Haplosialis afra (Navás), Navas

Liu, Xingyue, Price, Benjamin W., Hayashi, Fumio, Moor, Ferdinand De & Yang, Ding, 2014, Revision of the Megaloptera (Insecta: Neuropterida) of Madagascar, Zootaxa 3796 (2), pp. 320-336 : 332-335

Haplosialis afra (Navás)

( Figs. 4–7 , 32–37 , 39 )

Protosialis afra Navás, 1936: 105 . Type locality: Madagascar (Périnet).

Diagnosis. This species is characterized by the generally orange head and pronotum with variable dark markings. The genitalia of this species is characteristic by the male ninth tergum with posterior margin distinctly produced medially in lateral view, the paired and widely apart male ectoproct with distal half strongly narrowed and elongated into a dorsally curved process, and the small and ovoid female eighth gonocoxite medially with a narrow longitudinal incision.

Description. Male. Body length 8.2–10.7 mm; forewing length 9.1–10.3 mm, hindwing length 7.9–9.3 mm (n = 5).

Head orange; frons sometimes pale brown, vertex with pale brown raised scars or almost entirely pale brown. Compound eyes blackish brown, strongly produced. Antennae brown, pilose. Mouthparts yellow; lateral portions of labrum and distal half of mandibles pale brown.

Thorax yellowish brown; pronotum orange to yellowish brown, laterally with a pair of brownish or dark brown vittae, which are sometimes reduced into scattered spots; meso- and metanota dark brown laterally. Legs yellow, but brownish on tibiae and tarsi, bearing dense brownish setae; tarsal claws yellowish brown. Wings ( Fig. 4 ) narrowly elliptical, yellowish brown to pale brown, hindwing slightly paler than forewing; veins pale brown. Forewing nearly 4.0 times as long as wide; 5–8 distinct costal crossveins proximally; sc-r present; Rs 2-branched, with anterior branch occasionally bifurcated; MA 2-branched; MP having two main branches, anterior branch simple, but sometimes bifurcated near wing margin, posterior branch 2-branched; CuA 2-branched; three crossveins between R and Rs. Hindwing slightly broader than forewing, about 3.0 times as long as wide; 2–5 distinct costal crossveins proximally; venation similar to forewing, MA having two simple main branches, with anterior branch sometimes bifurcated nearly wing margin.

Abdomen brown to blackish brown, ventrally much paler. Ninth tergum ( Fig. 32 ) transversely arched, nearly 3.0 times as wide as long in dorsal view, posterior margin distinctly produced medially in lateral view. Ninth sternum ( Fig. 33 ) nearly as long as ninth tergum, transversely wide. Ninth gonocoxite ( Figs. 32–34 ) narrowly elongated, posterior half ovoid, distinctly exceeding posterior margin of ninth tergum. Ectoproct ( Figs. 32, 34–35 ) paired, widely apart from each other, proximal half ovoid, distal half strongly narrowed and elongated into a dorsally curved process. Eleventh gonocoxite ( Figs. 32–35 ) strongly sclerotized, nearly as wide as ninth tergum, transversely arched, laterally tapering anteriorly, posteriorly with a pair of slender projections, which are directed dorsolaterally, with hook-like tip. Membrane between ninth sternum and eleventh gonocoxite distinctly protruding posteriad ( Fig. 34 ).

Female. Body length 11.2 mm; forewing length 11.7 mm, hindwing length 10.0 mm (n = 1).

Head orange, frons with a subtriangular brownish marking, vertex with a brownish midline, which is extending to frontal marking, forming a T-shaped pattern. Seventh sternum ( Figs. 36–37 ) broad, posterior margin distinctly produced into an acutely pointed median projection. Eighth gonocoxite ( Fig. 37 ) rather small, ovoid, medially with a narrow longitudinal incision; eighth gonapophyses ( Fig. 37 ) transversely acrched, setose on anterolateral portions. Ninth gonocoxite ( Fig. 36–37 ) semiovoid, distally with rather small gonostylus. Ectoproct ( Fig. 36 ) small, suboval, directed posteroventrad.

Materials examined. MADAGASCAR: 1♂, [Diana Region], Bas[sin]. Antongombato, Riv[er]. Makis, Loc[al]. Camp base WWF, 12°31′40″S, 49°10′09″E, 31.III.1995, A. Ralaiteferana & L. Blanc, St104-01/P0364 ( MCZL); 1♂, Bas[sin]. [Diana Region], Antongombato, Riv[er]. Makis, Loc[al]. 75 mètres en aval de P189, 12°31′38″S, 49°10′21″E, 31.III.1995, A. Ralaiteferana & L. Blanc, St104-03/P0363 ( MCZL); 1♂ 1♀, [Alaotra Mangoro Region], Bas[sin]. Rianila, Riv[er]. Aff. De Sahatandra, Loc[al]. Andasibe en Amont, 18°54′26″S, 48°24′07″E, 13.IV.1995, M. Sartori & L. Ruffieux, St17-23/P0374 ( MCZL); 2♂, [Alaotra Mangoro Region], Bas[sin]. Betsiboka, Riv[er]. Beharena, Loc[al]. Antaniditra, 18°25′43″S, 48°02′55″E, 16.XI.1996, J.M. Elouard, St02-80/P0660 ( MCZL).

Distribution. ( Fig. 39 ) Madagascar (Alaotra Mangoro, Diana).

Remarks. The types of H. afra , which were in MNHN are lost (Dr. J. Legrand, MNHN, personal communication). This species has intraspecific variation in the cephalic and prothoracic marking patterns as well as in the wing venations ( Figs. 5–7 ). In our examined specimens of H. afra , the head is entirely orange, mostly brown, or orange with lateral brown markings and a median brown marking from frons extending to vertex in different males, and the female head is most orange but with a T-shaped brown marking medially. The pronotum is orange with a pair of brown lateral vittae in two males and one female, but it is orange laterally with a few scattered brownish spots or mostly brown in remaining specimens. The anterior branch of forewing MP vein varies from simple to bifurcate among examined specimens. The hindwing MP vein mostly has two simple branch, but in one male its anterior branch is bifurcated distally. Notably, according to the original description of H. madegassa ( Navás 1927) , its cephalic and prothoracic marking patterns can be found in H. afra . Furthermore, although the forewing MP vein has two simple branches in H. madegassa based on its original description ( Navás 1927), this character may also be unstable among conspecific individuals. Therefore, we cannot eliminate the possibility that H. afra and H. madegassa are the same species.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Habitus image of Haplosialis afra (Navás). Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 5 – 7. Variation of cephalic and prothoracic marking patterns in Haplosialis afra. Scale bar = 1.0 mm. 5. Male, specimen code: St 104 - 03 / P 0363; 6. Male, specimen code: St 02 - 80 / P 0660; 7. Female, specimen code: St 17 - 23 / P 0374. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 32 – 37. Haplosialis afra (Navás). 32. Male genitalia, dorsal view; 33. Male genitalia, ventral view; 34. Male genitalia, lateral view; 35. Male genitalia, caudal view; 36. Female genitalia, lateral view; 37. Female genitalia, ventral view. S 7 & S 9: seventh and ninth sternum, T 7 - 10: seventh to ninth tergum, gp: eighth gonapophysis, gx 8 - 11: eighth to eleventh gonocoxite, gst 9: ninth gonostylus, e: ectoproct. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 38 – 39. Distribution maps of Megaloptera from Madagascar. 38. Madachauliodes species; 39 *. Haplosialis afra. Footnote: * The distribution, i. e. the type locality “ Condot ” of Haplosialis madegassa cannot be specifically located.