Creoleon lugdunensis (Villers, 1789)

Badano, Davide & Pantaleoni, Roberto Antonio, 2014, The larvae of European Myrmeleontidae (Neuroptera), Zootaxa 3762 (1), pp. 1-71 : 19-22

Creoleon lugdunensis (Villers, 1789)

( Figs. 1E , 3D , 4D , 10 )

The larva of this species was described and illustrated by Steffan (1965, 1975).

Examined specimens. Italy. Campania, 9 L3 laboratory-reared from a female collected at Boscotrecase ( Napoli ), VI.2010 (C. Labriola) ; 5 L3 laboratory-reared from a female collected in the same locality, VI.2011 .

Sicily, 2 L3 laboratory-reared from a female collected at Mazara del Vallo (Trapani), Gorghi Tondi , Mediterranean shrubland, IX.2010 ( R. A. Pantaleoni) .

Description of 3 rd instar larva. Size (based on 16 specimens): BL 9.85 mm; HL 2.58 mm (2.39–2.73), HW 2.17 mm (2.13–2.28), ML 1.90 mm (1.76–2.05), HW/HL 0.84, ML/HL 0.74. General colouring brown with darker markings, ventral side paler with a dark pattern; head capsule brown with dark markings on the sides, ventral side with darker median areas; mandibles dark brown with blackish apex; legs pale; setae of the body black. Head longer than wide; mandibles noticeably robust, shorter than the head capsule ( Fig. 10a ); basal tooth closer to the median tooth and half of its size; interdental mandibular setae: (~4)(0–1)(1)(0); short setae are present on the external margin of the mandible. Pronotum covered by short setae ( Figs. 4D , 10b ); mesothoracic setiferous processes sub-pedunculated ( Fig. 10c ). Mesothoracic and abdominal spiracles brown, mesothoracic spiracle on a stout tubercle ( Fig. 10d ). VIII abdominal sternite with odontoid processes; IX sternite ventrally equipped with few digging setae, rastra well developed, each bearing 4 digging setae longer externally ( Figs. 3D , 10e ).

Bio-ecology. C. lugdunensis colonizes xeric grasslands and meadows, as it is favored by the presence of sandlike substratum, thus it is often common on back dunes or fossil dunes. The larvae prefer exposed conditions, often buried among herbaceous vegetation and far from trees.

Distribution. Western Mediterranean species distributed in western Europe and North Africa.

Remarks. The European species of the genus Creoleon need to be revised. The status of the Thyrrenian endemism C. corsicus (Hagen, 1860) is unclear, as well the status of the populations of South Iberia with spotted wings attributed in the past to C. submaculosus (Rambur, 1842) and C. v-nigrum (Rambur, 1842) . For this reason, all the specimens studied are from the Thyrrenic coast of Italy and Sicily (typical C. lugdunensis ). The only other member of the genus whose larvae are known is the eastern species C. plumbeus , although the existing descriptions ( Willmann 1977; Krivokhatsky 2011) are not adequate to differentiate it from C. lugdunensis . The larvae of C. lugdunensis are recognizable from other genera of Nemoleontini thanks to the stocky mandibles, noticeably shorter than the head capsule.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Taxonomic characters of larvae of Myrmeleontidae. A, Euroleon nostras dorsal and ventral views; B, head of Myrmeleon inconspicuus; C, head of Macronemurus appendiculatus; D, IX and VIII sternite of Myrmecaelurus trigrammus; E, IX and VIII sternite of Creoleon lugdunensis.

FIGURE 3. IX and VIII abdominal sternite of 3rd instar larva of Dendroleontini and Nemoleontini. A, Dendroleon pantherinus; B, Nemoleon notatus; C, Distoleon tetragrammicus; D, Creoleon lugdunensis; E, Neuroleon assimilis; F, Macronemurus appendiculatus; G, Megistopus lucasi; H, Gymnocnemia variegata. Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIGURE 4. Pronotum of 3rd instar larvae of Dendroleontini and Nemoleontini; A, Dendroleon pantherinus; B, Nemoleon notatus; C, Distoleon tetragrammicus; D, Creoleon lugdunensis; E, Neuroleon nemausiensis; F, Macronemurus appendiculatus; G, Megistopus lucasi; H, Gymnocnemia variegata. Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIGURE 10. Creoleon lugdunensis (Villers, 1789), 3rd instar larva (Italy: Campania, Boscotrecase). dorsal (above), ventral (middle) and lateral (below) view; a–e: diagnostic characters, see species description.