Froggattisca rennerensis Miller and Stange, 2012

Miller, Robert B. & Stange, Lionel A., 2012, The cave mouth antlions of Australia (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae), Insecta Mundi 2012 (250), pp. 1-65 : 12

Froggattisca rennerensis Miller and Stange , new species

( Figures 6, 7, 71, 72)

Holotype male, 20 km. north Renner Springs , Northern Territory, 17. XI. 1989, R. Miller reared ( ANIC).

Diagnosis. Adult: pronotum with median dark brown stripe; claws pale brown; wings without golden brown suffusion; male without goitre; forewing at least 15 mm long; foreleg longer than hindleg, with second tarsomere at most as long as basitarsus; tibial spurs on all legs; radial sector and cubital fork originate less than one-fourth distance from base to apex; female posterior gonapophysis about twice as long as greatest breadth.

Description. Holotype male: length of body about 15mm, forewing and hindwing about 15 mm. Coloration: labrum and clypeus pale brown, large black interantennal dark brown area; vertex with long dark brown anterior band connected medially with long dark brown posterior band; pronotum with broad median dark brown stripe and smaller submedially dark brown stripe; scutellum with broad median dark brown stripe; claws dark brown; wings with longitudinal veins mostly all pale but mostly darkened with juncture with crossveins, without markings ( Figure 6), no golden suffusion; femur with anterior face dark brown, closing face pale brown; tibia with color pattern similar to femur but hind tibia mostly pale brown; tarsus mostly pale, tarsus mostly pale brown with distal tarsomere dark apically, other tarsomeres weakly darkened apically; abdomen nearly all dark brown with tergites and sternites separated by yellowish pleura, ectoproct pale brown. Chaetotaxy: pronotum and thorax with short white setae; abdomen with mostly pale setae; legs with mostly black setae but also some white setae.

Structure: vertex only slightly raised; antennae close together, separated by about diameter of scape, flagellomeres about as long as wide for most of distance before club; male without goitre; pronotum longer than wide; wings narrow ( Figure 6); foreleg longer than mid and hindleg; tarsus with basitarsus longer than tarsomere II which is longer than tarsomere III which is longer than tarsomere IV; distal tarsomere shorter than basitarsus; tibial spurs present on all legs but vestigial, less than one-fourth as long as basitarsus; wings narrow, radial sector and cubital fork originate less than one-fourth distance from base to apex; abdomen shorter than wings.

Larva: Coloration: ventral head capsule unmarked ( Figure 72); thorax and abdomen with conspicuous dark brown markings ventrally ( Figures 70, 72). Chaetotaxy: ventral head capsule with sparse, tiny black straight setae. Structure: mandible about the same length as head capsule.

Other records. AUSTRALIA. Northern Territory: 20 km. north Renner Springs, 17. XI. 1989, R. Miller , reared (1m, ANIC; 1 larva, FSCA) .

Discussion. The tibial spurs are present on all legs but minute. In the only known specimen, the foreleg is longer than the hindleg but this may be a deformity. The second tarsomere of the foreleg is about as long as the basitarsus. The larva lives in caves and is characterized by having the mandible about the same length as the head capsule. The ventral side of the larval head capsule is practically unmarked with sparse, tiny black straight setae.

Etymology. This species is named for the type locality.