Neopanorpa latiseparata Bicha

Bicha, Wesley J., 2010, A review of the scorpionflies (Mecoptera) of Indochina with the description of a new species of Neopanorpa from Northern Thailand, Zootaxa 2480, pp. 61-67 : 62-65

Neopanorpa latiseparata Bicha , sp. n.

Figs. 1–7

Diagnosis. This new species is separable from all described Indochinese Neopanorpa by the narrow male hypovalves of equal thickness throughout their length, the wide, subquadrate separation of the male hypovalves, and the boldly marked wings.

Description

Material examined. Twenty males, two females in ethanol, subsequently pinned.

Dorsum of head entirely brownish-black. Ocelli amber; eyes plum to grey. Rostrum yellowish to orangebrown; labrum and mouthparts light brown except apex of maxillary palps dark brown. Antennae long, extending beyond stigma of forewing, with 43–46 flagellomeres; scape light yellowish brown, pedicel brown, flagellomeres brownish-black.

Pronotum brown to brownish-black, with 2 thick spines at each side of anterior margin. Mesonotum anterior half brownish-black to dark brown, remainder sordid white with broad brownish-black to dark brown medial stripe including scutellum. Mesonotum with broad brownish-black to dark brown median stripe, lateral portions sordid white. Pleural areas white to sordid white. Coxae and femura white to sordid white; tibiae light brown grading to brown apically; tarsi darker brown, terminal segment darkest; tarsal claws serrate with five dark brown teeth.

Wings ( Fig. 1 ) not seemingly iridescent, markings brown; most veins brown. Apical band in forewing broad, sometimes with a small clear spot near posterior proximal corner. Pterostigmal band entire, forked posteriorly. Marginal spot present. Basal band reduced to two spots in two-thirds of specimens, narrowed in remaining one-third of specimens. Posterior base of each forewing with approximately three setae.

Abdomen of male with terga 2–5 dark brown to brownish-black; corresponding sterna pale yellowish orange; pleural areas sordid white; posterior process of tergum 3 (notal organ) narrowly triangular, extending halfway or slightly farther across tergum 4, and short, slightly raised, setose ridge on tergum 4; segment 6 cylindrical, tapering slightly ventrally from anterior to posterior three-fourth, then expanding slightly, anterior two-thirds dark brown, posterior one-third yellowish orange; segments 7–8 subconical, expanding from anterior to posterior, yellowish orange, covered with fine, black, caudally directed hairs. Tergum 9 apical margin truncate; apex extended slightly around segment 10, cerci brown. Sternum 9 base width one-half length, apex width one-fourth length, bearing two hypovalves. Hypovalves narrow, equal width and consistency along length, without finger-like projections on mesal edge, dark brown, extending to base of dististyles, densely covered with fine black hairs. Gap between hypovalves broad, subquadrate ( Fig. 2 ). Basistyles fused basal four-fifths of length, elliptical with width three-fourths length, pale yellowish orange, apical margins truncate, brown. Basistyles, dististyles, and sternum 9 covered with fine yellowish-brown to black caudally directed hairs. Ventral valves of aedeagus conspicuous, long, extending to base of dististyles; dorsal valves approximately similar in size and shape as ventral valves; ventral parameres thin, short, straight, basal one-fifth convergent, apical four-fifths slightly divergent, low within genital bulb, tips free; lateral parameres pronounced, blade-like; dorsal parameres wide with mucronate tips ( Fig. 3 ). Outer margins of dististyles yellow-orange, inner and outer margins dark brown; basal lobe thick, blunt tooth-like projection dorsally, partially concealed in ventral aspect ( Fig. 4 ).

On abdomen of female terga 2–6 brownish-black; sterna sordid yellowish brown; segments 7–10 brownish-black; cerci black. Subgenital plate of sternum 8 oval, incised apically; lobes and lateral edges with long setae, remainder with shorter setae ( Fig. 5 ). Genital plate with axial portion short, wide; arms spatulate, thin, pale in apical half, thicker and darker basally, twisted near mid-length ( Fig. 6 ).

Measurements. Body length of holotype male approximately 10 mm; allotype female approximately 12 mm. Forewing length 11.5–13.5 mm.

Type Specimens. Holotype male, and 3 male paratypes, Thailand, Mae Hong Son Province, Pangma Pha viewpoint, 24 July 2009. Allotype female, Chiang Mai Province, Pa La, 6 August 2009. Additional paratypes: same location as holotype, 29 July 2009, 6 males; Mae Hong Son Province, near Nam Rim, 21 July 2009, 4 males; Mae Hong Son Province, creek bank off highway 1095 approximately 5 km east of Soppong, 22 July 2009, 5 males; Mae Hong Son Province, Ban Huay Pueng environs, 30 July 2009, 1 male, 1 female; Chiang Mai Province, Buek Toei Village environs, 2 August 2009, 1 male. Holotype and allotype deposited in the United States Natural History Museum, Washington, D.C. Paratypes deposited in the California Academy of Science, San Francisco, California, Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, Illinois, and collection of author.

Etymology. The specific epithet, latiseparata (feminine), is derived from the Latin adjective latus, meaning broad or wide + the Latin adjective separatus, meaning separated, and refers to the unique and widely-separated male hypovalves.

Taxonomic remarks. The insect is so superficially similar to N. siamensis , with which it coexists, that it appears impossible to differentiate the two in the field based on wing, head, or thorax markings. The narrow, widely-separated hypovalves of male N. latiseparata are readily discernible under magnification to allow immediate differentiation from the broad, overlapping hypovalves of male N. siamensis . Females of the two coexisting species initially appeared indistinguishable even under magnification. It was necessary to extract, amplify, sequence, and compare the COI gene fragments to associate female specimens with male specimens of each species with certainty. The one successfully sequenced female specimen, which did not match the paratype N. latiseparata , and is likely N. siamensis , possessed a narrow band on the forewing between M and Cu2 distally bounded by m-cu1 and cu1-cu2 on each forewing. These bands were lacking from the two successfully sequenced N. latiseparata female specimens. It cannot be ascertained from the limited series if this character is truly diagnostic. Only two of twelve other female specimens, which were not successfully sequenced, possessed these extra wing bands. Neopanorpa spp. of nearby Burma tend to have males with thin, narrowly-separated hypovalves and wings lacking markings, or males with broad, overlapping hypovalves and boldly-marked wings. At the holotype locality N. latiseparata was also observed to coexist with a third, less abundant species, N. harmandi ( Navás, 1908) , which could be immediately determined in the field by its nearly entire black wings. Neopanorpa latiseparata can be readily differentiated in the field from a fourth, northern and higher-elevation Thai species, N. byersi Webb and Penny, 1979 , which has thin, weakly-marked, iridescent wings.

Biology. Individuals of N. latiseparata were observed sitting with wings outstretched in a V on the tops of broad-leafed ground vegetation 0.5– 1 m high ( Fig. 7 ) in broken shade within either moist broadleaf forested slopes ( Fig. 8 ) or streamside forest at 600–900 m elevation. Diopsidae , Meloidae , and Ichneumonidae frequented the same habitat. Neopanorpa latiseparata was observed most abundantly 0900–1100 h, and less abundantly after 1300 h. The insect was sighted independent of weather conditions, seeming to be no less abundant when heavily overcast or during light rain. During peak sunlight hours of mid-afternoon individuals were observed more abundantly deep in moist, shaded ravines.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Neopanorpa latiseparata in field.

FIGURE 8. Habitat at Neopanorpa latiseparata holotype locality near Pangma Pha viewpoint, Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand.

FIGURES 1 – 6. Neopanorpa latiseparata. 1. Left forewing. 2. Male genital bulb, ventral aspect. 3. Male aedeagus, ventral aspect. 4. Male left dististyle, ventral aspect. 5. Female subgenital plate, ventral aspect. 6. Female genital plate, ventral aspect. Scale bars: Fig. 1: 2 mm, Figs. 2 – 6: 0.25 mm.