| Potamophylax coronavirus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Male adult | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Trichoptera |
| Family: | Limnephilidae |
| Genus: | Potamophylax |
| Species: | P. coronavirus |
| Binomial name | |
| Potamophylax coronavirus Ibrahimi, Bilalli, and Vitecek, 2021 [1] | |
Potamophylax coronavirus is a species of caddisfly in the family Limnephilidae. It is endemic to Kosovo. It was named after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The male's head and appendages are brown, with the prothorax, sclerites of mesothorax, metathorax and coxae dark brown to black, femora and tibiae brown, and the tarsi gradually darkening to the apex. [1]
The only known female resembles P. juliani and is lighter-coloured. Its head and appendages are brown, as well as the femora and tibiae, the prothorax, sclerites of mesothorax and metathorax light brown to brown, and the tarsi gradually darkening. The forewings, 8.5 mm long, are light brown and shorter than the abdomen, with very long setae. The genitalia remain undescribed, because the female has a slightly damaged terminalia. [1]
The type locality of the species is a tributary of the Krojet e Ali Pashë Gucisë springs of the Lumbardhi i Deçanit river in the Bjeshkët e Nemuna National Park, and probably microendemic to, a "caddisfly hotspot" about 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) above sea level and 120 kilometres (75 mi) west of the capital Pristina. [1] The river has been severed in recent years, due to the construction of a hydropower plant. [2] The river basin habitat of P. coronavirus has been described as a "battlefield between scientists and civil society on one side and the management of the hydropower plant operating on this river on the other." [3]
It was described by a team of researchers, led by Halil Ibrahimi of the University of Pristina. [4] The species belongs to the Potamophylax winneguthi species group and is morphologically similar to P. juliani and P. winneguthi. [1] The type specimens were collected in 2014 a few years prior to description. [3] [1]
The specific name coronavirus refers to the COVID-19 pandemic. [1] The author states that he also named this species in this manner to raise awareness towards environmental pollution in Kosovo and the Balkan countries which he quotes as a "silent pandemic on freshwater organisms in Kosovo rivers". [1] [5] It is the second organism to be named after the pandemic, following the curculionoid beetle (weevil) Stethantyx covida . [6]
The Protura, or proturans, and sometimes nicknamed coneheads, are very small, soil-dwelling animals, so inconspicuous they were not noticed until the 20th century. The Protura constitute an order of hexapods that were previously regarded as insects, and sometimes treated as a class in their own right.
Pinus mugo, known as dwarf mountain pine, mountain pine, scrub mountain pine, Swiss mountain pine, bog pine, creeping pine, or mugo pine, is a species of conifer, native to high elevation habitats from southwestern to Central Europe and Southeast Europe.
The American cockroach is the largest species of common cockroach, and often considered a pest. In certain regions of the U.S. it is colloquially known as the waterbug, though it is not a true waterbug since it is not aquatic. It is also known as the ship cockroach, kakerlac, and Bombay canary. It is often misidentified as a palmetto bug.
The Accursed Mountains, also known as the Albanian Alps, is a mountain range in coastal Southeast Europe adjected to the Adriatic Sea. It is the southernmost subrange of the 1,000-kilometre-long (621 mi) Dinaric Alps range (Dinarides), extending from northern Albania to southern Kosovo and northeastern Montenegro. Maja Jezercë, standing at 2,694 m (8,839 ft), is the highest point of the Accursed Mountains and of all Dinaric Alps, and the fifth highest peak in Albania. The range includes the mountain Zla Kolata, which, at 2,534 m (8,314 ft), is the tallest mountain in Montenegro. The range also includes the mountain Gjeravica, which, at 2,656 m (8,714 ft), is the second tallest mountain in Kosovo. One of the southernmost glacial masses in Europe was discovered in the Albanian part of the range in 2009.
Insect wings are adult outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. They are found on the second and third thoracic segments, and the two pairs are often referred to as the forewings and hindwings, respectively, though a few insects lack hindwings, even rudiments. The wings are strengthened by a number of longitudinal veins, which often have cross-connections that form closed "cells" in the membrane. The patterns resulting from the fusion and cross-connection of the wing veins are often diagnostic for different evolutionary lineages and can be used for identification to the family or even genus level in many orders of insects.
The Glossosomatidae are a family of the class Insecta and order Trichoptera.The family contains 23 genera in three subfamilies. In the US alone, there are 76 spp. in 6 different genera.
The external morphology of Lepidoptera is the physiological structure of the bodies of insects belonging to the order Lepidoptera, also known as butterflies and moths. Lepidoptera are distinguished from other orders by the presence of scales on the external parts of the body and appendages, especially the wings. Butterflies and moths vary in size from microlepidoptera only a few millimetres long, to a wingspan of many inches such as the Atlas moth. Comprising over 160,000 described species, the Lepidoptera possess variations of the basic body structure which has evolved to gain advantages in adaptation and distribution.
Insect morphology is the study and description of the physical form of insects. The terminology used to describe insects is similar to that used for other arthropods due to their shared evolutionary history. Three physical features separate insects from other arthropods: they have a body divided into three regions, three pairs of legs, and mouthparts located outside of the head capsule. This position of the mouthparts divides them from their closest relatives, the non-insect hexapods, which include Protura, Diplura, and Collembola.
Dipteran morphology differs in some significant ways from the broader morphology of insects. The Diptera is a very large and diverse order of mostly small to medium-sized insects. They have prominent compound eyes on a mobile head, and one pair of functional, membraneous wings, which are attached to a complex mesothorax. The second pair of wings, on the metathorax, are reduced to halteres. The order's fundamental peculiarity is its remarkable specialization in terms of wing shape and the morpho-anatomical adaptation of the thorax – features which lend particular agility to its flying forms. The filiform, stylate or aristate antennae correlate with the Nematocera, Brachycera and Cyclorrhapha taxa respectively. It displays substantial morphological uniformity in lower taxa, especially at the level of genus or species. The configuration of integumental bristles is of fundamental importance in their taxonomy, as is wing venation. It displays a complete metamorphosis, or holometabolous development. The larvae are legless, and have head capsules with mandibulate mouthparts in the Nematocera. The larvae of "higher flies" (Brachycera) are however headless and wormlike, and display only three instars. Pupae are obtect in the Nematocera, or coarcate in Brachycera.
Sungaya is a genus of stick insects which is endemic to the Philippine island of Luzon.
Potamophylax is a genus of insects belonging to the family Limnephilidae. The species of this genus are found in Europe and Northern America.
Epidares nolimetangere, the touch-me-not stick insect, is an insect species from the order of the Phasmatodea and the only representative of the genus Epidares. The species name nolimetangere comes from Latin and means "don't touch me". It refers to the prickly appearance of the animals.
Aretaon asperrimus is a species of insect in the Aretaon genus of the Phasmatodea order. The sometimes used common name thorny stick insect is a bit misleading, since the species does not correspond to the typical stick-like habitus and many other species are thorny as well.
Trachyaretaon carmelae is a species of stick insects. It is one of the largest in the subfamily Obriminae.
Tisamenus serratorius is a stick insect species that occurs on the Philippine island Luzon.
Tisamenus deplanatus is a stick insect species native to the Philippine islands Luzon and Mindanao occurs.
Tisamenus clotho is a stick insect species native to the Philippines.
Potamophylax humoinsapiens is a species of caddisfly in the family Limnephilidae. It was first described in 2023, and is morphologically closest to Potamophylax idliri and Potamophylax juliani. The species is microendemic to the Šar Mountains in Kosovo.
Potamophylax idliri is a species of caddisfly in the family Limnephilidae. It was first described in 2022, and is morphologically closest to Potamophylax coronavirus and Potamophylax juliani. The species is microendemic to the Jastrebac Mountains in Serbia.
This article incorporates text from this source, which isby Halil Ibrahimi, Astrit Bilalli, Simon Vitecek, Steffen U. Pauls, Felicitas Erzinger, Agim Gashi, Linda Grapci Kotori, Donard Geci, Milaim Musliu, Edison Kasumaj available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Media related to Potamophylax coronavirus at Wikimedia CommonsSource: Ibrahimi et al, 2021
