Apochrysa voeltzkowi (Weele)

Winterton, Shaun L. & Gupta, Ankita, 2020, Review of the green lacewing genus Apochrysa Schneider (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), Zootaxa 4729 (3), pp. 329-346 : 342

Apochrysa voeltzkowi (Weele)

( Figs 7B , 11A )

Leucochrysa voeltzkowi van der Weele, 1909: 67 .

Oligochrysa voeltzkowi (van der Weele, 1909) — Esben-Petersen, 1927.

Anapochrysa voeltzkowi (van der Weele, 1909) — Hölzel & Duelli 1990; Hölzel & Ohm, 1992; Hölzel, 2001.

Apochrysa voeltzkowi (van der Weele, 1909) — Winterton & Brooks, 2002; Tauber, 2014.

Anapochrysa africana Kimmins, 1952: 933 — Tjeder 1966; Brooks & Barnard, 1990.

Common name. ‘Voeltzkow’s delicate lacewing’.

Diagnosis. Forewing with small mark midway along inner gradate series, otherwise irregular suffusion only along inner gradate series and distally on RA-RP cross-vein; hind wing with cross-veins darkly suffused where inner gradate series is recurved anteriorly, darker venation and faint suffusion also present in end-twigging marginally along posterodistal part of hind wing; pterostigma of both wings faintly infuscate; both wings with two gradate series, lacking additional irregular cross-veins; forewing RA area with RA-RP cross-veins simple, lacking interconnecting cross-veins; basal half of both wings without irregular cross-veins connecting RP branches, only with inner gradate series extending to base of wing; inner gradate series of hind wing sharply curved anteriorly at midpoint in a distinct sigmoid shape; end-twigging present along most of posterior margin of both wings.

Comments. Apochrysa voeltzkowi is an Afrotropical species similar to A. leptalea and A. wagneri , with all three being characterised by the hind wing with the inner-most gradate series arranged in a recurved sigmoid shape with a distinct ovoid marking midway, and the posterodistal margin with suffuse infuscate shading. The presence of only two gradate series in both wings and lack of additional irregular cross-veins amongst the RP branches differentiates A. voeltzkowi from A. leptalea and A. wagneri . Tauber (2014) described the larval stages of this species. Apochrysa voeltzkowi is the most widely distributed species in the genus and is found widely in southern and eastern Africa and neighbouring Islands. The holotype specimen of A. africana is housed in the Natural History Museum, London, while the holotype of L. voeltzkowi is housed in the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Apochrysa spp.: A. Apochrysa leptalea (Rambur); B. Apochrysa voeltzkowi (Weele) (photos: Laura Breitkreuz).

FIGURE 11. Wings of Apochrysa spp.: A. Apochrysa voeltzkowi (Weele) (after Kimmins, 1952: fig. 3); B. Apochrysa wagneri Hölzel (drawn from Hölzel, 1996: fig. 1) (Note: figures not to scale and vestiture omitted).