Baetiella muchei (Braasch, 1978) (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae) new to India, with reference to the morphological variability of the larvae

Abstract

Baetiella muchei (Braasch, 1978) is recorded for the first time from the Neeru stream of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The variability in larval characters such as size, the shape of the labrum, and the number of the sub-marginal arc of setae in the labrum differs from 12 to 22, degree of fusion of the mandibular incisors, spines on the distal margin of the tergites, distal margin of the paraproct, and the length of cerci are observed from the Indian population when compared to the type specimens. The species number of Baetiella Uéno, 1931 has now increased to six in India. A distributional map of this species is also provided.

Keywords

• himalayas
• mayflies
• new record
• oriental
• palaearctic