Tortopus

Needham & Murphy, 1924

Tortopus is a of burrowing in the , restricted to six based on cladistic revision: T. igaranus, T. circumfluus, T. harrisi, T. zottai, T. bellus, and T. arenales. The genus is characterized by distinctive morphological including female parastyli receptors with long furrows, entirely flattened penes, and bearing two subapical on mandibular tusks. Nymphs construct U-shaped tunnels in clay banks, a that renders them difficult to with standard aquatic survey methods.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Tortopus: /ˈtɔr.to.pus/

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Identification

: Female parastyli receptors with long furrows to sockets; penes entirely flattened; male ninth abdominal almost separated into two portions by notch; mesosternum with furcasternal contiguous only at corner. : Two subapical on mandibular tusks (distinguishing from Tortopsis, which has one).

Habitat

Clay banks of rivers and streams; construct U-shaped burrows in clay substrates.

Distribution

Panamerican distribution; Neotropical region including Ecuador, Colombia, and Argentina.

Life Cycle

are burrowing; described for multiple though nymphs remain unknown for most. Embryonic development and early have been studied in related species.

Behavior

burrow U-shaped tunnels in clay banks, preventing capture by standard limnological sampling equipment such as Surber samplers, drags, or drift .

Similar Taxa

  • TortopsisFormerly included within Tortopus; distinguished by female parastyli receptors C or V-shaped with sockets opening toward , penes separated from base, and with single subapical on mandibular tusks versus two in Tortopus.

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