Solter san Mansell

Mansell, Mervyn W., 2013, First records of the antlion genus Solter Navás from southern Africa, with description of a new species (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae: Myrmecaelurini), Zootaxa 3731 (3), pp. 381-385 : 382-384

Solter san Mansell , sp. nov. Figs 1–8 .

Etymology: San , a noun in apposition, is the name of the original human inhabitants of southern Africa after whom the area known as “Bushmanland” is named. This area encompasses the distribution range of the new species. Description (Based on 19 males, 11 females)

Habitus ( Fig. 1 ). Distinctly reddish-brown medium-sized ( Table 1 ) antlions with short clavate antennae. Abdomen characteristically banded with pale and dark reddish-brown. Wings long, fairly narrow, with alternating pale and light brown markings on wing veins. Legs with stout curved tibial spurs and preapical claws.

Head: wider than prothorax, vertex raised, rounded; antennae short, clavate, slightly longer than head width, toruli greater than scape width apart set in deep recess, scape pale, flagellomeres short, uniformly brown, covered with very short black setae; eyes large, greater than hemispherical, ocular setae absent; maxillary and labial palps short, much less than head width, pale yellow, terminal labial palpomere spindle-shaped with acute apex, palpimacula round ( Fig. 3 ). Vertex brown with 4 pale diffuse spots, a large brown mark centrally on occiput, frons pale below vertex, with a brown band overlying toruli; clypeus, genae, labrum pale.

Thorax: prothorax narrow, longer than wide, with sparse long white setae laterally, short black setae centrally, long curved black setae along posterior margin. Pronotum dark brown with pale markings: a pair of curved pale marks anteriorly, two at posterior margin, two pale spots laterad of these, with a pale streak on each lateral margin. Meso- and metathorax sparsely haired, only with sparse white setae posteriorly on each segment; mesoprescutum dark brown with pale margins, mesoscutum dark brown with two pale streaks on either side of midline, mesoscutellum pale with dark anterior-lateral margins and dark central streak; metascutum dark brown with pale spot on either side of midline, metascutellum pale with dark antero-lateral margins and dark central streak.

Wings: long, narrow; forewings slightly longer than hind wings, apices sub-acute, membrane hyaline, veins with alternating bands of pale and light-brown, bearing very short sparse black setae, costal area uniaereolate, hypostigmatic cells long, hind margins smooth. Forewings with 4–5 presectoral crossveins; Rs arising beyond CuA fork; MP2 (oblique vein) arising beyond CuA fork; CuP arises at same level as basal crossvein, fused with 1A after a short free base; A2 not parallel to A1, evenly curved; pterostigma small, pale pink. Hind wings with 2–3, occasionally 4 presectoral crossveins; Rs arises beyond MP2 fork; CuP fused with 1A; pterostigma hardly discernible; pilula axillaris present in males.

Legs ( Fig. 2 ) longish, hind legs longer and more slender than fore and middle legs, tarsi much shorter than tibia in all legs, TA1–4 shorter than TA5, TA1 short, less than TA2 - 4, tibial spurs robust, pale brown, evenly curved, extending beyond TA 2 in all legs, TA5 long, preapical claws robust, pale brown, evenly curved, sparse black setae along entire ventral surface of tibia, femoral sense hairs present on fore and middle legs, absent from hind legs. Foreleg with robust curved white and black setae ventrally, tibia with sparse long black setae laterally, femur with dark apices, tibia pale with dark band proximally, double band medially, apices dark, TA1 and TA2 pale yellowish, TA3 and TA4 dark brown, TA5 pale with dark apices, middle leg coloration similar to foreleg, hind legs with pale tibiae with dark apices, coloration of tarsi as in other legs.

Abdomen: with alternating pale and dark reddish-brown bands, T1 with long curved white setae dorsally, remainder of abdomen with short sparse white and black setae, becoming longer on T7–T9.

Male genitalia ( Figs 4-6 ): with short ectoprocts lacking postventral lobes or extensions; sternite 9 large with subacute rounded apex. Internal genitalia tiny, parameres capsule-shaped in caudal (posterior) view with two hornlike flanges dorso-laterally; mediuncus distinct, wide, with densely arranged minute punctations on dorsal surface.

Female terminalia ( Figs 7, 8 ): anterior gonapophyses slender, elongated covered with long slender setae; posterior gonapophyses short, stout, articulating with bases of lateral gonapophyses, covered in short, stout black setae; lateral gonapophyses long with very stout black fossorial setae.

Larva unknown.

Material examined

Holotype ♂, NEUR08954, SOUTH AFRICA, Northern Cape Province: Driekop Nature Reserve, Kenhardt, 29° 23’ S, 21° 06’ E, 850 m, 24.ii.1996, M.W.Mansell, H.&U.Aspöck, H.Hölzel, P.Ohm, at light.

Paratypes: 3♂, NEUR08953, same locality as holotype, 19.ii.1991, M.W.Mansell, C.D.Eardley, at light; 13♂, 8♀, NEUR08954, same data as holotype; 3♂, 2♀, NEUR08955, Uurhoogte, 11 km E Fraserburg, 31° 50’ 56” S, 21° 35’ 59” E, 1266 m, 16.ii.1996, M.W.Mansell, H.&U.Aspöck, H.Hölzel, P.Ohm, at light; 1♀, NEUR08956, Pofadder Commonage, 29° 05’ 58” S, 19° 24’ 22” E, 1016 m, 25.ii.1996, M.W.Mansell, H.& U.Aspöck, H.Hölzel, P.Ohm, at light. All specimens deposited in SANC.

Biodiversity Heritage Library M

Figures

FIGURE 1. Solter san, sp. nov. Male holotype, Kenhardt, South Africa. Photo: L. P. Snyman.

FIGURE 2. Solter san, sp. nov. Fore, mid and hind legs, showing femoral sense hairs on fore and middle legs. Photo: L. P. Snyman.

FIGURES 3 – 8. Solter san, sp. nov. 3, Labial palpi, male and female; 4, Male terminalia, lateral; 5, Male genitalia, caudal (posterior) view; 6, Male genitalia, dorsal view; 7, Female terminalia, lateral view; 8, Female terminalia, ventral view’ Abbreviations: Epr, Ectoproct; G, Gonarcus; Ga, Anterior gonapophyses; Gl, Lateral gonapophyses; Gp, Posterior gonapophyses; M, Mediuncus; Pa, Paramere; Pm, Palpimacula; S 9, Sternite 9; T 9, Tergite 9.

Tables

TABLE 1. Size measurements (mm) of specimens examined of Solter san, sp. nov. For paratypes, figure above is the mean, size range is below.

mm	Antenna length	Head width	Forewing length	Hind wing length	Body length
Holotype Male	4.6	3.6	34.7	32.0	38.6
Paratypes Male (18)	4.1 3.5–4.7	3.3 2.9–3.9	31.1 26.0–36.6	29.1 24.7–34.3	35.8 30.5–41.8
Paratypes Female (11)	4.4 3.8–5.3	3.6 3.2–4.1	33.3 30.7–37.0	31.4 28.9–34.4	33.2 30.8–37.4