Memoirs of the Museum of Victoria 59(2): 393–437 (2002) THE AUSTRALIAN SPECIES OF CHIMARRA STEPHENS (TRICHOPTERA: PHILOPOTAMIDAE) DAVID I. CARTWRIGHT 13 Brolga Crescent, Wandana Heights, Victoria 3216, Australia Abstract Cartwright, D.I., 2002. The Australian species of Chimarra Stephens (Trichoptera: Philopotamidae) Memoirs of Museum Victoria 59(2): 393–437. Descriptions, keys and a checklist are provided for males of 26 species of the cosmopolitan caddisfly genus Chimarra (Philopotamidae), including 23 new species from Australia. Females of 22 species are also keyed and described. Introduction species. Half of these specimens belong to C. uranka, while another 20% were identified as The widespread caddisfly genus Chimarra C. karakara sp. nov. Distributions of Australian Stephens, 1829 is one of the largest genera in the species are summarised in Table 1. The break- order Trichoptera with about 400 species down in distribution of Australian species in each described, but with numbers of species approach- province and region is: two (endemic) species ing 600 with works in progress (Blahnik, 1997; recorded from the Eyrean province (Pilbara Morse, 1999). The genus Chimarra is diverse, region of North Western Australia, N-WA); a common and widespread in faster flowing areas total of 21 species recorded within the Torresian of rivers and streams in Australia, although only province of northern Australia, including seven four species have been described previously, species from the Kimberley region of N-WA, C. australis Navas, 1923, C. australica Ulmer, nine species from the northern part of the North- 1916, C. monticola Kimmins, 1953 and ern Territory (N-NT), 11 species in northern C. uranka Mosely, 1953. In reference to C. aus- Queensland (N-Qld); and five species in the tralis Navas, described only from a female, Bassian province of southeastern Australia (SE- Kimmins stated that he was “unable to recognize Qld, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania) this species from the description” (Kimmins in (Table 1). Chimarra is recorded from all Mosely and Kimmins, 1953: 404); and the Australian states and territories except South whereabouts of the holotype female is Australia and the Australian Capital Territory and unknown (Neboiss, 1988: 212). This species is is also not recorded from southwestern Australia. not considered further in this paper. Most of the Chimarra species described are from Cartwright (1990) described and figured the warmer northern part or Torresian province of females of C. australica and C. monticola from Australia. Neboiss and Wells (1998) found a sim- Victoria. Wells (1991) partly figured four species ilar preponderance of northern species in the of Chimarra in a key to Northern Territory (Alli- Australian leptocerid genus Triaenodes, and sug- gator Rivers Region) Trichoptera. Wells and gested that Triaenodes may be a relatively recent Cartwright (1993) listed four species of Chimarra arrival in Australia. Chimarra is well represented amongst Trichoptera collected from Cape York in the tropical and subtropical areas of Asia and Peninsula, north Queensland. Walker et al. Africa, and the genus as a whole can be described (1995) listed nine species of Chimarra, including as warm adapted (Blahnik, 1998). The distribu- six undescribed species, from the Queensland tion of Chimarra differs from that of the other Wet Tropics. Cartwright (1997) listed 24 Chi- Australian philopotamid genus Hydrobiosella marra ‘species’ in a checklist, and noted that the Tillyard, 1924, which is most common in south- only record of Chimarra from Tasmania was a of eastern Australia, particularly Tasmania and also single male of C. monticola. occurs in southwestern Australia. The ‘southern’ In this taxonomic revision of the Australian distribution of Hydrobiosella is more indicative Chimarra nearly 9400 male and female of an older Gondwanan origin. specimens were examined and referred to 26 393 394 D. CARTWRIGHT Table 1. Eyrean (western-central), Torresian (northern) and Bassian (south-eastern) species of Aus- tralian Chimarra. Eyrean species (Pilbara, northwestern WA) C. luminaris, C. yoolumba Torresian species (Kimberley, north-western WA, NT, northern Qld) C. adaluma, C. akruna, C. bibaringa, C. bungoona, C. kaiya, C. karakara, C. larapinta, C. locolo, C. mouldsi, C. nabilla, C. natalicia, C. neboissi, C. orumbera, C. pillara, C. pita, C. ranuka, C. stclairae, C. wooroonooran, C. yandala Bassian species (southeastern Australia including Tasmania) C. kewarra, C. monticola, C. tallawalla Species common to both Bassian and Torresian provinces (eastern and northern Australia) C. australica (mainly Bassian), C. uranka (mainly Torresian) Ross (1956) and Blahnik (1997, 1998) have and wing colour can be useful characters, but are published studies on the phylogeny and bio- variable. Colour should be considered with geography of various groups and subgroups of caution since the colour often fades with time in Chimarra. Ross (1956) studied species of Chi- alcohol. The Australian species can be placed in marra from higher altitudes, although he noted groups based mainly on male genitalic characters. that Chimarra is not primarily a montane group. Some species are placed in groups which may be He stated that from an Asiatic ancestor, a group superficially similar but not necessarily natural or spread throughout Asia and to Australia and monophyletic. The groups can be characterised as Africa, where offshoot lines occur. Blahnik follows: species with a ‘pale window’ (an area of (1998) in a study of Neotropical Chimarra, sug- semi-transparent membrane) in the wings – gested that New World Chimarra may represent a C. luminaris and C. locolo; species with hindwing monophyletic group with several lineages, and with fork 1 present, relatively elongate inferior that a phylogenetic analysis of Old World species appendages and elongate lateral processes of ter- is required to resolve unanswered questions. gum X usually with distinct ‘barb-like projec- Blahnik (1998) postulated a common northern tions’ without apparent sensilla – C. kaiya, South America-Africa origin before continent C. bungoona, C. larapinta, C. orumbera, C. pil- separation to explain the Old and New World lara and C. yandala; species with a relatively distribution of Chimarra. elongate ventral process projecting between bases Common but often variable key characteristics of the inferior appendages – C. natalicia and of the Australian fauna include: eastern Aus- C. neboissi; species with a single large dorsal tralian species with colour uniformly brown to phallic projection or apicodorsal extension of the almost black and northern Australian species with phallotheca – C. ranuka and C. uranka; species pale yellowish head, often with a brownish trian- with a pair of elongate phallic spines – gular area between the ocelli and darker wings C. tallawalla and C. wooroonoonan; species with and body; wings usually unicolorous, length of one or two pairs of pigmented mesal processes on forewing in males 3.7–8.5 mm, females usually tergum X (and/or tergum IX) and dorsal sclero- slightly larger; forewing commonly with Rs tised ‘hood-like’ projection on the phallus – curved basal to discoidal cell, which often has an C. adaluma, C. yoolumba, C. nabilla, C. akruna enlarged node or thickened veins; hindwing with and C. pita; uniformly dark species without the or without fork 1, including at least one species above characters but with relatively slender where this character seems to be variable within upturned inferior appendages – C. monticola, the species; male genitalia with the ventral pro- C. australica and C. kewarra; and the rest (prob- cess on segment IX usually short, keel-like; ably not a natural group), again darker species tergum X usually mostly membranous mesally, typically with shorter inferior appendages – not divided, with mesal or lateral lobes or pro- C. mouldsi, C. bibaringa, C. karakara and cesses; inferior appendages variable, usually C. stclairae. short, in some species more elongate; phallus Most of the material studied was made often with obvious embedded or projecting phal- available by Dr Arturs Neboiss. Depositories for lic or endothecal spines; female genitalia usually specimens are abbreviated as follows: Museum short with segment VIII membranous dorsally; Victoria, Melbourne (NMV), Australian National sternum IX with paired membranous or partly Insect Collection, Canberra (ANIC), the sclerotised plates; cerci usually short. Size, body Natural History Museum, London (BMNH), AUSTRALIAN SPECIES OF CHIMARRA (TRICHOPTERA) 395 Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet, Stockholm (NRS), genitalic parts are indicated on Figs 2–4 (male) Museum and Art Galleries of the Northern Terri- and 80–81 (female) and additionally where neces- tory, Darwin (NTM) and the Queensland sary. Typically, setae or spines are illustrated only Museum, Brisbane (QM). All specimens, includ- on the right side of the figure (as viewed) to ing types, mentioned in the text are lodged in the enable a better view of the underlying structures. NMV unless stated otherwise. Names of prolific collectors have been abbrevi- Males and females of each species are most ated in the text as follows: J.E.Bishop – JEB; J. readily distinguished by genitalic features, often Blyth – JB; P. Dostine – PD, M.S. Moulds – requiring clearing of the abdomen in potassium MSM; A. Neboiss – AN; P. Suter – PS; A. Wells hydroxide. Females were paired with respective – AW. males on the basis of similarities in coloration, particularly on the head,