stripes along ventral margin (Fig. 3c). S1–9 with yellow dorsal apical markings: mark on S1 large and crescent shaped; marks on S2–9 triangular but on S9 reduced. S10 and caudal appendages black. S3–7 of almost equal length. S10 with mid-dorsal ridge and distal part extending broadly to cover bases of appendages. Superior caudal appendage simple, short and flat; inferior broadly divaricate with paired swellings ventrally to lateral hooks (Fig. 4d–f). Male genital valvule valves on 9th sternum more or less extruded and slightly curved (Fig. 4d, f). Rudiment of larval paraprocts displays only a few hairs and forms two equal sides of triangular structure. Accessory genitalia: lamina anterior a flat plate with central swelling covered with long setae. Anterior hamuli nodular and strongly hooked apically (Fig. 5c–d); posterior hamulus extending backwards with anchor-like ends (Fig. 5c–d). Description of paratype females Head almost the same as that of male, but anteclypeus paler and dorsal part of occiput lying between compound eyes slightly broader than in male; no occipital process as in male. Thorax almost same as that of male; the anal part of hindwing more rounded (Fig. 1b, 1d, 3d). Abdomen similarly coloured to male but of more robust build; subtriangular or T-shaped terminal yellow marking on S1–7, very faint on S8; S2–7 with white narrow stripes along ventral margin more developed than male (Fig. 1b, 1d, 3d); sternal plate of t S10 more or less produced backwards and armed with short bristles. Cercus short and entirely black. Ovipositor well developed, 8th sternal plate ends into protruding process covering the base of the gonad opening (Fig. 6b). Notes on biology. The streams at Mt. Cangshan are fast-flowing, cold and clear near the top of the mountain with rather dense mixed forest (Fig. 7). The larvae were most abundant from 2800 m to 3300 m elevation, where the exuviae were also found, they emerged near the stream. Adults began to fly around noon and there were two flight periods during the day, from 12:00 to 13:30 and from 15:30 to 16:30. They always appeared without sunshine, moderate wind and cool air. The temperature for flying appears to be from 14 ℃ to 20 ℃, but they were most active in very cool and gloomy weather, even in little rain. The males were observed flying very high and fast across the valley. Fully mature males normally fly fast across the stream at 1–3m above water in the afternoon, and are difficult to capture. Females usually hide in the forest and they approach water for oviposition from 12:00 to 17:30. It is still uncertain which plants were preferred since they were found laying eggs in many different species of plants. Most adults were seen perching high on pine trees except a female perching low on an herbaceous plant. On 18 th May, the first pair of specimens were very fresh and young, the female was not fully mature. At the beginning of July, all the individuals collected were aged, showing the flight season was a little over one month. The ground colour of both sexes is darkened by age, and the yellow markings especially on the dorsal part of the abdomen are also reduced by age. Distribution. Currently known only from the Hengduan Mountains, Dali City, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan, China. Description of larvae Figs. 8–11 Material examined. 1 ♀ larva and exuviae (penultimate), 7 June 2021, Dali City, Yunnan Province, China, collected by Guo–hui Yang; 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀ ultimate larvae, 13 April 2022, same site and collector. Measurements (mm) Larvae (in alcohol, N=3), body length (including caudal appendages) 26–29; length of abdomen (including caudal appendages) 15–16; maximum head width 7.0–7.1; length of hind femur 5.05–5.15. Habitus. Body dark brown to black with pair of light brown stripes on dorsum of synthorax when alive, somewhat limpet-shaped with granulate cuticle, without dorsal hooks, lateral spines present on S7–9 (Fig. 8). Head. Wider than long, wider than prothorax and slightly narrower than synthorax. Labrum dark brown, wider than frons without marking, slightly scooplike with shallow median indentation. Genae produced forward well beyond the anterior margin of compound eyes and ventrally formed into granule-lined ridge along prementum. Frontoclypeal region with low transverse ridge (Fig. 8, 9d). Occiput rounded on side, but concave at middle. Compound eyes not large. Antennae filiform, 5–segmented, and tightly appressed to face, antennal pedicel 2 times as long as its widest part, shorter than first flagellar segment; first flagellar segment long, about 0.54 times as much as second segment, length of each antennal segment (mm): 0.28, 0.52, 0.6, 0.21, 0.14 (Fig. 9a, 9d). Prementum longer and wide, about 1.4 times as long as its widest part, and 2.4 times its width at base, with small marginal setae; medial cleft not deep, less than one-tenth length of prementum, tightly appressed cleft, lateral margins strongly sinuate with dorsally directed flange in basal half (Fig. 8b–d). Apical lobe of palp long leaf-like, rounded-truncate at external angle, with a row of irregular protrusions on inner margin; movable hook slightly shorter than distance from base of movable hook to base of palp, surface lustrous; sharply-pointed apex slender (Fig. 9e). Mandibles dark brown to black, formula: L 12340 a (m 1, 2, 3, 4) / R 1234 y a(m 1, 2, 3, 4), incisor teeth rounded, 3> 4> 2> 1, 4 of both molar crest (Fig. 9f–i). Maxillae with five long, robust, incurved hooks, and row of long, stiff setae; maxillary palp curved and tapered to blunt point, bearing dense setae (Fig. 9j–k). Thorax. Prothorax dark brown to black, trapezoid, circular on lateral margin. Proepisterna and proepimera projected laterally forming V-shaped, bluntly tipped apophyses, or “prothoracic apophyses” (Fig. 9l). Synthorax dark brown to black, smooth, hairless and with light brown markings on dorsum. Legs dark brown, not smooth, femora flattened, fore femur longer 2.9 times as long as its widest part (Fig. 9m), foretibia with an inner apical brush of palpiform setae; Wing cases parallel, forewing cases reach hind margin of S3, hindwing cases reach to middle of S4 (Fig. 8, 9n). Abdomen. Spindle-shaped and dark brown. Dorsal hooks absent, lateral spines on S7–9 (Fig. 8, 9p, 9n). Widest on segment 7, S 3 to 10 with low medial ridge; abdominal stridulatory file 3 to 7, but vestigial on the S3 and S7, about 1/4 length of S3 and 1/2 length of S7, moderately developed on 4, well developed on S5 and S6 (Fig. 9n). Paraproct broad lea