Afroptera aequabilis ( Tjeder, 1967 ) Abdalla & Mansell & Sole, 2019

Abdalla, Ishtiag H., Mansell, Mervyn W. & Sole, Catherine L., 2019, Revision of the southern African genera Nemopterella Banks and Nemia Navás (Neuroptera: Nemopteridae: Nemopterinae), with descriptions of new genera and species, Zootaxa 4635 (1), pp. 1-89 : 30

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4635.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E1AC3BD4-6FCB-49F9-8069-624760C2CAF7
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03DBDF51-A744-FFAD-FF0D-FEF435525941
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Afroptera aequabilis ( Tjeder, 1967 )
status	comb. nov.

Treatment

Afroptera aequabilis ( Tjeder, 1967) comb. nov.

( Figs 65 View FIGURES 56–66 , 103 View FIGURES 102–105 , 107 View FIGURES 107–110 , 117 View FIGURES 115–122 , 153 View FIGURES 153–154 )

Synonymy

Nemopterella aequabilis Tjeder, 1967: 483 View in CoL .

Etymology. Unknown.

Type locality. SOUTH AFRICA, Northern Cape Province. Prieska , 17 miles north, 29°25’15’’S 22°48’06’’E GoogleMaps .

Type depository. TMSA .

Diagnosis. This species is most closely related to A. apicalis . Both species are small with a narrow rounded apex to forewing ( Figs 117, 120 View FIGURES 115–122 ). Afroptera aequabilis can be distinguished from A. apicalis by the following characteristics: A. aequabilis is characterised by having pale brownish antennae while the antennae in A. apicalis are whitish yellow; A. aequabilis has black hairs on the prescutum disc ( Fig. 103 View FIGURES 102–105 ) while in A. apicalis the prescutum disc is covered by white hairs ( Fig. 105 View FIGURES 102–105 ); A. aequabilis is characterised by having the dark area of the hind wing as long as white apical area ( Fig. 107 View FIGURES 107–110 ), while in A. apicalis the dark area is shorter than the white ( Fig. 110 View FIGURES 107–110 ).

Size (mm). Male: body length 10.3 (8.9–10.7); forewing 20.9 (18.2–22); hind wing 46.1 (36–48); antenna 14.4 (12–18.8). Female: body length 10.8 (9.4–11.3); forewing 20.3 (17–22); hind wing 43.4 (36–46); antenna 13.6 (10.4–14.9). (N = 46)

Type material examined. SOUTH AFRICA, Northern Cape Province. Holotype ♂, TMSA02057 View Materials , HOLO- TYPE, Neu 062, Nemopterella aequabilis Tjeder (red, printed) / Prieska 17 m North of [29°25’15’’S 22°48’06’’E], 7–8.x.1954, A.J.T.Janse (white, printed) GoogleMaps / Holotypus ♂, Nemopterella aequabilis Tjed, Bo Tjeder 1966 (red–hand-written). Paratype s: 19♀, same data as holotype GoogleMaps ; 4♀, TMSA02058 View Materials , Niekerkshoop [29°19’37’’S 22°50’13’’E], 18.x.1955, H.K.Munro (white, printed) GoogleMaps / Paratypus Nemopterella aequabilis Tjed 1966 ’ (red, handwritten). ( All TMSA) .

Other material examined. SOUTH AFRICA, Northern Cape Province: 4♂ 19♀, TMSA02057 View Materials , Prieska 17 m north of [29°25’15’’S 22°48’06’’E], 7.viii.1954, A.J.T.Janse / Det. M.W.Mansell 2013. ( TMSA) GoogleMaps .

Distribution and habitat. Afroptera aequabilis is known only from the Nama Karoo Biome in the Northern Cape Province ( Fig. 153 View FIGURES 153–154 ). The distribution falls mainly within the Lower Gariep Broken Veld and Northern Upper Karoo vegetation units in Bushmanland and Upper Karoo Bioregions, respectively ( Mucina & Rutherford 2006). The description of the habitat in the former vegetation unit is given under the distribution of S. arenaria . The habitat in the latter vegetation unit is in a flat area with sparse hills, vegetated mostly by dwarf karoo shrubs, grasses and Acacia mellifera sub sp. detinens with some low trees in the north and towards the Orange River ( Mucina & Rutherford 2006).