Megagonoleon pentagrammus (Gerstaecker, 1885) Machado & Oswald, 2020

Machado, Renato Jose Pires & Oswald, John David, 2020, Morphological phylogeny and taxonomic revision of the former antlion subtribe Periclystina (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae: Dendroleontinae), Zootaxa 4796 (1), pp. 1-322 : 229-233

Megagonoleon pentagrammus (Gerstaecker, 1885) , new combination

( Figs. 117–119 )

http://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/ FEABBAA9-07B9-4DD3-814F-FC49DC1E9AF4

Gymnocnemia pentagramma Gerstaecker, 1885:34 (OD); Esben-Petersen 1915:63 (cit).

Austrogymnocnemia pentagramma (Gerstaecker) : Esben-Petersen 1917:206 (ncb); Esben-Petersen 1923:580 (rd, ill); Esben- Petersen 1926:12 (cit); Stange 1976:302 (cat); New 1985b:25 (key, rd, ill); New 1996:68 (cat); Stange 2004:100 (cat); Oswald 2018 (cat).

Diagnosis. Wings lacking longitudinal brown lines; clypeus entirely pale; tibial spurs absent; female lateral gonapophysis about same size as ectoproct; female posterior gonapophysis without cavisetae; male mediuncus mostly membranous with a central sclerotized triangle.

Description. Lengths: forewing: 22–29 mm; hind wing: 20–27 mm.

Head ( Figs. 117 a–b): Labrum pale; set with a line of elongate setae. Clypeus pale; with some elongate black setae. Frons dark brown, except for ventral margin pale, but with a medial thin dark line, in some specimens there is a small rounded pale spot between antennae; covered with short white setae. Gena pale. Vertex raised; in anterior view pale, with five dark brown spots in central area (some specimens with lateral spots connected); in dorsal view mostly pale with two central perpendicular dark brown lines and two black marks posterolaterally; covered with short black setae. Ocular setae very short and white. Antennae clubbed; elongate, about four times longer than pronotum; distance between width; mostly dark brown, but scape and pedicel with irregular pale areas, and four or five subapical flagellomeres pale (some specimens with distal margin of flagellomeres pale); torular membrane pale; flagellomeres almost as long as wide at base, apical ones much wider than long; scape, pedicel and first flag- ellomere covered with short white setae, remaining segments set with short black setae. Mandibles mostly pale, with tip black. Palpi, maxillary and labial mostly pale with dark brown marks mainly in basal segments and around palpimacula; apical labial palpomere fusiform, palpimacula opening oval-shaped, located medially.

Thorax ( Fig. 117b ): Pronotum slightly wider than long; posterior margin wider than anterior; subapical furrow present; mostly pale except for some dark brown areas: a broad medial band, and two sinuous bands laterally that encircle a pale area on proximal half (size of dark brown marks varies among specimens with some almost entirely dark); beset with short black setae with some marginal long setae (some specimens with few pale setae on anterior margin). Mesonotum mostly dark brown with some pale areas on different segments: a central and two lateral spots on prescutum, two longitudinal bands around central area and a spot near wing base on scutum, and two lateral marks on scutellum; covered with short black setae. Metanotum dark brown with irregular pale spots in some specimens; covered with short black setae. Pterothoracic pleura dark brown with some pale areas on sclerites margins in some specimens; covered with white setae; Miller’s organ present.

Wings ( Fig. 117c ): Rather narrow with tip acute; anterior Banksian line present in both wings, posterior absent; veins mostly dark brown, but some veins intercalated with white spots; beset with short black setae. Male pilula axillaris present. Forewing membrane mostly hyaline but area around crossveins brown infuscated, and some larger markers at pterostigma, gradate veins and tip of prefork area; tip of pterostigma white; CuA fork located between RP origin and first fork; three presectoral crossveins (distal vein irregularly forked and linked in some specimens); subcostal veinlets mostly simple with few distal ones forked; costal area large; posterior area narrower than prefork area. Hind wing membrane mostly hyaline except for small brown marks on pterostigma and rhegmal area (some specimens with small marks around crossveins and tip); pterostigma tip white; MP fork located between RP origin and first fork; subcostal veinlets simple; one presectoral crossvein (some specimens with a short medial spurs).

Legs ( Fig. 117a ): All pairs of legs, femur elongate (about twice longer than coxa); tibia, femur and tarsi about same size; tibial spurs absent; T3 and T4 about same size, T2 slightly longer than T3, T1 and T5 about same size but slightly longer than T2; claws about half of T5 length; coxa, trochanter and femur, set with short white setae; femur, tibia and tarsi set with short black setae, and scattered long black setae; T5 ventrally with two rows of thick, long, black setae. Proleg sense hair absent; tibia with antennal cleaning setae ventroapically; coxa, trochanter and femur dark brown but internal surface pale; tibia mostly pale with three dark brown marks on anterior surface; tarsi dark brown, except T1 and T5 bases pale. Mesoleg with same colour pattern of proleg, except for femur dark brown with a subapical pale ring, and some pale areas near base in some specimens. Metaleg with femur, tibia and T1 slightly longer than in other legs; colour pattern similar to mesoleg, except for tibia pale with tip and anterior surface dark brown; in some specimens the tarsus is pale with tarsomeres tip dark.

Abdomen: All segments dark brown with posterior margin pale; set with short white setae.

Male Terminalia ( Figs. 118 a–d): Ectoproct posterior margin rounded in lateral view, set with elongate black setae. 9 th sternite short, with anterior margin concave in ventral view; set with elongate black setae. Gonarcus simple, arched, with anterior margin enlarged ventrally in lateral view, and curved in posterior view. Mediuncus mostly membranous but with a medial sclerotized triangle in posterior view. Paramere in lateral view “C” shaped, with ventral area long and acute.

Female Terminalia ( Figs. 118 e–f): Ectoproct posterior margin rounded, set with thin elongate setae and some cavisetae ventrally. Lateral gonapophyses rounded, about same size as ectoproct, beset with cavisetae. 7 th sternite elongate with distal border straight in ventral view; covered with short setae. Pregenital plate small, rounded and weakly sclerotized. Posterior gonapophyses thin, elongate, beset with long black setae. 9 th Tergite with a membranous digitiform process. Anterior gonapophyses absent. Ventral membrane covered with short setae medially; gonapophyseal plates present.

Distribution ( Fig. 119 ). Australia: NSW*, NT*, QLD, SA*, WA. Widespread across mainland Australia.

Adult activity period. Records for October to April, and June.

Biology. Unknown, Larva unknown.

Name-bearing type. Gymnocnemia pentagramma : Lectotype (by present designation), male, ZIMG, highresolution image examined. Type locality: Australia, Queensland, Peak Downs (homestead). From original description: “(mas, fem) -- Patria: Peak Downs Australiae”. From Esben-Petersen (1923): “Gerstaecker's type-specimen is from Peak Downs”. From Esben-Petersen (1926): “I have only seen the type-specimen of this species”. From New (1985b): “ Holotype,?sex, 'Peak Downs' (Greifswald) (not seen) (diagnosis based on Esben-Petersen's (1923 b) detailed description and photograph of the type)”.

Gerstaecker’s original description of M. pentagrammus includes the text “… (mas, fem) …”, which explicitly indicates that the type series consisted of at least two specimens—i.e., at least one male and one female; neither specimen was fixed as the holotype. The male specimen is currently deposited in the ZIMG; the location of the female specimen is unknown. All known subsequent “type” (i.e., Esben-Petersen 1923, 1926) or “ holotype ” (i.e., New 1985, 1996, Stange 2004) references that pertain to M. pentagrammus reference or imply only a single specimen, i.e., the ZIMG male. However, because the second specimen of the type series is not mentioned in any of the subsequent references to “the type” or “ holotype ”, there is no explicit indication that an intentional act of selection was being made among the multiple syntypes, so none of the known post-Gerstaecker type citations appear to qualify as a lectotype designation under Art. 74.5. In order to fix the name-bearing type of this species in accordance with existing usage we hereby designate the male ZIMG specimen (27409) as the lectotype of pentagrammus .

Additional material examined (49♂, 54♀). AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Bourke : x.1957 (1♀, ANIC) ; Nombinnie Nature Reserve: 18 air km SSE Mount Hope , 160m, 32.99613 oS– 145.94006 oE ± 70m, 3.i.2013, M.V., Oswald, Diehl & Machado, Oswald #626 (20♂, 18♀, TAMU) ; Northern Territory: Mount Cahill : iii.1973 (1♂, ANIC) ; vi.1973 (1♂, ANIC) ; Timber Creek Stone: iv.1965 (1♀, SAMA) ; Queensland: 37 km W of Alpha , 23: 37.4S– 146: 16.2E, 12.i.2002, Cooley, Cowan, Hill, Marshall & Moulds (1♀, AMSA) ; 33 km N of Augathella , 7.xii.1989, R.B. Miller (1♀, FSCA) ; Brisbane : 24.x.1926 (2♂, 2♀, QMBA) ; 8.i.1927 (1♂, 1♀, AMSA; 1♂, ZMUC) ; 27.ii.1931, Col. L. Franze (1♀, QMBA) ; Carnarvon Range : ii.1944, N. Geary (1♀, AMSA) ; Eidsvold : x.1966 (2♀, ANIC) ; Em- erald: (1♀, ANIC) ; 40 mi SE of Normanton , 13.x.1965, A. Mesa & R. Sandulski (1♂, ANIC) ; Riversleigh : i.1986 (1♀, SAMA) ; Stradbroke Island : 15.x.39 (1♂, QMBA) ; Westwood : 19.ix.1923 (1♂, MVM) ; South Australia: Everard Park : x.1970 (2♂, SAMA) ; Oraparinna : ii.1956 (1♀, SAMA) ; White Bull Yard: Kalamurina Station x.1999 (1♂, SAMA) ; Wilpena : ii.1956 (1♀, SAMA) ; Western Australia: Cambonn Park : 11.ii.1957 (1♂, MVM) ; Carnar- von: iv.1958 (1♂, MVM) ; Fraser Range homestead: xi.1969 (1♂, ANIC) ; 70 air km WWNW of Gascoyne Junction , 24.87559 oS– 114.55150 oE ± 90m, 21.xii.2012, M.V., Oswald, Diehl & Machado, Oswald #613 (1♂, TAMU) ; 5 km S of Goongarrie , 30.05S– 121.09E, 15.xi.1970, Upton & Feehan (4♂, 7♀, ANIC) ; Halls Creek : x.1953 (1♀, SAMA) ; Karonie : xi.1969 (1♂, ANIC) ; 70 mi ESE of Kununurra , iv.1966 (1♀, SAMA) ; Yokine: Mount Yokine , 26.i.1957 (4♂, 5♀, MVM) ; 26.iii.1957 (4♂, 5♀, MVM) ; 27.i.1958 (2♀, MVM) .

Comments. Megagonoleon pentagrammus is one of the species from the pentagrammus species group that lacks longitudinal brown lines on the wings; it possesses only a moderately-sized rhegmal spot in the hind wing and only small dark punctuations in the forewing. For phylogenetic relationships see Fig. 4 .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Strict consensus tree of morphology-based parsimony analysis of species belonging to the former subtribe Periclystina (ingroup, names in black), and outgroups (names in red). Former Glenoleon species are shown on blue branches, former Austrogymnocnemia species on green branches. Numbers above branches are Bremer support values; numbers below branches are bootstrap values (shown where>50%).

FIGURE 117. Megagonoleon pentagrammus: a) head, anterior; b) head and thorax, dorsal; c) wings, dorsal.

FIGURE 118. Megagonoleon pentagrammus: male: a) terminalia, lateral; b) genitalia, lateral; c) genitalia, posterior; d) 9th sternite, ventral; female: e) terminalia, lateral; f) 7th sternite and pregenital plate, ventral. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 119. Distribution of Megagonoleon species (part).