Nedroledon maculatus Zakharenko, 1990

Krivokhatsky, Victor, Dobosz, Roland & Ábrahám, Levente, 2022, The new antlion genus Dominikon gen. nov. with the description of a new species Dominikon aspoecki sp. nov. (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae), Zootaxa 5196 (1), pp. 94-114 : 97-98

Nedroledon maculatus Zakharenko, 1990

Nedroledon maculatus Zakharenko, 1990: 60 , figures 1–3 (wings, male genitalia); Krivokhatsky 1998:85; Stange 2004:193; Dobosz et al. 2017:20; Badano et al. 2017: 55 (misidentified as Nedroledon iranensis Hölzel, 1972 )

Holotype male was examined: // VIII. [1]911 / S. Russia / Tashkent [ Uzbekistan]//; // Holotypus, Nedro– / ledon maculatus / Zakharenko // preserved in ZIN ( Fig. 3 ).

Additional examined material: HNHM: Turkmenistan: 1♂, 30 Jun–04 Jul 1992, Kopetdagh [distr.], Valley betw. Ipay-Kala and Polni-Kala R., 38°13′15″N 59°54′57″E, leg. Gy. Fábián, B. Herczig, A. Podlussány and Z. Varga ( Nedroledon maculatus Zakh. det: Krivokhatsky 2000) .

NHMW: Iran: 1♂ 1♀, 13 Jun 2007, Khoresan NP, Golestan Maghazi Valley , 36°39′29″N 54°13′27″E, Seitental, 1730 m, leg. Dr. Ch. Wieser ; 1♀, 17 Jun 2007, Khoresan NP, Golestan Almeh , 37°20.44′N 56°07.02′E, 1750 m, leg. Dr. Ch. Wieser.

SCM: Azerbaijan: 1♀, 07 Jul 2008, Turianchay state reserve 260 m, leg. I. Pljushtch.

Georgia: 1♀, 31 Jul 2021, Didi Ateni 41°53′57″N 44°5′32″E, 760 m, 9 km S of Gori , at light, leg. R. Dobosz.

USMB: Georgia: 1♂, 13 May 2016, Vashlovani NP., Pantishara 41°14′N 46°21′E, 400 m asl, [at light], leg. R. Wąsala ( USMB 5858 /15251) ( Dobosz et al. 2017); 1♂, 25 Jun 2019, Pantishara 41°14′14″N 46°21′55″E, 360 m asl, UV trap, leg. R. Dobosz ( USMB 5858 /25063); 1♀, 30 Jul 2021, Didi Ateni 41°53′57″N 44°5′32″E, 760 m, 9 km S of Gori, at light, leg. R. Dobosz ( USMB 5858 /25061); 1♀, 31 Jul 2021, Didi Ateni 41°53′57″N 44°5′32″E, 760 m, 9 km S of Gori , at light, leg. R. Dobosz ( USMB 5858 /25062) .

ZIN: Azerbaijan: 1♂, 19 Jul 1923, Aresh [Khaldan] env., Elizavetpol [Ganja] distr., leg. L. Bianki.

Turkmenistan: 1♀, 08 Jul 1974, Kopet – Dagh, Kara – Kala env., leg. V. Gorbotovskyi. Uzbekistan: 1♀, 1909, Kxodzhent [Khodjeyli] distr., Golodnaya step, leg. Shavrov.

Distribution: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan. Irano-Turanian species, which adapted to the aridization during the Oligocene and has survived as a relict in the mountains of the Caucasus and Central Asia ( Krivokhatsky 2011).

Comments: The holotype was formerly located in the Zoological Museum of the University of Moscow, but it was later transferred by Zakharenko to the collection of ZIN ( Krivokhatsky 1998), where it remains to this day. When checking the holotype specimen, we found that it was damaged—the antennae and left hindwing were missing. A hindwing of Cueta sp. had been mistakenly glued to the type specimen ( Fig. 3 ) .

The type locality belonged to the former Russian Empire at the beginning of the 20 th century and later to the Soviet Union, but this site is now in Uzbekistan. When the species was described by Zakharenko (1990), only the male holotype was known. Since then, some additional material— two males and three females —have been collected in Georgia ( Dobosz et al. 2017), and additional single specimens have been unearthed in museum collections in Azerbaijan (SCM, ZIN), Iran (NHMW), Uzbekistan (ZIN) and Turkmenistan (HNHM, ZIN). Because only a few specimens of N. maculatus are known, we here update the morphological features of this species.

Diagnosis: Medium-sized species, length of forewing: 25–29 and hindwing: 24–28 mm. Antenna with yellow scape and pedicel. Flagellar segments pale brown with short dense and black setae, club yellow, covered with short dense and black setae. Characteristic pattern in forewing as in Figs. 3 and 4 . Thorax with brownish-white spots with distinctive dorsal bright cream-beige line. Sides also with a few yellow spots and lines. Femur about as long as tibiae in fore leg. Mid- and hind leg femora slightly shorter than tibiae. Tarsal segment 1 is longer than segments 2–4 combined, which are as long as or slightly shorter than segment 5. Tibial spurs clearly longer than tarsal segment 1 in hind leg, often extending beyond half-length of tarsal segment 2 ( Fig. 4b ). Tarsal claws opposable. Male abdomen considerably longer than wings ( Fig.4 ) and than in females.Abdomen generally brown, tergites with yellowish spots on lateral side. Male genitalia as in N. anatolicus , and ectoproct without elongate postventral processus ( Fig. 4a ).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Holotype of Nedroledon maculatus Zakharenko, 1990 in coll. ZIN (Photo: Roland Dobosz)

FIGURE 4. Nedroledon maculatus male from Pantishara NP, Georgia (in coll. USMB): a—ectoptroct, lateral view, b—tibial spurs on hind leg (Photo: Adam Larysz)