Ameropterus Esben-Petersen, 1922

Ardila-Camacho, Adrian, Noriega, Jorge Ari & Acevedo-Ramos, Fernando, 2019, New genera records of split-eyed owlflies (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae: Ascalaphinae) from Colombia, Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia (Pap. Avulsos Zool., S. Paulo) 59, pp. 1-18 : 5

Genus Ameropterus Esben-Petersen, 1922

Colobopterus Rambur, 1842: 360 . Type species:

Colobopterus leptocerus Rambur, 1842: 361 . Ameropterus Esben-Petersen, 1922: 10 : 621.

Ameropterus is a Neotropical genus with 21 species distributed from Mexico to Argentina ( Penny, 2002) ( Table 1). The validity of the genus has been questioned since some of their diagnostic traits are overlapped with those of a Nearctic Ululodes species ( Penny, 2002) . In the recent phylogenetic analysis of Machado et al. (2019), the genus was recovered as paraphyletic.The group is distinguished by having wings elongated and narrow, sometimes with axillary angle of forewing moderately developed, and a distinct concavity on posterior wing margin plus an anal lobe on the hind wing. Antennal length is variable depending on the species, reaching laterally to level of forewing pterostigma or being longer than forewing.CuA (CuP sensu Penny,2002)of hind wing is straight, whereas MA and MP are subparallel ( Penny, 1981a, 2002). Male ectoproct is unmodified, lacking ventral clasper-like projections as in Ululodes ( Shetlar, 1977) . The genus has not been never reported in Colombia, but most of the species are known from neighboring countries. Species identification can be made with certain reliability following the works of Van der Weele (1909) and Penny (1981b). Heckman (2017) proposed a taxonomic key based on the works of Penny (1981a, b, 2002) and on the original descriptions and keys of Navás (1912a, 1919, 1932).