Vol. 104, No. 5, November & December, 1993 235 COMMENTARY ON DRUNELLA TUBERCULATA AND PROCLOEON PENNULATUM (EPHEMEROPTERA: EPHEMERELLIDAE; BAETIDAE) IN NORTH CAROLINA 1 W. P. McCafferty 2 ABSTRACT: A new larval variant of Drunella tuberculata (Morgan) (Ephemerellidae) was dis-covered in streams in North Carolina. It possesses morphological characteristics intermediate between D. tuberculata and D. conestee (Traver). Drunella conestee is shown to be a southern clinal variant of D. tuberculata, and thus a synonym: D. tuberculata [-D. conestee, n. syn.]. All larval variants of D. tuberculata are distinguished by a distinct posterior marginal ridge dorsally on the forefemora. Larvae of Procloeon pennulatum (Eaton) were also discovered from North Carolina. This Holarctic species previously was known in North America only from central and western Canada, where, for the greater part of this century, it was known only as female adults called Centroptilum infrequens McDunnough. Diligent identification and monitoring of freshwater macroinvertebrates, as part of water resources assessment and conservation programs, will pre-dictably lead to the recognition of taxonomic discoveries and anomalies. For example, aquatic biologists with the Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission, the Missouri Department of Conservation, and the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Division of Environmental Management, have all found stream samples of macroinvertebrates that could not be keyed to species and which, upon further investigation by a taxonomic specialist, proved to be new species important to understanding North American faunis-tics (McCafferty 198 la, 1990). Any synergistic relationship between such field workers and taxonomists can be most productive in this respect and must be encouraged because of the invaluable data potentially rendered and because of the mutual benefit that can be derived. Certain recent samples of larval Ephemeroptera taken in North Carolina stream surveys by the North Carolina Division of Environmental Man-agement could not be identified to species, not even to family in one case, with the use of presently available North American diagnostic keys. My study of this material has revealed notable new data, reported below, regard-ing two species, Drunella tuberculata (Morgan) and Procloeon pennulatum (Eaton). Received April 3,1993. Accepted May 3,1993. Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 ENT. NEWS 104(5): 235-239, November & December, 1993
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