Review of Neuroleon Navás of West Africa with descriptions of four new species (Neuroptera, Myrmeleontidae)
Author
Michel, Bruno
Author
Akoudjin, Massouroudini
text
Zootaxa
2012
2012-10-17
3519
32
52
journal article
44250
10.11646/zootaxa.3519.1.2
f033be9c-7235-4a96-8642-8185cf173666
1175-5326
282634
E7E9CC12-4ECF-4A13-8E81-F56803F9B0B6
Neuroleon modestus
(
Navás, 1912
)
(
Figs. 22–33
)
Nelees modestus
Navás, 1912: 68
.
Neuroleon modestus
Navás, 1912
:
Krivokhatsky 1996
(new combination)
Neuroleon sociorum
Hölzel & Ohm, 1983: 243
,
syn. nov.
Diagnosis.
Medium sized species (
Fig 22
). Abdomen with three yellow markings from tergite III, one median basal and two lateral (
Fig. 27
). Wing markings variable (
Figs 22, 23, 24
).
Redescription. Head.
Face yellow. Two transverse black markings above and below base of antennae. Anterior margin of the latter marking trident-shaped (
Fig. 25
).
Thorax.
Pronotum pattern as in figure 26.
Foreleg.
Coxa yellow with two parallel stripes and an apical dot on posterior surface, more or less distinct. About 12–15 long white setae. Femur with sensory seta long but shorter than femur. Dorsal surface darker, covered by short setae. Posterior surface with five to six stout white setae at extremity. Tibia yellow with dark marking on the dorsal surface. Tibial spurs slender, longer than tarsomeres 1–2. Tarsomeres dark apically.
Middle leg.
Coxa yellow. Femur with dark dots on the dorsal surface. Tibia and tarsomeres as in foreleg.
Hind
leg
(
Fig. 28
). Yellow. Femur with about 10 stout setae with black dots at their base. Tibia dark at extremity with about 10 erect black setae. A narrow dark stripe on dorsal surface in the basal 1/3 or 1/2. Tibial spurs as long as T1. Tarsomeres as in other legs.
Wings.
Forewing
3
17–18
mm, ♀
18–20 mm
.
Hind
wing
3
16–17
mm, ♀
17–19 mm
. Membrane hyaline, veins white. Longitudinal veins dark at the junction with some crossveins.
Forewing
. Two to four crossveins in apical field. Black markings very variable (
Figs 22, 23, 24
). Generally with at least a basal dot on the sixth crossvein between M and CuA, gradates and base of pterostigma dark (
Fig. 22
). Other variable black markings on some crossveins between R and RS until extremity of hypostigmatic cell, two between M and CuA, and cubital mark small.
Hind
wing
. Markings at most reduced to some crossveins between R and RS.
Abdomen.
3
12–13
mm, ♀
11–13 mm
. Brown. Tergite III to VI with three yellow markings, one dorsal at anterior margin and two lateral. Tergite VII with only two large lateral yellow markings (
Fig. 27
). Sternites yellow.
Male.
Ectoprocts yellow, largely bordered with brown. Parameres short without seta. Gonosaccus with five to six long black setae. Subgenital plate large, rounded at apex (
Figs 29, 30
). Gonarcus U-shaped.
Female.
Gonapophyseal plate narrow, strongly arched (
Fig. 31
).
FIGURES 22–31.
Neuroleon modestus
(Navás)
. 22—Male with basal mark on forewing. 23—Female without wing markings. 24—Female with wing markings. 25—Face. 26—Vertex and pronotum. 27—Abdomen. 28—Right hind leg. 29—Right view of male ectoproct and genitalia. 30—Ventral view of male subgenital plate and genitalia. 31—Left view of female terminalia.
Type
material examined.
Nelees modestus
Navás, 1912
.
Type
♀
, near
Porto Novo
[
06°29’N
02°36’E
]
BENIN
(Coll.
MNHN
)
.
Neuroleon sociorum
Hölzel & Ohm, 1983
.
Paratype
3,
Bel Air
[
14°42’N
17°25’W
]
SENEGAL
(Coll.
MNHN
).
Additional material examined
(33, 9♀♀).
MALI
Sikasso
1♀
23.I.1996
attracted to light 22:00
;
1♀
15.II.
1996
in morning, attracted to light
;
13
10.III.1997
Wayerma District, light trap 21:00
;
1♀
24.V.1995
CMDT factory, attracted to light 21:30.
Farako
13
13.II.1997
forest, light trap 20:00.
Banamba
[
13°55’N
07°45’W
] 3♀♀
10–12.IV.1992
at light trap, degraded savannah with trees, fields and mango orchards, ½ km from dry stream, J. Beerlink leg. (
ZMAN
).
BURKINA FASO
Folonzo
(= Folenzo) [
09°57’N
04°40’W
] 1♀
30.V.2010
, M. Akoudjin leg.
BENIN
Cotonou
Calavi station
IITA
1♀
24.II.1998
fallow, light trap
;
1♀
11.XI.1997
fallow, light trap, G. Goergen leg.
IVORY COAST
Bouaké
[
07°41’N
05°01’W
] 13?.
V.1982
.
Ecology.
Occurs in grass savannas and in grassy vegetation in cultivated area. In southern
Mali
adults fly during the dry season from January to May.
Distribution.
Recorded from northern Guinean and Sudanian Regions including
Cape Verde
Islands (
Hölzel & Ohm 1983
,
1991
) and from Arabian Peninsula (
Hölzel 1988
,
1998
).
Comments.
A male of
Neuroleon guttatus
(
Navás, 1914c
)
from
Namibia
(ISNB) (
Figs 32
) and females from
Mozambique
were examined. The morphological characters and the wing markings are similar to
N. modestus
although more dark and conspicuous. As in
N. lepidus
, the genitalia of the specimen from
Namibia
are distinctly larger with longer parameres (
Fig. 33
). Considering this difference,
N. modestus
and
N. guttatus
are retained as separate and valid species. The discontinuity of their area of distribution suggests that both species could be vicariant species