Author: (Kieffer, 1914)
Diagnosis (in part after Saether, 1990a - in italics)
Exuviae 1.8-3.2mm long (m=2.4mm, n=27).
Cephalothorax: Frontal setae on frontal apotome. Ocular field with 1 vertical and 1-2 postorbitals. Thoracic horn reduced to a small tubercle. 2 Median and 1 lateral, fine antepronotals. Precorneal tubercle present, 3 fine and short precorneals. 4 Dorsocentrals, setal marks of setae 2 and 3 separated by 2-13µm, distance between setae 3 and 4 about 30-35µm. Thorax and wing sheaths smooth.
Abdomen: Tergites generally covered with small points, larger anteriorly. Tergite I without shagreen, II-VII with coarse and extensive shagreen; II-VIII with posterior transverse rows of translucent or slightly darkened elongate spines. Anterior points of tergites VII and VIII grouped into short transverse rows (ignore the very small points on the anterior transverse apodemes). Posterior long spines IV 37-79 (m=55, n=21), VI 31-63 (m=42, n=20). Longest spine IV 33-57µm long (m=48.5µm, n=28), VI 37-57µm long (m=48.5µm, n=27). Conjunctives II/III-VI/VII armed with small points, most of the points of the paratergites are similar in size to those of the conjunctives, VII/VIII unarmed. Pedes spurii Aand B absent. Shagreen sparse and antero-medially on sternites II-VIII. Lateral setae IV 80-155µm long (m=109µm, n=19). Four long lateral setae on tergite VIII, the fourth (rarely absent?) reduced to a small hair, 20-97µm long (n=20).
Anal segment: Tergite IX with coarse anterior shagreen. Anal lobes smooth, somewhat rectangular, without fringe. Anal macrosetae of anal lobes long, 0.63-0.94x length of the anal lobe (m=0.76, n=28), setae thin and apically curved. Genital sheaths male overreaching anal lobe by 36µm, in female 53-60µm short.
Remark: Bisexual.
(Linked adult male: Langton and Pinder, 2003a)
Note: Very similar to the pupa of Limnophyes minimus; both species may have 5 or 4 lateral setae on segment VIII and both have the sternites variably armed. A possible distinction upheld by the specimens to hand: in minimus the posterior points of tergite VIII are shorter than those on VII, whereas in natalensis they are longer.
Species keys out at Page 766: Orthocladiinae 178 Limnophyes of the Text Key.
Distribution
Holarctic and Afrotropical; Fennoscandia.
(For more information see module IdentifyIt – file: Orthocladiinae).
Ecological notes
Streams and seepages; larvae have been taken from Sphagnum.