Protohermes infectus (McLachlan)

Liu, Xingyue & Yang, Ding, 2006, Revision of the Protohermes species from Tibet, China (Megaloptera: Corydalidae), Zootaxa 1199, pp. 49-60 : 51-55

Protohermes infectus (McLachlan)

( Figs. 1 , 5–9 )

Neuromus infectus McLachlan, 1869: 41 . Type locality: India (Darjeeling).

Protohermes tibetanus Yang & Yang, 1988: 207 . Type locality: China (Xizang). Syn. nov.

Diagnosis

Head yellowish brown with a pair of indistinct blackish spots near postero­lateral corner; pronotum pale yellow with two pairs of wide blackish vittae near lateral sides; wings pale brown with several whitish markings; male tenth tergite digitiform, with distal half much narrower and curved outward.

Body length 35–37 mm (male) and 30–38 mm (female); forewing length 39–40 mm (male) and 40–50 mm (female), hindwing length 35–36 mm (male) and 37–45 mm (female).

Head ( Fig. 5 ) yellowish brown with pair of indistinct blackish spots near posterolateral corner; post­ocular spine feebly developed. Occiput black ventro­laterally. Compound eyes pale brown; ocelli yellow with inner margins black, lateral ocelli close to and usually much larger than median ocellus. Antenna subserrate, pale brown, with segments of distal half blackish brown. Mouthparts pale yellow; mandible with distal half black.

Prothorax pale yellow; pronotum ( Fig. 5 ) with two pairs of wide blackish vittae near lateral sides. Meso­ and metathorax pale yellow, each notum laterally with pair of brownish markings. Thoracic pile yellow, much longer on meso­ and metathorax. Legs pale brown with dense, short, yellowish setae; bases of tibiae yellow, distal four tarsal segments blackish brown, tarsal claws reddish brown. Forewings subhyaline, pale brown, with one large whitish mark at base, several whitish markings at middle and one round, whitish mark in apical third; costal cellules brown with veins pale; most longitudinal and crossveins pale brown, except for those in pale yellow areas, which are pale themselves. Hindwings, in basal half, slightly paler than forewings, with one whitish mark at middle and one round whitish mark at apical third; veins pale yellow but brownish in apical half. Rs 9­branched, last branch bifurcate; 9–10 crossveins between R 1 and Rs; M 1+2 6­ branched, M 3+4 2­branched; Cu 1 3­branched; 1A 3­branched.

Abdomen pale brown with short, yellowish setae. Male ninth tergite ( Fig. 6 ) subtrapezoidal, with posterior margin slightly incised; its median portion less sclerotized, particularly in anterio­medial portion. Male ninth sternite ( Fig. 7 ) subquadrate with deep trapezoidal posterior incision, forming pair of acutely pointed triangular processes. Male ninth gonostylus ( Fig. 8 ) elongate unguiform, feebly incurved, with a narrow elongate incision on inner margin. Male tenth tergite ( Fig. 6 ) digitiform, directed ventrad, with distal half much narrower and curved outward. Male tenth sternite ( Fig. 9 ) extremely small, posteriorly incised, median portion much broader, with lateral lobes short tuberculiform. Female eighth sternite ( McLachlan 1869, Fig. 22) with posterior margin distinctly produced in lateral view and slightly incised in ventral view; ninth segment with ventral membrane somewhat chitinized at base; gonocoxite with arched dorsal margin and nearly straight ventral margin, its apex ventrally incised with small gonostylus; tenth tergite with posterior margin incised from side, leaving thick digitiform dorsal and ventral lobes.

Materials examined 3♂, CHINA: Tibet, Beibeng , 850–950 m, 31. VI .1983, Yinheng Han ( IZCAS) . 1♂, CHINA: Tibet, Beibeng, 1550 m, 24.V.1980, Gentao Jin ( SEMCAS) .

Distribution China (Tibet), India (Darjeeling), Burma (Maymyo).

Remarks

This species appears to be closely related to Protohermes anticus ( Walker 1853) by the male ninth tergite with the median portion less sclerotized and the extremely elongate male ninth gonostylus. However, it can be easily separated from P. anticus by the much longer and thicker male tenth tergite, and the feebly incurved male ninth gonostylus. In P. anticus , the male tenth tergite is much shorter and slender, and the male ninth gonostylus is strongly incurved ( Weele 1907).

This species, as well as P. anticus , is assumed to be relatively primitive within Protohermes , since the median portion of the male ninth tergite is less sclerotized, a condition herein considered to be plesiomorphic and shared by many Corydalinae genera (e. g. Acanthacorydalis , Chloroniella , Chloronia , Corydalus , and Platyneuromus ).

Protohermes tibetanus Yang & Yang was firstly described in a revision of Neuroptera from Tibet ( Yang, 1988) and considered to be distinguished from P. infectus by the ocelli being close to each other, the pronotum with one pair of black vittae, and the male tenth tergite which is curved outward. However, we found that P. tibetanus rather resembles P. infectus in appearance when we saw the habitus photo of the holotype of P. infectus deposited in the Natural History Museum (London). After re­examining the holotype of P. tibetanus , we found the male genitalia are also of the same shape as P. infectus . The genitalic differences between the two species previously mentioned are probably due to the different methods of drawing. Therefore, we place P. tibetanus as a synonym of P. infectus .

Protohermes latus Liu & Yang sp. nov.

( Figs. 2–3 , 10–17 )

Diagnosis Head yellowish brown without dark markings. Pronotum strongly expanded in male, less so in female. Wings entirely hyaline without markings; male tenth tergite broad and distinctly flattened, ventrally with one digitiform process produced inward from proximal outer margin.

Body length 45–47 mm (male) and 40–44 mm (female); forewing length 56–59 mm (male) and 55–62 mm (female), hindwing length 49–50 mm (male) and 50–55 mm (female).

Head ( Fig. 10 ) yellowish brown without any markings, postero­lateral portion much darker; post­ocular spine short and acutely produced. Compound eyes pale brown; ocelli yellow with inner margins black, lateral ocelli nearly touching median ocellus. Antenna ( Figs. 10, 12 ) subserrate, blackish brown, with scape and pedicel yellowish brown; segments of apical third distinctly flattened. Mouthparts yellow; mandible reddish brown with apex and margins blackish brown.

Prothorax reddish brown (male) or pale yellow (female), with pronotum somewhat darkened on antero­lateral portion; male pronotum ( Fig. 10 ) strongly expanded posterolaterally, with median portion narrowest; female pronotum ( Fig. 11 ) with posterior portion slightly expanded. Meso­ and metathorax yellow, dorsally with lateral portions much darker. Thoracic pile yellow, much longer on meso­ and metathorax. Legs brown to yellowish brown with dense, yellowish, short setae; tarsal claws reddish brown. Wings hyaline throughout and slightly grayish brown with markings, except for intercostal cellules with indistinct brownish blotches; veins blackish brown, with basal anal veins of forewings much darker, except for costal, subcostal and cubital veins, which are mostly yellow. Rs 8–11­branched, last branch bifurcate; 11–19 crossveins between R 1 and Rs; M 1+2 3–4­branched, M 3+4 2­3­branched; Cu 1 5–6­branched; 1A 3­branched.

Dorsum of abdomen blackish brown with short yellowish setae, venter and genitalia pale yellow. Male ninth tergite ( Fig. 13 ) short and wide, trapezoidal, with median posterior margin deeply incised. Male ninth sternite ( Fig. 14 ) slightly shorter and smaller than ninth tergite, posterior margin deeply incised, forming two slender and slightly incurved posterior processes. Male ninth gonostylus ( Fig. 14 ) unguiform and directed inward, with sclerotized claw extremely slender and elongated ( Fig. 13 ). Male tenth tergite ( Figs. 13 ) broad, nearly semicircular, distinctly flattened; its proximal portion widened, ventrally with one digitiform process produced inward from outer margin; its apex dorsally slightly incised. Male tenth sternite ( Figs. 14–15 ) extremely small, arched, with lateral lobes short, digitiform and ventrally setose. Female eighth sternite ( Fig. 17 ) subquadrate with posterior margin slightly incised in ventral view; apical half of gonocoxite subtriangular, with a slender digitiform gonostylus at tip ( Fig. 16 ); tenth tergite, in lateral view, with posterior margin incised, leaving subtriangular dorsal and ventral lobes.

Type materials

Holotype ♂, CHINA: Tibet, Motuo, Hanmi , 2200 m, 19.VII.2005, Dakang Zhou (CAU). Paratypes 1♀, CHINA: same data as for holotype ( CAU) ; 1♀, CHINA: Tibet, Motuo, Hanmi, 2200 m, 12.VII.2005, Dakang Zhou ( CAU) ; 1♀, CHINA: Tibet, Motuo, Hanmi, 24.VII.2005, 2200 m, Dakang Zhou ( CAU) ; 1♂, CHINA: Tibet, Motuo, Hanmi, 2200 m, 26.VII.2005, Dakang Zhou ( CAU) ; 1♂, CHINA: Tibet, Motuo, Hanmi, 2380 m, 9.VIII.2003, Guodong Ren ( HBU) .

Distribution China (Tibet).

Etymology The specific epithet ‘ latus ’ refers to the male pronotum which is unusually widely expanded.

Remarks

The new species is distinguished in the genus Protohermes and even in Corydalinae by its unusual pronotum which is widely expanded in the male and less so in the female. Previous notes on sexual dimorphism of Corydalinae often referred the modifications on the head, such as the enlarged male mandibles in Acanthacorydalis and Corydalus and the expanded male post­ocular plane in Platyneuromus ( Glorioso, 1981) .

Protohermes latus appears to be somewhat related the species of the Protohermes davidi species group in having the immaculate hyaline wings and the flattened male tenth tergite, but can be easily separated from the latter species by the ventral, digitiform, accessional process of the male tenth tergite. However, the ventral accessional process of P. latus is also shared with the P. changninganus species group ( Liu & Yang, 2005b) and Protoherems assamensis Kimmins (Kimmins, 1954) . So, currently, it is difficult to determine the exact phylogenetic status of this unusual new species.

Protohermes motuoensis Liu & Yang sp. nov.

( Fig. 4 , 18–19 )

Diagnosis

The body mostly bright yellow. Its vertex has three pairs of widely separated black spots, with similar markings on the pronotum. The wings are hyaline with darker longitudinal and crossveins.

Body length 57–64 mm (female); forewing length 58–63 mm (female), hindwing length 53–57 mm (female).

Head ( Fig. 18 ) yellow; vertex with three widely separated black spots on each side, outer two spots elongate and inner spot small round; post­ocular spine short and acutely produced. Compound eyes brown; ocelli yellow with inner margins black, lateral ocelli close to median ocellus. Antenna blackish brown, subserrate, with scape and pedicel yellow. Mouthparts yellow, with distal half of mandible, distal two segments of maxillary and labial palpi blackish brown.

Prothorax ( Fig. 18 ) yellow; antero­lateral portion of pronotum with pair of sinuous, slender, black vittae, which sometimes separated at midlength; postero­lateral portion of pronotum with pair of parallel black vittae and pair of narrow transverse black stripes. Meso­ and metathorax pale yellow. Thoracic pile yellow, much longer on meso­ and metathorax. Legs yellow with dense short yellowish setae; distal four tarsal segments blackish brown, tarsal claws reddish brown. Wings hyaline throughout without any markings; veins yellow except for several crossveins black. Rs 8­9­branched, last branch bifurcate; 10–12 crossveins between R 1 and Rs; M 1+2 5­branched, M 3+4 2­branched; Cu 1 3­ branched; 1A 3­branched.

Abdomen yellowish brown with short yellowish setae, caudal portion much darker. Male genitalia unknown. Female eighth sternite ( Fig. 19 ) subtrapezoidal in lateral view; posterior half of gonocoxite subtriangular, with a slender digitiform gonostylus at tip; tenth tergite, in lateral view, with posterior margin incised, forming dorsal and ventral lobes, dorsal lobe much longer and thickly digitiform, lower lobe nearly semicircular.

Type materials Holotype ♀, CHINA: Tibet, Motuo, Road 108K, 800–1000 m, 16.VIII.2003, Guodong Ren ( HBU) . Paratypes 4♀, same data as for holotype ( HBU) .

Distribution China (Tibet).

Etymology The specific epithet ‘ motuoensis ’ refers to the type locality of the new species.

Remarks

The new species somewhat resembles an enlarged Chloronia due to its bright yellow body coloration, distinct black spots on the vertex and pronotum, and the entirely hyaline wing with blackish crossveins. However, it belongs to Protohermes due to its 3­branched 1A. These unusual features allow for easy separation from the other described Protohermes species even though its male is still unknown. The new species is somewhat related to Protohermes walkeri Navás 1929 , Protohermes horni Navás 1932 and Protohermes xingshanensis Liu & Yang 2005 one the basis of similar large body size and the immaculate wings. Moreover, it rather resembles P. walkeri in having similar dispersed vertexal and prothoracic markings, but can be separated also by the markings which are much smaller than in P. walkeri and the additional pair of markings on the dorsal occiput. We presume that the male of P. motuoensis might have a long male tenth tergite with a ventral accessional process, which is shared by P. walkeri , P. horni , and P. xingshanensis . But its true systematic status will not be revealed until the male is found.

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Habitus of Protohermes species from Tibet, China. 1. P. infectus (McLachlan), male. 2. P. latus sp. nov. (Holotype), male. 3. P. latus sp. nov. (Paratype), female. 4. P. motuoensis sp. nov. (Holotype), female. Scale bars = 5 mm.

FIGURES 5–9. Protohermes infectus (McLachlan). 5. Male head and pronotum, dorsal view. 6. Male genitalia, dorsal view. 7. Male ninth sternite, ventral view. 8. Male ninth gonostylus, ventral view. 9. Male tenth sternite, ventral view. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 10–17. Protohermes latus sp. nov. 10. Male head and pronotum, dorsal view. 11. Female pronotum, dorsal view. 12. Median portion of male antenna, dorsal view. 13. Male genitalia, dorsal view. 14. Male genitalia, ventral view. 15. Male tenth sternite, ventral view. 16. Female genitalia, lateral view. 17. Female eighth sternite, ventral view. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 18–19. Protohermes motuoensis sp. nov. 18. Female head and pronotum, dorsal view.