Myrmeleon heppneri Miller & Stange, 1999

Lin, Yu-Hsiu Hugh, Ko, Chiun-Cheng & Tseng, Hui-Yun, 2024, Taxonomic revision of the antlion tribe Myrmeleontini (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae) of Taiwan, European Journal of Taxonomy 969, pp. 1-61 : 33-37

Myrmeleon heppneri Miller & Stange, 1999

Figs 1F , 17–19

Myrmeleon heppneri Miller & Stange in Miller et al., 1999: 63. Type locality: Taiwan (New Taipei).

Myrmeleon heppneri – Stange et al. 2003: 114. — Wang et al. 2018: 106.

Myrmeleon heppner – Stange et al. 2003: 114 (misspelling).

Myrmeleon (Myrmeleon) heppneri – Stange 2004: 327. — Lin et al. 2019: 140.

Material examined

Holotype TAIWAN • ♂ (photos examined) (larva reared to adult); “Taipei County” [now New Taipei City], Tamshui District, Shalun Seaside Resort ( Damshuei Beach ); 6 May 1998; Robert A. Miller, Lionel A. Stange and Hsiau-Yue Wang leg.; FSCA 00091125 .

Paratypes TAIWAN – New Taipei City • 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (2 larvae reared to adults); same data as for holotype; NTM 3619-001 , 3619-002 .

Additional material

TAIWAN – New Taipei City • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; TAMU X0068708 , X0068765 . – Taoyuan City • 1 ♂, 1 pupa (1 larva reared to adult); Dayuan District, Zhuwei Beach ; 27 Oct. 2019; Yu-Hsiu Lin leg.; 2 specs preserved in alcohol; NTU • 1 ♀ (larva reared to adult); same data as for preceding; 14 Jun. 2020; Yu-Hsiu Lin leg.; NTU .

Re-description of the adult

MEASUREMENTS (♂ n = 1, ♀ n = 1). Body length: ♂ 17.8 mm, ♀ 21.2 mm; forewing: length ♂ 18.2 mm, ♀ 23.0 mm; width ♂ 4.4 mm, ♀ 5.6 mm; width/length ratio ♂ 0.2406, ♀ 0.2418; hindwing: length ♂ 16.7 mm, ♀ 21.3 mm; width ♂ 3.6 mm, ♀ 4.8 mm; width/length ratio ♂ 0.2158, ♀ 0.2258.

HEAD ( Fig. 17A–B ). Vertex strongly raised, rounded, black, 4 shiny black spots along anterior margin and 4 shiny black spots along posterior margins, with sparse short black hairs; occiput pale yellow, with a pair of pale brown spots on lateral side. Frons shiny black, covered with sparse short hyaline hairs; gena whitish-yellow, with a whitish-yellow line along ocular rim; clypeus whitish-yellow with a pair of pale brown spots, with sparse hyaline hairs. Antenna pale brown, short, with slightly defined club, covered with short dark hairs; scape whitish-yellow with a ring of black band; pedicel whitish-yellow, with brown bands; flagellum comprising approximately 30 flagellomeres, the first 5 flagellomeres with pale brown band. Mouthparts yellow, labrum yellow, with several hyaline hairs; maxillary palps yellow, darker toward the distal end, labial palps yellow, 3 rd palpomere black, fusiform, tapering to acute apex, with black round palpimacula on apical ⅓; submentum with long dark hairs.

THORAX ( Fig. 17B ). Pronotum broad, shorter than wide, whitish-yellow, with a pair of brown spots on anterior half, a pair of brown markings in middle, sometimes covering most of posterior half, posterior margin with a pair of brown bands, membrane with a pair of brown spots in middle, with hyaline hairs and long dark hairs. Cervical sclerites dark brown. Mesonotum brown; mecoscutellum with a pair of pale yellow spots. Metanotum brown, anterior half with a black line in middle, covered with sparse hyaline hairs. Meso- and metapleuron dark brown, moderately covered with long hyaline hairs.

LEGS. Whitish-yellow, short. Coxae moderately covered with long hyaline hairs; fore coxae whitish-yellow, with brown markings; mid- and hind coxae dark brown, with a whitish-yellow spot. Femora moderately covered with short dark hairs, mixed with sparse long black setae; fore femur whitish-yellow, slightly brownish on apex; mid femora dark brown on anterior surface of distal half; hind femora brown on anterior and posterior surface on distal half; femoral sense hair length about ½ of femur length on fore and mid legs, absent on hind leg. Tibiae moderately covered with short dark hairs, mixed with sparse long black setae; fore- and mid tibia yellow, with sparse brown markings on anterior surface; hind tibia whitish-yellow, with dark brown markings on posterior surface. Tibial spurs reddish-brown, short, slender, almost straight, approximately as long as tarsomere 1 (slightly longer on fore leg). Tarsi reddish-brown, sparsely covered with short dark hairs dorsally, short black setae ventrally; tarsomere 1 shorter than combined length of tarsomeres 2–4; tarsomere 5 approximately as long as combined length of tarsomeres 1–4. Pretarsal claws reddish-brown, short, simple, curved, approximately as long as tibial spurs.

WINGS ( Fig. 17C ). Without markings, hyaline. Forewings acute at apex; veins and crossveins mostly pale brown, Sc, RA and CuA finely alternating brown and pale yellow; costal area without interconnected crossveins, distal crossveins often branched; presectoral area with 7–8 crossveins and 0 irregular cells; RP arising almost opposite or slightly beyond CuA fork, with 10–12 crossveins from origin of RP to hypostigmatic cell; CuP supporting 1 cell before fusing with 1A; 3A mostly fused with 2A; hypostigmatic cell long; pterostigma pale white, slightly visible; anterior Banksian line absent, posterior Banksian line slightly distinct. Hindwings slightly shorter and narrower than forewings; acute at apex; presectoral area with 5 crossveins and 0 irregular cells; RP arising beyond MP fork, at origin runs closer to MA, with 8–9 crossveins from origin of Rs to hypostigmatic cell; hypostigmatic cell longer than forewing; pterostigma pale white, slightly visible; anterior Banksian line absent, posterior Banksian line absent; male with large, whitish-yellow pilula axillaris.

ABDOMEN ( Fig. 1F ). Shorter than hindwing, tergites brown, sternite brown, densely covered with short dark hairs dorsally and laterally, hyaline hairs ventrally.

FEMALE TERMINALIA ( Fig. 18A–B ). Tergite VIII at least 2 times as wide as tergite IX. Tergite IX narrow, rectangular in lateral view. Ectoproct semicircular in lateral view, with long, black fossorial bristles on ventral half. Lateral gonapophyses semicircular in lateral view, smaller than ectoproct, with long, black fossorial bristles on posterior side and long, thin, black setae on ventral side. Posterior gonapophyses long, slender, with long, black setae. Anterior gonapophyses slightly lobed, separated, with long, thick, black setae. Pregenital plate distinct, oval, presented on posterior margin of sternite VII.

MALE GENITALIA ( Figs 18C–D , 19 ). Ectoproct trapezoid in lateral view, dorsal margin shorter than ventral margin, covered with short pale brown hair, ventral half with long black setae. Sternite IX as long as combined length of tergite IX and ectoproct, diamond-shaped in ventral view, with long black setae posteriorly. Gonarcus narrow, arched, crescent-shaped in lateral view. Mediuncus well sclerotized, large, black, trapezoid in caudal view, ventral margin with a median groove. Parameres well sclerotized, large, black, triangular in lateral view, rectangular in caudal view, separated, with short black setae in between.

Distribution

Taiwan (New Taipei, Taoyuan) ( Fig. 31F ).

Biology

From the collecting and emergence date of the examined specimens and the notes of the types in Miller et al. (1999), the adults appear from April to August. This species is the least common in Taiwan, recorded only on a few beaches in the northern part of the island, and larvae can be found on open sand dunes ( Lin et al. 2021).

Remarks

This is the smallest species of Myrmeleon in Taiwan. The overall morphology of the adult resembles M. persimilis in several characters such as small body size, shorter hindwings, the disposition of digging setae on IX abdominal sternite, and the absence of setae on the ventral side of the mandibles of the larvae ( Lin et al. 2021). The two species can be distinguished by the markings on the pronotum of the adults ( Figs 17B , 20B ). This species also resembles M. solers in the markings on the pronotum of the adults ( Sekimoto 2014: figs 1e–f), and comparison of specimens will be needed to confirm the relationship between, M. solers and M. heppneri .

Figures

Fig. 1. Adult habitus of species of Myrmeleontini Latreille, 1802 of Taiwan, lateral view. A. Baliga asakurae (Okamoto, 1910), ♀ (NTU). B. B. brunneipennis (Esben-Petersen, 1913), ♀ (NTU). C. Myrmeleon tenuipennis Rambur, 1842, ♀ (NTU). D. M. littoralis Miller & Stange, 1999, ♀ (NTU). E. M. wangi Miller & Stange, 1999, ♂ (NTU). F. M. heppneri Miller & Stange, 1999, ♂ (NTU). G. M. persimilis Miller & Stange, 1999, ♂ (NTU). H. M. punctinervis Banks, 1937, ♀ (NTU). I. M. taiwanensis Miller & Stange, 1999, ♂ (NTU). Scale bars = 10.0 mm.

Fig. 17. Myrmeleon heppneri Miller & Stange, 1999 (NTU). A. Head, frontal view. B. Head and thorax, dorsal habitus. C. Wings.Abbreviations: A = anal veins; C = costa; Cu = cubitus; CuA = cubitus anterior; CuP = cubitus posterior; MA = media anterior; MP = media posterior; pB = posterior Banksian line; RA= radius anterior; RP = radius posterior; Sc = subcosta. Scale bars: A–B = 1.0 mm; C = 10.0 mm.

Fig. 18. Myrmeleon heppneri Miller & Stange, 1999(NTU). A. Female terminalia, lateral view.B. Same, ventral view. C. Male terminalia, lateral view. D. Same, ventral view. Abbreviations: ag = anterior gonapophysis; ect = ectoproct; lg = lateral gonapophysis; pg = posterior gonapophysis; pp = pregenital plate; S = sternites; T = tergites. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

Fig. 19. Myrmeleon heppneri Miller & Stange, 1999, male genitalia (NTU). A. Lateral view. B. Caudal view. Abbreviations: gon = gonarcus; med = mediuncus; par = parameres. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 31. Distribution of Myrmeleontini Latreille, 1802 from Taiwan and adjacent islands. A. Baliga asakurae (Okamoto, 1910). B. B. brunneipennis (Esben-Petersen, 1913). C. Myrmeleon tenuipennis Rambur, 1999.D. M. littoralis Miller & Stange, 1999.E. M. wangi Miller & Stange, 1999.F. M. heppneri Miller & Stange, 1999. G. M. persimilis Miller & Stange, 1999. H. M. punctinervis Banks, 1937. I. M. taiwanensis Miller & Stange, 1999.

Fig. 20. Myrmeleon persimilis Miller & Stange, 1999 (NTU). A. Head, frontal view. B. Head and thorax, dorsal habitus. C. Wings. Abbreviations: A = anal veins; C = costa; Cu = cubitus; CuA = cubitus anterior; CuP = cubitus posterior; MA = media anterior; MP = media posterior; pB = posterior Banksian line; RA = radius anterior; RP = radius posterior; Sc = subcosta. Scale bars: A–B = 1.0 mm; C = 10.0 mm.