Parorthocladius intermedius Niitsuma & Tang 2026, comb. nov.

Parorthocladius intermedius (Tokunaga, 1939) comb. nov. Spaniotoma (Trichocladius) intermedia Tokunaga, 1939: 332. Parorthocladius negoroi Yamamoto, 2011: 33. Syn. nov. Orthocladius (Euorthocladius) piloculatus Kobayashi, 2012: 53. Syn. nov. Rheocricotopus (Rheocricotopus) intermedius – Sasa & Kikuchi 1995: 58. Orthocladius (Euorthocladius) intermedius – Saether et al. 2000: 167. Orthocladius (Euorthocladius) piloculatus – Ashe & O’Connor 2012: 421. — Yamamoto & Yamamoto 2014: 281. Parorthocladius negoro – Ashe & O’Connor 2012: 496. — Yamamoto & Yamamoto 2014: 289. Rheocricotopus (Psilocricotopus) intermedius – Ashe & O’Connor 2012: 565. — Yamamoto & Yamamoto 2014: 297. Type material Holotype of Spaniotoma (Trichocladius) intermedia JAPAN – Kyoto • ♂ with P; Kibune; 25 Mar. 1936; M. Tokunaga leg.; KU [as alcoholic specimen, No.43-17]. Type specimens of Spaniotoma (Trichocladius) intermedia, Parorthocladius negoroi and Orthocladius (Euorthocladius) piloculatus were not examined. Other material examined JAPAN – Tochigi • 1 ♂; Nasushiobara, Hikinuma; 23 May 1985; H. Niitsuma leg.; PCHN. CHINA – Anhui • 1 ♂; Lu’an, Qingshan; 31°26′ N, 115°56′ E; 180 m a.s.l.; 30 Apr. 2014; H.Q. Tang leg.; JNU. – Fujian • 1 ♂; Mt Wuyi NNR, Guadun; 27°44′ N, 117°38′ E; 1220 m a.s.l.; 13 Nov. 2012; H.Q. Tang leg.; JNU. – Yunnan • 1 ♂; Jinping, Ma’andi; 22°46′ N, 103°31′ E; 1350 m a.s.l.; 20 Apr. 2017; H.Q. Tang leg.; JNU 170514019. Remarks The description of Spaniotoma (Trichocladius) intermedia Tokunaga, 1939 is old and the name was treated as a nomen dubium by Ashe & Cranston (1990: 244). However, the description adequately satisfies morphological features of Orthocladius (Euorthocladius) piloculatus Kobayashi, 2012 and Parorthocladius negoroi Yamamoto, 2011. In the following male features, especially, the latter two species resemble Spaniotoma (Trichocladius) intermedia: antennal ratio relatively high (AR ≥ 0.8); P 2 and P 3 with pseudospurs on ta 1 and ta 2; wing with R 2+3 running close to R 1 and a very short costal extension; gonostylus slightly convex in outer margin, with a well-developed crista dorsalis. Although there are no mentions of hairy eyes and legs without pulvilli in Yamamoto (2011), and of small humeral pits in Kobayashi (2012), these three species are conspecific. Therefore, the male is characterized by the hairy eyes (as in Parorthocladius tyurkini Makarchenko & Makarchenko, 2015); the scutum without acrostichal setae; the legs with pseudospurs on mid and hind tarsomeres 1 and 2, and without pulvilli; the wing with R 2+3 ending close to R 1; and the hypopygium with a virga and no plate- or finger-like superior volsella. A combination of male features such as this occurs in Parorthocladius Thienemann, 1935, rather than in Orthocladius v. d. Wulp, 1874 and Rheocricotopus Brundin, 1956. However, the male possesses small humeral pits consisting of several small holes as Tokunaga (1939: 332) wrote in the original description as “very minute humeral pits” and Yamamoto (2011: 33 fig. 2b) drew in the description of Parorthocladius negoroi, which perhaps is an unusual feature for Parorthocladius. According to Tokunaga (1939: 332–333), the immature forms have the following features: in the pupa, frontal apotome with only paired tubercles but no setae, thorax without thoracic horns, tergites III–VIII each with spines along the caudal margin, and anal lobe without a lateral setal fringe and macrosetae; in the larva, labral seta S I bifid, antenna five-segmented, mandible with five teeth and a seta interna, mentum with a broad median tooth shallowly notched at the apex and six pairs of lateral teeth, procercus with six long anal setae, and posterior parapod with sixteen strongly curved claws. The combination of morphological features for the immature stages does not satisfy any taxon in modern systematics. Here, the species is tentatively assigned to Parorthocladius mainly based on adult morphology. The type of Spaniotoma intermedius may be still extant in the Kyushu University Museum as an alcoholic specimen, but even so, its condition may be too poor to make necessary observations. The specimen labelled “NSMT-I-Dip 6791” as the holotype of Ortho. (Eu.) piloculatus does not belong to Orthocladius or Parorthocladius, and further it is labeled “ Pseudorthocladius tsurudai, Holotype (with double crossed lines), Ozawa Green Park, 050423, MT”. Therefore, no types were examined.