Gong DE-Wen, Zhou Chang-Fa
The Key Laboratory of Jiangsu Biodiversity and Biotechnology; College of Life Sciences; Nanjing Normal University; Nanjing 210023; China.
Zootaxa. 2023 Apr 11;5263(4):531-540. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.5263.4.4.
The nymphs of the leptophlebiid mayfly Gilliesia pulchra Zhou, 2004 have not been reported before, which inhibits deeper understanding of the taxonomy and phylogenetic position of this species and its genus. In 2022, we reared nymphs from southwestern China to the adult stage. All stages are described and photographed here. Nymphs of this species have single deeply-forked gills, somewhat elongated maxillary palpi and two setal tufts on the lingua. Its imaginal characteristics, including wings and penes, are quite similar to G. hindustanica (Gillies, 1951), the type species of the genus. Comparatively, the third species of the genus, G. ratchaburiensis Boonsoong & Sartori, 2015, seems less similar, both in adults and nymphs. Generally, features of G. pulchra nymphs link the two genera Gilliesia Peters & Edmunds, 1970 and Habrophlebiodes Ulmer, 1919 together, while features of the nymphs of G. ratchaburiensis bridge the genera Gilliesia and Dipterophlebiodes Demoulin, 1954.
细裳蜉科扁蜉属的美丽扁蜉Gilliesia pulchra Zhou, 2004的稚虫此前未见报道，这妨碍了对该物种及其属的分类学和系统发育地位的深入了解。2022年，我们将来自中国西南部的稚虫饲养至成虫阶段。在此对所有阶段进行描述并拍照。该物种的稚虫具有单一的深叉状鳃，上颌须略细长，舌上有两簇刚毛。其成虫特征，包括翅膀和阳茎，与该属的模式种印度扁蜉G. hindustanica (Gillies, 1951)非常相似。相比之下，该属的第三个物种，拉差汶里扁蜉G. ratchaburiensis Boonsoong & Sartori, 2015，无论在成虫还是稚虫阶段，相似性似乎都较低。一般来说，美丽扁蜉稚虫的特征将1970年的扁蜉属Gilliesia Peters & Edmunds和1919年的拟细裳蜉属Habrophlebiodes Ulmer这两个属联系在一起，而拉差汶里扁蜉稚虫的特征则在扁蜉属和1954年的双翅蜉属Dipterophlebiodes Demoulin之间架起了桥梁。
