Ameromyia strigosa (Banks, 1909)

Tavares, Leon Gustavo de Miranda, Machado, Renato Jose Pires & Calor, Adolfo Ricardo, 2023, The Neotropical antlion genus Ameromyia Banks, 1913 (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae), systematics and redefinition under a phylogenetic approach, Arthropod Systematics & amp; Phylogeny 81, pp. 499-553 : 499

4.14. Ameromyia strigosa (Banks, 1909)

Figs 1A , 2A , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44

Brachynemurus strigosus Banks 1909: 2 [Lectotype male, Pedregal, Argentina, 15.i.1906 (MCZ)]. - Banks 1913: 228 [new combination = Ameromyia strigosa ].

Ameromyia strigosa (Banks). - Banks 1913: 228 [new combination = Ameromyia strigosa ]. - Navás 1917: 194 [new combination = Moza strigosa ]. - Navás 1923b: 22 [distribution as A. strigosa ]. - Navás 1926c: 326 [distribution]. - Navás 1926a: 107 [distribution]. - Stange 1961: 677 [lectotype designation]. - Stange 1967: 47 [distribution]. - Stange 1994:81 [species list]. - Stange 2004: 228 [species catalog]. - Oswald 2021 [species catalog].

= Ameromyia pentheri Navás 1914b: 52 [Holotype male, Santa Rita, Brazil, 1903, Exped. Penther (NHMW)]. - Penny 1977: 38 [species list, distribution]. - Stange 2004: 228 [species catalog]. - Oswald 2021 [species catalog]. - Machado and Martins 2022 [faunal catalog]. [NEW SYNONYMY].

= Ameromyia fidelis Navás 1915a: 463 [Holotype female, Chaco de Santa Fe, Las Garzas, Argentina (MNHN)]. - Navás 1915b: 10 [distribution]. - Navás: 1919: 296 [distribution]. - Navás 1920: 58 [distribution]. - Stange 1967: 47 [synonymy].

Distribution.

Argentina; Brazil; Bolivia; Chile; Paraguay (Fig. 12 ).

Diagnosis.

Dark and yellow coloration. Thorax setae all white. Profemur with decumbent setae all white. Wing veins with dashed dark brown and yellowish-brown pattern. Four to five obliquous streaks in forewing, around MA vein. Male ectoproct obliquus in relation to tergite IX.

Description.

Adult. Head: Antennae with 34 flagellomeres. Flagellomeres black, slightly lighter at antennae club, with yellow between segments. Vertex yellow, with dark latitudinal bands on anterior and middle rows, and dark spots on posterior row. Vertex decumbent setae all white, or black with white only on interantennal area. Frons yellow, with dark brown patches that can extend to interantennal area. Frons setae white. Interocular distance less than eye width. Clypeus yellow, sometimes with dark brown patches. Labrum yellow, with slightly darker ventral margin. Mandibles dark brown. Palpi yellow, slightly darker on external face of palpomeres. - Thorax: Thorax dark with yellow markings. Thorax dark on lateral view, with a faint longitudinal pale band under wings. Pronotum as broad as long, dark with two lateral and one medial longitudinal yellow stripe. Pronotum marginal setae white. Mesonotum dark, with yellowish-brown on notal junctures. Metanotum dark, with yellowish brown medially on metascutum. - Wings: Wing tip acute. Hind wing rarely falcate. Veins with dashed dark brown and pale yellow or white pattern. Wing membrane hyaline. Forewing with dark brown infuscations in wing membrane alternating around crossveins on presectorial and radial areas, and along crossveins on sectorial, mediocubital and rhegmal areas, forming five evident oblique streaks around MA vein. Forewing mediocubital area with dark infuscations around vertical crossveins which become sparser along MA vein, culminating on rhegmal area. Forewing CuP and hind wing CuA veins extending well before forewing CuA and hind wing MP fork respectively, with nine or more crossveins connecting them and posterior branch of fork. Pterostigma opaque, dark brown on basal half and white on apical half, encompassing six to seven crossveins. Cells delimited by transversal veins on hind wing higher than long. - Legs: Coxae dark. Femur and tibiae with black bristles. Femur dark on external face and light yellow on internal face. Profemur decumbent setae white. Meso and metafemur decumbent setae white and black. Profemural sense hair longer than profemur and mesofemural sense hair much shorter than mesofemur. Tibia light yellow with dark spots on setae insertion. Tibial spurs slightly shorter than pretarsal claws. Tarsomeres light yellow, with distal fourth dark brown. Pretarsal claws at least 1.5 times longer than basitarsus. - Abdomen: Abdomen sclerites black, sometimes with yellow on posterior margins. Abdomen with white setae, brown near terminalia. Male ectoproct obliquous in relation to tergite IX, with postventral lobe slightly elevated. Male paramere plates subtriangular on lateral view. Parameres hinge anterior projections not entirely covered by gonarcus. Gonarcus arch positioned not above parameres plates. Male genitalia clavate setae with globose club. - Larva. Larvae unknown.

Biology.

A live male specimen was observed in wild at Santa Rita de Cássia, Bahia state, Brazil. The location where the specimen was collected was at the Cerrado biome, with dry vegetation and hard, compacted soil. This specimen hovered in the air almost two meters above the ground.

Remarks.

This species, previously restricted to Chile, Paraguay and Argentina, is now registered for the first time to Bolivia. It is also now recorded to Brazil, as Ameromyia pentheri is hereby proposed as a synonym of A. strigosa . The holotype of A. pentheri (Fig. 41A-C ) seems to be a teneral specimen and is devoid of coloration, which is problematic for identifying Ameromyia specimens. It also has lost its terminalia. However, the holotype chaetotaxy agrees with A. strigosa , as it bears only white setae on frons, thorax and profemur. Ameromyia strigosa distribution, though, was previously restricted to southern South America, with no records from Brazil, and the only brazilian specimens identified previously to the synonymy were from Mato Grosso do Sul state, which borders Bolivia and therefore are very close to A. strigosa previous distributional range. The locality on A. pentheri holotype label only stated it was from "Santa Rita" in Brazil, which relates to more than a dozen municipalities with the same name. Nevertheless, upon analyzing the course of the expedition that collected the type specimen (dubbed as "Penther expedition" by Navás), as detailed in Bohme (1996), it became clear that "Santa Rita" referred to the municipality of Santa Rita de Cássia, Bahia state, Brazil. To ascertain the occurrence of A. strigosa in Bahia, a field trip was made to that same locality, which after three days resulted in a single collected male specimen that agrees with both A. pentheri and A. strigosa type specimens (Fig. 42A ). A female specimen that agrees with both A. strigosa lectotype and the male specimen found at Santa Rita de Cassia, was located at the MZFS collection, also collected from Bahia state, Brazil (Fig. 42B ).

The type specimen of A. fidelis was not analyzed in this current work, but the original description greatly fits that of A. strigosa , and therefore we chose to maintain the synonymy proposed by Stange (1967). Regarding the combination Moza strigosa by Navás (1917), although this combination was never officially undone, it seems that the author himself disregarded his nomenclatural changes as he kept referring to this species as A. strigosa in all of his following publications.

Ameromyia strigosa is very distinctive as it bears four to five oblique markings along MA vein in the forewing (Figs 1A , 43C , 44A ). Also, frons (Figs 2A , 41D ) and leg short decumbent setae (Figs 2A , 41B, C , 43B ) are almost all white, and body coloration is black and yellow or yellowish-brown (Figs 1A , 42 ). The only other species that looks somewhat similar is A. muralli , which can also show some yellowish-brown coloration. Some A. strigosa specimens bear a falcate hind wing (Fig. 44B ), which makes them even more similar to A. muralli , but the latter lacks all other aforementioned diagnostic characters for A. strigosa .

Examined material.

(59♀ 27♂) ARGENTINA • 1♀; Rio Negro, Cipoletti; 20.i.1960; Bought by F.H.Walz; CASC • 3♀; Rio Negro, Cipoletti; 23.i.1960; Bought by F.H.Walz; CASC • 1♀; same collection data as for preceding; 30.i.1960 • 1♀ [misidentified as a male]; Salta, Yacochuya; 22.i.69; A. Willnk; FML. - CATAMARCA • 1♂; 6km N Belen; 1-15.i.1969; 1240m; Malaise; Willinsk, Teran, Stange; FSCA • 2♀; 3km N Belén; 5.xii.1970; C. Porter, L. Stange; FSCA • 1♂; 13km R. Belen; 6.x.1971; C.Porter, L.Stange; FSCA • 1♀; Andalgalá, 30kms Kacia Belén; 11.x.1968; A. Willink and L. Stange; FSCA • 1♀; Andalgalá, 12km O de Andalgalá; 28.iii.2005; c/Luz; J. Torréns y P.Fidalgo; FSCA • 1♀; Ruta 46, 12km O de Andalgalá; 28.iii.2005; c/Luz; J. Torrens y P. Fidalgo; FSCA. - CHACO • 1♀; Nanava; 25.xi.1927; A. Pride; BMNH. - CHUBUT • 1♀; Pto. Piramides, P.Valdez; 17.i.1968; L.A.Stange; FSCA. - FORMOSA • 1♀; Ingeniero Juarez; 27.i.1949; R.Golbach; FSCA. - LA PAMPA • 1♀; Sierra Lihuel Calelel; 11.i.1968; L.A.Stange; FSCA • 1♀; Lihuel Calel; 12.i.1977; L.A.Stange; FSCA. - LA RIOJA • 1♀; 5km S de Udpinango; 16.ii.2006; c/Luz; P.Diez y P.Fidalgo; FSCA • 1♂; 5km S de Udpinango; 20.ii.2006; c/Luz; Gonzalo Fidalgo; FSCA • 1♀; 7km N Santa Teresita; 18.ii.2006; c/Luz; G. y P. Fidalgo; FSCA • 1♂; Aimogasta, Huaco-Agro; 18.iii.2006; C.Porter; FSCA • 1♀ 2♂; Chilecito; 10.ii.1966; L.A.Stange; FSCA • 2♀; Chuquia; 6.xii.2003; 1500m; At light; L.A. Stange; FSCA • 1♀; El Barrial, 7km ca El Barrial; 21.ii.2006; c/Luz; Torréns-G.Fidalgo y P.Diez; FSCA • 1♂; Famatima; 23.xi.1975; L.A.Stange; FSCA • 1♀; Patquia; xii.1932 - i.1933; K.J. Hayward; BMNH • 1♀; Patquia; x.1932; K.J.Hayward; BMNH • 2♂; Ruta 7 ca El Barrial; 17.ii.2006; c/Luz; Torrens-Fidalgo; FSCA • 4♀; Santa Teresita; 18.ii.2006; c/Luz; G. y P.Fidalgo, J. Torréns; FSCA • 1♀; Santa Teresita; 19.ii.2005; Noche c/luz; G. y P.Fidalgo, J. Torréns; FSCA • 2♀; Sta Teresita; 7km N Santa Teresita; 18.ii.2006; c/Luz; G. y P. Fidalgo; FSCA • 1♀ 1♂; Termas de Santa Teresita; 15.xii.2004; Malaise; C.Porter, L. Stange; FSCA. - MENDOZA • 1♀; Agrelo; 23.ii.1966; FSCA • 1♂; Mendoza; 22.ii.1966; L.A. Stange; FSCA • 1♂; San Rafael; 6.xii.1983 - 07.xii.1980; Luis E. Pena; INPA. - NEUQUEN • 8♀ 4♂; Bardas de Senillosa; 18.xi.1970; M. Gentili; FSCA • 1♀; Neuquen, Al centro; 2.xii.1970; M.Gentili; FSCA. - RIO NEGRO • 5♀; San Antonio Oeste; 14.i.1968; J. and L.A.Stange; FSCA • 1♂; Cipoletti; 20.i.1960; FSCA • 1♂; Cipoletti; 30.i.1960; FSCA • 1♂; La Marque; 4.iii.1958; M.A.Fritz; FSCA • 1♀; General Roca; i.1980; N. Papavero; MZUSP • 1♀; Villa Regina; xii.1962; FSCA • 1♂; Villa Regino; xii.1963; FSCA - SALTA • 1♂; Coronel Olleros; 1.ii.1970; M.Coria; FSCA - SAN JUAN • 1♀; 20km N Calingaster; 13.ii.1966; L.A.Stange; FSCA - SAN LUIS • 1♂; Alto Pencosa; 6.ii.1951; Ross and Michelbacher; FSCA. - SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO • 1♀; Los Tigres; 11-16.i.1970; R. Golbach; FSCA • 1♂; Termas de Rio Hondo; 18-19.iv.1970; C.Porter, L.Stange; FSCA • 1♀; Choya; 3.xi.1961; F.H.Walz; FSCA • El Pinto; xi.1956; F.H.Walz; (1♂ - FSCA • 1♀; same collection data as for preceding. - TUCUMAN • 1♂; Amaicha del Vale; 7.i.1968; Colbach, Terán, Willink; FSCA - BOLIVIA - CAMARGO • 1♀; 21.i.1967; 2400m; W. Wegrauth; FSCA - CHUGUISACA" [sic] • 1♀; “Carandaity” [sic], 80km S.E. Carandayti; ix.1957; Stephen C. Bremley; FSCA. - SANTA CRUZ • 1♀; Camiri, Bridge 20km S. Camiri; 1.iii.1999; 20°10.569′S 63°25.733′W; L.A. Stange; FSCA. - BRAZIL - BAHIA • 1♀; Raso da Catarina, Vizinhanças do alojamento da ESEC; 55.84767 89.31611; 06.xi.2005; Lopes, P.P.; MZFS • 1♂; Santa Rita de Cássia, A.P.A. Rio Preto; 05.vi.2019; Rede entomológica; Calor, A.R., Tavares, L.; UFBA. - MATO GROSSO do SUL • 2♀; Porto Murtinho, Fazenda Campo Florido; 21°38′20.12″S 57°42′20.33″W; 10-15.xii.2013; Malaise pequena; Lamas e eq. Col.; DZUP. - CHILE • 1♂; Rees; BMNH. - PARAGUAY - BOQUERON • 1♀; Estancia Iparoma, 19km N Filadelfia; 26.ix.1978; K.L. Anderson; FSCA. - PARAGUARY • 1♀; Sapucay; 1903; W. Foster; BMNH.

Figures

Figure 1. Live specimens of Ameromyia. A A. strigosa, Argentina, by Quentin Vandemoortele. B A. muralli, Brazil, by Eli Vieira Araujo-Jnr. C A. modesta, Surinam, by Tom Murray. D A. pubiventris, Brazil, by Carlos Jose Correia de Santana. E A. clepsydra sp. nov., Brazil. F A. explicata sp. nov., Brazil. Latter photographs by Leon Tavares.

Figure 2. Ameromyia specimen views: A A. strigosa, head and forelegs, frontal view. B A. guarica and C A. modesta, head and thorax, dorsal view.

Figure 12. South America map showing the current distributional records for Ameromyia species in the Ameromyia nigriventris species group.

Figure 41. Ameromyia pentheri and A. strigosa: A dorsal view and B lateral view of A. pentheri holotype, habitus. C Head and forelegs of A. pentheri holotype, frontal view. D Head and foreleg of A. strigosa lectotype, frontal view, photographed by Charles Farnum, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University.

Figure 42. Ameromyia strigosa specimens collected at Bahia state, Brazil: A male specimen from Santa Rita de Cassia municipality, habitus, dorsal view. B Female specimen from Raso da Catarina ecological region, dorsal view.

Figure 43. Ameromyia strigosa lectotype: A head, thorax and abdomen (broken), dorsal view. B Head, thorax and legs, lateral view. C Fore and hind wing. D Male terminalia, ventral view. E Type labels. F Detached abdomen, ventral view. Photographs by Charles Farnum, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. - Abbreviations: et, ectoproct; etl, ectoproct postventral lobe; st, sternite.

Figure 44. Ameromyia strigosa: A fore and hindwing, general shape and color. B Falcate hind wing variation. C Male terminalia. D Illustration of male genitalia, lateral view. - Abbreviations: cs, clavate setae; et, ectoproct; etl, ectoproct postventral lobe; go, gonarcus; hs, hinge setae; pah, paramere hinge; pap, paramere plate; pat, paramere tooth; st, sternite; tg, tergite.