Solter lucretii Michel

Michel, Bruno, 2014, A revision of the genus Solter Navás, 1912 for Maghreb and West Africa with descriptions of five new species (Neuroptera, Myrmeleontidae), Zootaxa 3887 (5), pp. 529-554 : 540

6. Solter lucretii Michel nov. sp.

Figs 34–39 , 69, 70 .

Diagnosis. Medium-sized species ( Fig. 34 ). Forewing 22–27 mm, hind wing 20–24 mm. Dorsal surface light brown ( Fig. 34, 37 ), ventral surface yellow. Tibial spurs of fore and mid legs extending beyond tarsomeres 3, tibial spurs of hind legs extending beyond tarsomere 2 ( Fig. 38 ). Last segment of labial palp enlarged with apical part short and a conspicuous palpimacula slightly narrowed in the middle ( Fig. 36 ).

Description (Based on 1 ♂ and 7 ♀♀).

Head ( Fig. 35 ). Labrum, clypeus and frons yellow. Tentorial pit closed, represented by a thin furrow. Vertex, slightly raised, maculated with light brown. Last segment of labial palp enlarged for most of its length with a conspicuous elongate palpimacula and a short apical part ( Fig. 36 ).

Thorax ( Fig. 37 ). Pronotum mostly pale with two darker markings anterior to transverse furrow. Meso and metathorax with low contrasting colours. Ventral surface yellow.

Legs. Yellow with median and apical light brown markings on fore and mid tibiae. Tibial spurs slender, extending beyond tarsomere 3 in fore and mid legs, slightly shorter than tarsomeres 1–3 in hind legs ( Fig. 38 ). All femora and tibiae with white erect setae.

Wings. Apices sub-acute. Forewings with 6–7 presectoral crossveins; main longitudinal veins with alternating bands of pale and light brown. Pterostigma suffused basally. Hind wings with 5–6 presectoral crossveins; pterostigma slightly darker basally.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 yellow, darker along posterior margin. Tergite 2 light brown with anterior fine yellow lining. Remainder of abdomen with alternating ocher yellow and light brown bands. From tergite 2 covered with minute black setae. Sternite 7 of female slightly concave medially ( Fig. 39 ).

Male genitalia ( Fig. 69, 70 ). Gonarcus stout, strongly arched with irregular contours. Parameres oval-shaped, touching each other in the dorsal half, with the inner edge of basal half thick and raised forward.

Material examined. Holotype ♀, ALGERIA 9 miles South Illizi (spelled Illesie on labels) [26.51057 8.47344] 31.vii.1973 ( BMNH). Paratypes (same data as holotype) 1♂, 6♀♀ ( BMNH).

Etymology. Dedicated to the Latin poet and philosopher Titus Lucretius Carus, author of the philosophical poem De rerum natura.

Distribution ( Fig. 86 ). Known only from the type locality in Algeria.

Figures

FIGURE 86. Distribution of the Solter species represented in the area covered by the study.

FIGURES 34 – 39. Solter lucretii. 34 — Habitus of paratype ♀ (CIRAD-CBGP). 35 — Face. 36 — Last segment of labial palp. 37 — Head and thorax. 38 — Hind tarsus. 39 — Extremity of abdominal sternite 7 of female. (Legend as in fig. 5).

FIGURES 68 – 73. Male genitalia of Solter spp. 68 — S. liber, caudal view. 69 — S. lucretii, caudal view. 70 — idem, frontal view. 71 — S. naevipennis, caudal view. 72 — idem, caudo-lateral view. 73 — S. neglectus, caudal view. (Legend as in figures 61 - 67; rp = right paramere).