A new Chinese Ephemera species (Ephemeroptera: Ephemeridae) from a small muddy canal

Nymphs of the genus Ephemera are usually found in sandy/muddy habitats but have not been collected from purely muddy sediments in China. However, a tentative sampling in a small wetland surrounded by agricultural fields revealed a new species Ephemera aureola sp. nov. The reared adults and collected nymphs demonstrate that this species exhibits mixed characters of the subgenera Ephemera and Sinephemera. Remarkably, the new species possesses straight stripes on abdominal terga VI–X, while its sterna have oblique streaks. The male genitalia have titillators, and the wings are almost uniformly golden. The nymphs have a shallow median ridge and setal tuft on tergum I, while its frons has a shallowly concave anterior margin. There is only one diagnostic feature separating subgenus Ephemera.