New species of mayfly discovered in India

 In fact, this is the first time that any mayfly belonging to the genus Labiobaetis has been collected in peninsular India.

The new species, called Labiobaetis soldani, “is named in honor of Dr. T. Soldan for his substantial contribution to the understanding of the Ephemeroptera of Palaearctic and Oriental realms,” according to the authors of a study that describes the new mayfly in the Journal of Insect Science.

The larvae have light-brown heads with light-yellow antennae, and they grow to be about 4-5 millimeters in length. Adults are also about five millimeters long, and the males and females both lack hind wings.

Labiobaetis soldani is closely related to Labiobaetis pulchellus, which has been described from Sri Lanka in the larval stage. However, it can be differentiated from all other Labiobaetis species described from the Oriental region by several morphological differences.

The full, open-access article is avalaible at http://www.insectscience.org/14.86.

The Journal of Insect Science is published by the Entomological Society of America, the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. Founded in 1889, ESA today has nearly 7,000 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government. Members are researchers, teachers, extension service personnel, administrators, marketing representatives, research technicians, consultants, students, and hobbyists. For more information, visit http://www.entsoc.org.