Libelloides sibiricus ( Eversmann, 1850 )

Kim, Jiseung, Ahn, Neung-Ho & Kim, Sora, 2025, A taxonomic review of the family Myrmeleontidae Latreille (Neuroptera, Myrmeleontiformia) from the Korean peninsula, highlighting the conservation value of this family, ZooKeys 1262, pp. 97-174 : 97-174

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1262.163194
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:432F41EC-E4E2-4D90-B1DA-23027FBCCF62
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17822003
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/224871AD-8860-52FD-A6D2-0D7144BFC811
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Libelloides sibiricus ( Eversmann, 1850 )
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Libelloides sibiricus ( Eversmann, 1850)

Figs 27 View Figure 27 , 28 View Figure 28 , 29 B View Figure 29 , 33 A View Figure 33 , 34 A View Figure 34 , 35 J View Figure 35 , 36 H View Figure 36 , 37 G View Figure 37

Ascalaphus sibiricus Eversmann, 1850: 279. Type locality: Russia: eastern Siberia: near Kyakhta View in CoL

Ascalaphus radians Gerstaecker, 1885: 8. Type locality: Russia: Amur. View in CoL

Ascalaphus sibiricus var. niveus Navás, 1929: 33. Type locality: Russia: “ Borochojewa, Transbaikal ”. View in CoL

Libelloides sibiricus ( Eversmann, 1850): Tjeder 1972: 153. View in CoL

Specimens examined.

[ JBNU] • 2 ♂, Seolgye-ri , Yeongdong-eup, Yeongdong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea, 17. IV. 2021, J. S. Kim ; • 1 ♂ 3 ♀, Changwon-ri , Nam-myeon, Yeongwol-gun, Gangwon-do, Korea, 18. V. 2024, M. K. Jeong ; 1 larva (3 rd instar), Seolgye-ri , Yeongdong-eup, Yeongdong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea, 21. II. 2022, J. S. Kim ; • 2 larvae (1 st instar), Yulji-ri , Susan-myeon, Jecheon-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, 25. V. 2025, J. S. Kim .

Diagnosis.

Frons is black and densely covered with long yellowish brown hairs. Pronotum is narrow, considerably shorter than its width, black, with transverse yellow stripe. Hindwing is pale brown at the distal part. Hindwing has dark brown stripes along crossveins M and CuP, and the area between them is yellow. In larvae, head capsule is dark brown with some yellow markings and has a darker anterior portion. On the dorsal side, each abdominal tergite has a dark brown V-shaped marking, and a pair of setal tufts is located along it.

Description.

Male, adult. Head (Fig. 27 B, C View Figure 27 ). Vertex slightly narrow, slightly depressed, black, densely covered with long black hairs. Frons black, densely covered with long yellowish brown hairs; clypeus black, moderately covered with brown hairs. Eye with a transverse furrow. Antenna dark brown, considerably long, with strongly defined club; flagellum comprising ~ 40 flagellomeres. Mouthparts black; labrum black, with brown hairs; maxillary palpus black; labial palpus black.

Thorax (Fig. 27 B View Figure 27 ). Pronotum narrow, considerably shorter than width, black, with transverse yellow stripe, moderately covered with long black hairs. Mesonotum and metanotum generally black, with some small yellow markings; moderately covered with long black hairs.

Wing (Fig. 27 A View Figure 27 ). With yellow and dark brown markings. Forewings membrane mostly transparent, basal quarter yellow; veins and crossveins mostly brown; presectoral area with 6–9 crossveins; Cu with five or six rows of cells; pterostigma dark brown. Hindwings shorter and broader than forewings; membrane shaded with yellow and dark brown; veins and crossveins dark brown and yellowish white; presectoral area with 5–8 crossveins and some cells; Cu with five or six rows of cells; pterostigma dark brown.

Legs. Coxae black, densely covered with long black hairs. Femora generally black, distally yellow, moderately covered with long black and yellowish white hairs. Tibiae generally yellow, distally black, covered with sparse black setae. Tibial spurs black, short, slightly curved, approximately as long as tarsomere 1. Tarsi black, tarsomere 5 approximately as long as combined lengths of tarsomeres 1–4. Claws black.

Abdomen (Fig. 27 A View Figure 27 ). Shorter than hindwing, black, densely covered with long black hairs.

Genitalia (Fig. 27 D, E, H – K View Figure 27 ). Ectoproct elongated, forcipate, covered with long black setae. Sternite IX broad, covered with long black setae. Gonarcus brown, arched, with lateral arm. Mediuncus brown, oval in dorsal view. Parameres well sclerotized, dark brown, strongly hooked in lateral view. Pulvinus symmetrical, attached to gonarcus, covered with long black setae.

Size. BL: 19.8–24.4 mm; FWL: 19.4–24.1 mm; HWL: 17.6–20.2 mm.

Female, adult. Except terminalia, generally similar to male. Terminalia (Fig. 27 F, G View Figure 27 ): tergite IX narrow, rectangular in lateral view; ectoproct rectangular in lateral view; distivalvae circular in lateral view, smaller than ectoproct; ventrovalvae rectangular in ventral view; interdens absent.

Size. BL: 20.3–23.4 mm; FWL: 27.4–29.5 mm; HWL: 23.3–26.0 mm.

Larva, 3 rd instar. General color yellowish brown, with dark brown markings (Fig. 28 A – C View Figure 28 ). Head quadrate, shorter than wide; dorsal side of the head capsule dark brown with some yellow markings, with a darker anterior portion; mandibles dark brown, covered with short black setae; interdental pseudo teeth (6–7) (2–3) (1) (Fig. 28 D, E View Figure 28 ). Each abdominal tergite with a dark brown V-shaped marking on the dorsal side; a pair of setal tufts located along the marking (Fig. 28 A View Figure 28 ). Abdominal sternite VIII with a pair of brown spots in correspondence of the odontoid processes; abdominal sternite IX triangular, with yellow marking on anterior margin (Fig. 28 F View Figure 28 ).

Size. BL: 14.3 mm; HL: 2.9 mm, HW: 3.2 mm, ML: 3.7 mm.

Biological notes.

Libelloides sibiricus inhabits inland grasslands and is particularly common on rocky hills and in calcareous grasslands (Fig. 37 G View Figure 37 ). Adults mainly emerge from April to May in South Korea. They are diurnal and can be observed flying actively or resting on grass stems during the daytime (Fig. 33 A View Figure 33 ). More than 20 eggs are laid on substrates like dry grass stems in grasslands (Fig. 29 B View Figure 29 ). At the oviposition site, hatched larvae can be found clustered together or scattered nearby (Fig. 34 A View Figure 34 ). The larvae are ambush hunters with only one specimen collected from under a rock on a rocky hill (Fig. 36 H View Figure 36 ).

Distribution.

Korea, China, Russia ( Wang et al. 2018).

Remarks.

van der Weele (1909) reported specimens collected from Wonsan-si (Gangwon-do, North Korea) identified as Libelloides sibiricus . Based on morphological differences between specimens from China, he also described Libelloides sibiricus chinensis ( van der Weele, 1909) as a new subspecies. A variation in which the yellow parts of the wings are white is known from Russia ( van der Weele, 1909), but this variation has not been observed in Korea.