Rheocricotopus (Psilocricotopus) valgus Chaudhuri & Sinharay 1983

Rheocricotopus (P.) valgus Chaudhuri & Sinharay, 1983 Fig. 11, Table 9 Rheocricotopus valgus Chaudhuri & Sinharay, 1983: 402. Rheocricotopus (Psilocricotopus) valgus – Bhattacharyay et al. 1991: 347. — Hazra et al. 1998: 76. — Ashe & O’Connor 2012: 568. Type material Holotype INDIA – West Bengal • ♂; Darjeeling; 17 Nov. 1974; S.K. Das Gupta; BU 54. A photograph of the holotype specimen of R. valgus, provided by N. Hazra, BU, was examined. Other material examined INDIA – Sikkim • 2 ♂♂; Tadong; 14 Aug.1996; S. K. Prashad leg.; BU. CHINA – Fujian • 1 ♂; Longyan, Shanghang, Meihuashan NNR; 25°20′ N, 116°53′ E; 780 m a.s.l.; 16 Nov. 2012; H.Q. Tang leg.; JNU, JNU MHS-128. – Guangdong • 3 ♂♂; Guangzhou, Huangpu, Huangma, upstream of Jinyuan River; 23°13′ N, 113°26′ E; 122 m a.s.l.; 29 Mar 2016; H.Q. Tang leg.; JNU, JNU 170208001, 170208002, 170208004. – Yunnan • 1 ♂ with Pe, 1 Pe; Xishuangbanna, Jinhong, Banna Primitive Forest Park; 22°01′ N, 100°53′ E; 1050 m a.s.l.; 20 Mar. 2019; H.Q. Tang leg.; JNU, JNU 190328002. – Sichuan • 1 ♂; Liangshan, Huili, Yundian, Majiagou; 27°04′ N, 102°16′ E; 1560 m a.s.l.; 27 Apr. 2021; J.Y. Shi leg.; JNU, JNU 20192057. – Xizhang • 1 ♂; Shigatse, Nyalam (Nielamu); 27°98′ N, 85°98′ E; C.Y. Deng leg.; 21 Sep. 1987; NK, NK 07945 [labelled as “ Rheocricotopus (Psilocricotopus) robacki ”]. Description Male (n = 6) Total length 3.0–3.5, 3.3 (4) mm. COLOURATION. Thorax dark brown, with yellow pleural membrane. Abdomen (Fig. 11A) bicoloured; T I, VIII–IX entirely yellow; T II–III mainly brown, anteriorly with narrow transverse yellow band; T IV and VI mainly yellow, posteriorly with narrow transverse brown band; T V and VII yellow, posteriorly with broad transverse brown band; hypopygial Gc and Gs brown. Leg P 1 (Fig. 11B) largely dark brown, with fe yellow on basal ⅔; P 2–3 (Fig. 11C) brown, with fe yellow, occasionally bearing small dark patch on basal ⅓–½. HEAD. Temporals 1–5, 3. AR 1.0–1.2, 1.1 (5). Clypeus with 10–13, 12 setae. Lengths (μm) of Pm 1–5: 30–42, 36; 49–59, 54; 108–125, 116; 148–175, 166; 197–283, 245, respectively. Pm 4 /Pm 3 1.4–1.6, 1.4; Pm 5 /Pm 4 1.1–1.6, 1.5. Pm 3 with 4–6, 5 (3) SCl. THORAX. Lateral Aps strong, 3–5, 4 (3). Ac 8–14 (2), and longest 15 (2) μm long; Dc 13–15, 14 (4) including 2–3, 2 (4) H; Pa 3–5, 4 (4); Scts 8, 8 (4). HP absent. WING (FIG. 11D). Length 2.1–2.4, 2.3 (5) mm. C extended much beyond end of R 4+5, extension 86–123, 98 μm long. VR 1.1, 1.1. R with 0–2, usually no seta; R 1 and R 4+5 bare. AnL obtuse. Sq with 7–11, 9 (5) setae. LEGS. P 1 with ti spur 57–66, 62 (5) μm long; P 2 with 2 ti spurs 22–25, 23 (5) and 20–25, 21 (5) μm long; P 3 with 2 ti spurs 49–54, 52 (5) and 25–27, 25 (5) μm long. P 2 with 2–8, 5 (5) Sch on ta 1. P 3 with ti comb of 10–12, 11 (5) bristles. Lengths and proportions of legs as in Table 9. ABDOMEN. Hypopygium (Fig. 11E) with AnP pointed apically, bearing 7–10, 9 lateral setae. Gc 229–246, 237 µm long, 3.0–3.6, 3.2 × as long as broad at middle, with SVo triangular, thin, apically rounded; IVo triangular, simple and rounded apically. Gs (Fig. 11F–H) 93–103, 99 µm long; CD preapical, triangular, occasionally small or indistinct. HR 2.27–2.53, 2.39. Pupa (n = 2) Total length 3.8–4.2 mm. COLOURATION. Exuviae brown with dark abdominal Apo and posterior spines on abdomen. CEPHALOTHORAX. FA lost. Thoracic horn 363–372 μm long, and 3.8–4.6 × as long as broad. Lengths (μm) of Pc 1–3: 98–111, 185, 39–74, respectively; these setae arranged in triangle. Lengths (μm) of Dc 1–4: 79–86, 49–62, 37–39; 44–84, respectively. Distances (μm) of Dc 1 –Dc 2, Dc 2 –Dc 3, Dc 3 –Dc 4: 86–113, 59–81, 20–22, respectively; these setae arranged in line. Distance ratio of Dc 1 –Dc 2 to Dc 2 –Dc 3 1.1–1.9. ABDOMEN (Fig. 11I). T I–III without spinulation, T VI–VI with more or less extensive spinulation, T VII–VIII with posteromedial spinulation, T IX with anterior spinulation, these spinules very faint and sporadic. Rows of spines present on posterior margins of T II–VIII, these spines of T II positioned on large marginal protrusion. Anteriorly directed spinules present, posterior to spine rows on T II–V, in 2–3 rows. S IV–VII with rows of spines on posterior margin. PSB present, but small, on A II–III. Segment I with 2 L-seta; II–VI each with 3 L-setae, VII with 4 LS-setae, VIII with 5 LS-setae; some L-setae apically split on A II–VI. AL 281–305 μm long, 2.1–2.3 × as long as broad, with 14–16 lateral taeniae on posterior ⅔; male genital sac nearly as long as AL. Distribution This species is also distributed in Oriental China (Sichuan, Fujian, Guangdong, Yunnan and Xizang), in addition to northern India. Remarks The adults and the immature stages were described by Chaudhuri & Sinharay (1983: 404) and Hazra et al. (1998: 76), respectively, from India. Males and pupae were also collected from Oriental China. The male is characterized by the bicoloured legs and abdomen; the antennal ratio ca 1.0; the thorax without humeral pits; the wing with an obtuse anal lobe, a well-projected costal extension and usually bare veins R, R1 and R4+5; the very high foreleg ratio (LR 1 ca 0.9); the thin, triangular superior volsella; the simple, triangular inferior volsella; and the triangular crista dorsalis. Chaudhuri & Sinharay (1983: 405 fig. 3d) drew a very large humeral pit in the original description, and Hazra et al. (1998: 80) wrote: “The presence of large oval humeral pit, … aligns it strongly with the chalybeatus -group of Saether (1985).” However, Hazra (pers. comm. 2024) recently informed us that the mounted types are impossible to examine the lateral thorax, and that males newly collected from Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayas in the 1990s have no humeral pit. Further, he (pers. comm. 2025) provided us with photographs of two males of them, collected by S.K. Prashad, including a photograph of the holotype. Although these photographs are whole images of specimens, their colour patterns of body and legs are consistent with those of the Chinese population. Indian pupae have an anterior spinulation on the tergites II–III, VII–VIII, according to Hazra et al. (1998: 76, 78 fig. 2d). In Chinese pupae, however, the tergal spinules are sporadic and very faint, and the tergites II–III, VII–VIII lack anterior spinulation. In the Indian material, the relatively strong sternal spinulation may be visible through the tergites. Liu et al. (2014a: 25) recorded R. (P.) robacki (Beck & Beck, 1964) from several different localities in China. However, our re-examinations of the voucher specimens revealed that these include at least one male specimen of R. (P.) valgus (NK 07945 from Xizang Autonomous Region). The specimen nearly satisfies the aforementioned features of R. (P.) valgus.