Neopanorpa tincta, Wang & Hua, 2018

Wang, Meng & Hua, Bao-Zhen, 2018, High species diversity of the genus Neopanorpa (Mecoptera: Panorpidae) in Yunnan Province, China, Zootaxa 4483 (1) : -

Neopanorpa tincta sp. n.

( Figs. 2d , 6–7 )

LSID: urn: lsid: zoobank.org: act: 1A81CF0C-DFD8-4141-9B4B-17B4F71A5A7C

Material examined. Holotype ♂, CHINA: Yunnan: Kunming: West Mountain (elev. 2100–2200 m), 27.vi.2014, leg. Chao Gao & Mei Liu, ME000017 ( NWAFU) . Paratypes 21♂ 19♀, same data as holotype, ME000018 – ME000055 (NWAFU), 27638–27639 (ZMUG).

Diagnosis. Neopanorpa tincta sp. n. can be readily differentiated from its congeners by the following characters: (1) Vertex yellowish brown with brown marking on ocellar triangle ( Fig. 6c ); (2) wings strongly tinged with brown, darkened in apical part, with wing markings mostly lacking ( Fig. 6a & b ); (3) ventral branch of paramere large, elongated slightly beyond lateral process in lateral aspect ( Fig. 7b ); (4) female genital plate with broad axis extending anteriorly beyond main plate for equal length with posterior arms ( Fig. 7e–g ).

Etymology. The specific name is derived from Latin tincta (tinged), referring to the wings strongly tinged with brown.

Description. Holotype ( Figs. 2d & 6a ).

Head ( Fig. 6c ). Vertex yellowish brown with brown marking extending from ocellar triangle to occiput. Rostrum yellowish brown.

Thorax ( Fig. 6d ): Pronotum mostly brown. Mesonotum with obscure narrow brown median stripe to scutellum, leaving the remaining area yellowish brown; metanotum with similar pattern.

Wings ( Fig. 6a ). Strongly tinged with brown; R2 bifurcated. Forewing markings obscure, with apical part darkened and pterostigmal band only indicated by some scattered obscure maculation. Hindwings similar to forewings, but markings more weakly expressed.

Abdomen. T1–T5 dark brown ( Fig. 6e ). Male A6 dark brown bordered with yellowish brown caudally, A7–A8 yellowish brown ( Fig. 6f ). Notal organ triangular, extending to apical third of T4, rounded apically; T4 membranous anteriorly with hirsute post-notal organ ( Fig. 6e ).

Male genitalia. Generally brown. Hypandrium with a broad stalk longer than hypovalves; hypovalves extending to the caudal end of gonocoxite, slightly twisted ventro-mesally at apex, bearing a broad-lobed hypandrial process subbasally ( Fig. 6g ); in lateral aspect, hypovalves expanded dorsally into broad triangular lobes, hypandrial processes indicated by rounded knobs projected dorsally ( Fig. 6i ). Epandrium tapering toward apex, abruptly constricted subapically, truncate apically ( Fig. 6h ), bearing a pair of broad subrectangular epandrial lobes curved ventro-mesad apically ( Fig. 6i ). Gonostylus brown, median tooth blunt; basal lobe cup-like with numerous setae ventrally, strongly concave, bearing a cluster of dorsal setae ( Fig. 6j & k ). Ventral valves of aedeagus broadlobed, tapering toward pointed apices; dorsal valves stout, concealed in ventral aspect ( Fig. 7a–c ). Paramere with long basal stalk, bifurcated distally into ventral and dorsal branches; ventral branch elongated apically beyond lateral process of dorsal branch in lateral aspect, rounded apically, slightly curved dorsad ( Fig. 7b ); dorsal branch very short ( Fig. 7b ); lateral process broad, curved ventro-mesad, rounded apically, bearing a minor blunt triangular process on upper margin near apex ( Fig. 7b ); dorsal process small, triangular ( Fig. 7b & c ).

Female (Paratype) ( Fig. 6b ). Similar wing pattern and body coloration as in the male, but more intense. T1– T5 dark brown, remaining segments yellowish brown ( Fig. 6b ). Subgenital plate elliptical, with deep V-shaped emargination at apex, bearing numerous long setae on margin and apex ( Fig. 7d ). Genital plate with narrow main plate; axis broad, extending anteriorly beyond main plate for equal length with posterior arms, forked broadly at proximal end; posterior arms broadly spatulate, rounded apically and slightly convergent ( Fig. 7e–g ).

Measurements. Male (n = 10), forewing length = 12.69 ± 0.64 mm, width = 3.2 ± 0.15 mm; hindwing length = 11.52 ± 0.56 mm, width = 3.06 ± 0.15 mm. Female (n = 10), forewing length = 12.65 ± 0.35 mm, width = 3.18 ± 0.12 mm; hindwing length = 11.53 ± 0.38 mm, width = 3.03 ± 0.13 mm.

Remarks. Wing markings are mostly absent in males, but an ambiguous apical band and an oblique mesal portion of the pterostigmal band can be seen in some females. This species resembles N. semiorbiculata sp. n. in wing markings and body coloration, but differs in the marking of the ocellar triangle, thoracic pattern, and male genitalia.

Moreover, N. tincta sp. n. bears a strong resemblance to N. brisi (see description of the latter below) in wing pattern, and differs only slightly in thorax coloration. Further, the distributions of the two species are largely sympatric. Nevertheless, there are several conspicuous differences between N. brisi and N. tincta sp. n., as follows. (1) The forewing length ranges from 12.69 to 13.33 mm in N. tincta sp. n., but from 17.06 to 17. 67 mm in N. brisi . (2) The vertex is yellowish brown with a triangular brown marking in N. tincta sp. n., but is totally blackish brown in N. brisi . And the thoracic pattern is brownish and very narrow in N. tincta sp. n., but is blackish and very broad in any variations in N. brisi . (3) The female genital plate of N. tincta sp. n. has its axis extended anteriorly beyond the main plate, while the axis of N. brisi does not extend anteriorly beyond the main plate. (4) N. brisi has the notal organ with one pointed projection on each side basally, and the male abdominal segment VI bears tooth-like projections on the caudal margin, whereas N. tincta has no such characters.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Habitat photograph of Neopanorpa in Yunnan (Photo by Ji-Shen Wang). (a) N. triangulata sp. n., male; (b) N. quadristigma sp. n., male; (c) N. nielseni, female; (d) N. tincta sp. n., male; (e) N. brisi, male.

FIGURE 6. Neopanorpa tincta sp. n. (a) Male, dorsal view; (b) Female, dorsal view; (c) Head, frontal view; (d) Thorax, dorsal view; (e) Notal organ, dorsal view; (f) A5–A9, lateral view; (g) Male genital bulb, ventral view; (h) Male genital bulb, dorsal view; (i) Male epandrium and hypandrium, lateral view; (j) Gonostylus, ventral view; (k) Gonostylus, dorsal view. For abbreviations see legends of Figure 4. Scale bars: a–b = 5 mm; c–e, g–i = 0.5 mm; f = 1 mm; j–k = 0.25 mm.

FIGURE 7. Neopanorpa tincta sp. n. (a)–(c) Male aedeagal complex, ventral, lateral, and dorsal views; (d) Female subgenital plate, ventral view; (e)–(g) Female genital plate, ventral, lateral, and dorsal views. For abbreviations see legends of Figure 5. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.