Neuroleon ochreatus (Navás, 1904)

Badano, Davide & Pantaleoni, Roberto Antonio, 2014, The larvae of European Myrmeleontidae (Neuroptera), Zootaxa 3762 (1), pp. 1-71 : 35

Neuroleon ochreatus (Navás, 1904)

The larva of this species was described for the first time by Auber (1956a), followed few years later by Steffan (1965) who also included it in identification keys ( Steffan 1971, 1975).

Examined specimens. France. Hérault , La Grande Motte, coastal sand dune, VII.2011 (D. Badano), 2 L3 laboratory-reared to adults .

Description of 3 rd instar larva. Size (based on Steffan 1965): BL 8.64–12.40 mm, HL 1.62–1.80 mm, HW 1.62–1.89 mm, ML 1.62–1.89 mm. General colouring very pale, whitish grey with a dark pattern; dorsal side of the head capsule mostly covered by a pair black markings extending on the sides, a smaller black marking stains the tentorial pits, clypeo-labrum and area of the ocular tubercles unmarked, ventral side of the head very pale with a darker area at the insertion of the mandibles; labial palpi dark brown; mandibles brown with a dark apex; legs pale; setae of the body mostly black. Head longer than wide; mandibles comparatively long, at least as the head capsule; interdental mandibular setae (+4)(1)(1)(0); sparse setae on the external margin of the mandible. Mesothoracic spiracles whitish. Abdominal spiracles whitish; IX abdominal sternite with two rastra equipped with 4 digging setae, internal seta less than a half the size of the others.

Bio-ecology. A poorly known species mainly reported from warm and xeric environments such as coastal sand dunes, internal sandy deposits and river banks.

Distribution. Western Mediterranean faunal element, known for the Iberian Peninsula, France and Italy.

Remarks. The larva of N. ochreatus is recognizable from the congeners for the whitish body colour, the large dark markings covering most of the dorsal side of the head and the whitish spiracles.