Ecologica Montenegrina 42: 85-95 (2021) This journal is available online at: www.biotaxa.org/em http://dx.doi.org/10.37828/em.2021.42.4 https://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:24BAA62F-153F-41F6-AAD5-973748994C32 A new species of the genus Potamophylax Wallengren, 1891 (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae) from Qafështamë National Park in Albania HALIL IBRAHIMI1 & ASTRIT BILALLI2* 1Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina”, “Mother Theresa” street, p.n., 10000, Prishtinë, Republic of Kosovo. 2Faculty of Agribusiness, University of Peja “Haxhi Zeka”, “UÇK” street, 30000, Pejë, Republic of Kosovo. *Corresponding author: [email protected] Received 28 March 2021 │ Accepted by V. Pešić: 20 May 2021 │ Published online 25 May 2021. Abstract In this paper we describe Potamophylax qafshtamaensis sp. n., a new species of the Potamophylax winneguthi species group, from Qafështamë National Park in Albania. The new species belongs to the Potamophylax tagas species cluster and is most close to Potamophylax hajlos Oláh, 2012 and Potamophylax alsos Oláh, 2014. Potamophylax qafshtamaensis sp. n. differs from all known species of the P. tagas species cluster by its unique shape of aedeagus. It also differs from its most similar congeners mainly in exhibiting differently shaped inferior appendages and parameres in males, as well as setose sternite IX and the dorsal unsetose plate of the anal tube in female. The new species is microendemic of Qafështamë National Park and is the fifth known species of the Potamophylax tagas species cluster, which is distributed in Albania and Macedonia. Key words: Potamophylax tagas species complex; rare species; endemic species; Balkan Peninsula. Introduction The genus Potamophylax Wallengren, 1891 with more than 40 currently described taxa is mainly distributed in Europe, with Iberian Peninsula, Balkan Peninsula and Apennines as the main speciation areas (Ibrahimi et al. 2021; Martinez et al. 2016; Mey 1979; Oláh et al. 2013; Oláh & Kovács, 2014). Only few taxa, and most of them widely distributed in Europe, are present in nearby Asia, mostly in areas adjacent to Europe. Potamophylax excisus Martinov, 1926 and Potamophylax luctuosus armeniacus Mey, 1979 are the only taxa endemic to Asia, more precisely to Caucasus. During 2012, three new species of the Potamophylax winneguthi species group were described, all of them from Albania: Potamophylax hajlos from Dajt mountains and surrounding southern area, and Potamophylax kesken Oláh, 2012 and Potamophylax tagas Oláh and Kovács, 2012 from the Korab mountains. During 2014 the fourth species of this species cluster, Potamophylax alsos, was described from Jabllanicë Mountains in North Macedonia (Oláh & Kovács 2012, 2014). They were grouped in a new Ecologica Montenegrina, 42, 2021, 85-95 NEW SPECIES OF POTAMOPHYLAX FROM ALBANIA Potamophylax tagas species cluster, differing from other species of the Potamophylax winneguthi group mainly by their rounded apex of inferior appendages and without any other projection. During 2016 we sampled in Qafështamë National Park in central Albania, a population of the Potamophylax tagas species complex, which although resembles the already described species in some characteristics, it couldn’t be placed in any of them, due to the clear differences in the genitalia of males and female. This initiated a detailed analysis of populations of all known species, which made clear that the population from Qafështamë National Park represents a distinct species. Thus, the goal of this paper is to describe this new species of the Potamophylax tagas species complex and discuss morphological and ecological features of this complex. Material and Methods We collected adult caddisflies with entomological nets and handpicking from the riparian vegetation near the stream. Specimens were stored directly in 80% ethanol. Specimens of the new species were collected in the Qafështamë National Park in Krujë Municipality. Qafështamë National Park, with an area of 2000 hectares resides on the eastern side of Kruja town, about 25 kilometers from the town. The park was proclaimed on 1996 and majority of its territory is a forested area. The collected material is deposited at the Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina”, Prishtinë, Republic of Kosovo. In addition, for comparative assessments of morphological features of Potamophylax qafshtamaensis sp. n. we used specimens of Potamophylax alsos, Potamophylax hajlos, Potamophylax kesken, Potamophylax tagas, Potamophylax coronavirus Ibrahimi, Bilalli and Vitecek, 2021, Potamophylax juliani Kumanski, 1999 and Potamophylax winneguthi Klapalek, 1902. For the species without any specimen available, a comparative assessment was done based on literature (Malicky 2004; Oláh & Kovács 2012). Morphological characteristics of male genitalia of the new species were examined in cleared specimens. Nomenclature of male terminalia follows Nielsen (1957), for Limnephilus flavicornis (Fabricius, 1787) and Kumanski and Malicky (1999). Morphological features of genitalia of Potamophylax qafshtamaensis sp. n. were analyzed from 14 male specimens and 1 female specimen. Illustrations were prepared in Adobe Illustrator (version Creative Cloud 2018), by digitizing pencil templates made with a camera lucida. Results Potamophylax qafshtamaensis sp. n. Figs. 1-6, 7A https://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CCCCEC9E-C69A-45AD-99E2-269A5B357EE7 Material examined. Holotype. 1 male: Republic of Albania, streamlet in Qafështamë National Park, road towards Burrel town, 41.52460 N, 19.90124 E, 1167 m, 22.11.2016, leg. Halil Ibrahimi and Astrit Bilalli. Paratypes (13 males): same collection and locality data as holotype. Allotype (1 female): same collection and locality data as holotype. Diagnosis. The new species belongs to the Potamophylax tagas species cluster and is most close to P. hajlos and P. alsos. The new species differs from its most similar congeners mainly in exhibiting: 1) unique shape of aedeagus, easily distinguishable from all known species of the Potamophylax tagas species cluster, which is elongated oval in its upper part, narrowing at the middle and then widening on the remaining length, with strongly sclerotized and differently colored lateral stripes in ventral view, which have even darker and sharply acuminate apex; in P. hajlos aedeagus is quadrangularly shaped throughout its length, with straight lateral margins in ventral view, differently colored lateral stripes in ventral view are present mostly at distal third and without strongly acuminate apex; in P. alsos aedeagus has concave lateral margins in ventral view, differently colored lateral stripes in ventral view are present throughout the entire length of the aedeagus, but without strongly acuminate apex; 2) unique shape and size of the tips of aedeagus, which are narrow and triangularly shaped, with pointed apex and very wide base, narrowest in the whole Potamophylax tagas 86 IBRAHIMI & BILALLI species cluster and Potamophylax winneguthi group; in P. hajlos and P. alsos tips of aedeagus are uniformly roughly quadrangularly shaped with rounded apex; 3) apicomesal excision on the aedeagus wide U – shaped; in P. hajlos the apicomesal excision of the aedeagus is narrower; 4) tips of parameres with 3 spines, 1 very long, 1 shorter (originating at the subapex part, and the third one very short); in P. hajlos tips of parameres are with two long and two short spines; in P. alsos tips of parameres armed with three spines of almost equal size; 5) the ventral margin of inferior appendages in the new species is curved at an angle in its distal part, without downward outgrow; in P. hajlos the ventral margin of inferior appendages is curved at an angle in its distal part, with a downward outgrow; in P. alsos ventral margin of inferior appendages is almost straight, or slightly concavely curved, directed upwards; 6) setose sternite IX in female of the new species is rounded in lateral view; in P. hajlos it is rounded triangular; in P. alsos it is rounded quadrangular; 7) the dorsal unsetose plate of the anal tube of the new species has very narrow apical margin and almost three times wider base; in P. hajlos and P. alsos it is quandrangularly shaped, almost uniformly broad. Description. Male (in alcohol) (Figures 1, 2). Head and appendages brown, prothorax, sclerites of meso and metathorax and coxae brown to black; femora and tibiae brown, tarsi gradually darkening toward the apex. Wings dark brown with dark setae. Forewing with very long and strong erect setae on the longitudinal veins. Forewing length 15 – 16.5 mm. Spur formula 1-3-4. Antennae slender. Male maxillary palp 3 segmented. Figure 1. Male adult of Potamophylax qafshtamaensis sp. n. Tergite VIII dark brown, darker than the preceding tergites, in dorsal view roughly quadratic in shape, with dorsal portion slightly narrower; setation concentrated on the proximal portion of segment VIII, which is well sclerotized, spinate area elongated with a wider proximal portion in dorsal view, located on the semimembranous distal portion of segment VIII, covered by small black spines, which are more abundant at the appex. Segment IX laterally broad, with rounded proximal areas, with short and narrow dorsal and ventral portions. Superior appendages in lateral view elongated spatulate, with rounded tips, covered with thin setae of medium length. Intermediate appendages are long, sickle-shaped with