Ameromyia tendinosa (Gerstaecker, 1893)

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

4.15. Ameromyia tendinosa (Gerstaecker, 1893)

Figs 3A , 5C , 6A , 7A , 45 , 46

Myrmeleon tendinosus Gerstaecker 1893: 139. [Lectotype male, São Paolo, Brasil, II 27449a [current designation], and 3 paralectotypes females, São Paolo, Brasil, II 27449b, II 27449c, II 27449d (EMAU)]. - Esben-Petersen 1920: 193 [ Myrmeleon tendinosus = Amazoleon pubiventris and Ameromyia nigriventris ].

Ameromyia tendinosa (Gerstaecker): Stange 1994: 81 [species list (as Ameromyia tendinosus )]. - Stange 2004: 229 [species catalog]. - Oswald 2021 [species catalog]. - Machado and Martins 2022 [faunal catalog].

Distribution.

Brazil (Fig. 12 ).

Diagnosis.

Wing veins CuP completely dark brown in contrast to other veins which have a dashed dark brown and pale brown pattern. Forewing cells in mediocubital area almost completely suffused until at least the middle of wing span.

Description.

Adult. Head: Antennae with 30-32 flagellomeres. Flagellomeres dark brown, except for the ones at the club, which are light brown dorsally or ventrally. Vertex light brown, with latitudinal dark brown streaks in anterior and middle row, or completely dark brown with faint light brown laterally. Vertex decumbent setae black. Interantennal area dark brown. Frons light brown, frequently with dark brown patches centrally, or entirely dark brown, light brown near clypeus. Frons setae black. Interocular distance less than eye width. Clypeus light brown brown with dark brown patches. Labrum light brown brown. Mandibles light brown on basal half, and dark brown on apical half. Palpi light brown, with external face of palpomeres slightly darker. - Thorax: Thorax dark brown with few light brown markings. Thorax dark brown on lateral view, with an evident longitudinal pale brown band under wings. Pronotum as broad as long, dark brown, with light brown anteriorly and laterally. Pronotum marginal setae white, or dark brown. - Wings: Wing tip acute. Veins with dashed dark and pale brown pattern, except for forewing and hind wing veins CuP which are dark brown. Wing membrane hyaline, except for forewing mediocubital area which is almost completely dark brown infuscated until forewing apical third, and the rhegmal area which is faintly dark brown infuscated. Forewing and hind wing sometimes with a faint dark brown infuscation alongside gradates. Forewing CuP and hind wing CuA veins extending 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 distal half, encompassing six to seven crossveins. Cells delimited by transversal veins on hind wing posterior area higher than long. - Legs: Coxae dark brown. Legs internal face light brown and external face dark brown, with many dark brown spots on setal insertion, and on internal face in meso and metalegs. Femur and tibiae with black bristles. Femur decumbent setae white and black. Profemural sense hair longer than profemur and mesofemural sense hair much shorter than mesofemur. Tibial spurs slightly shorter than pretarsal claws. Tarsomeres light brown, with distal fourth dark brown. Pretarsal claws at least 1.5 times longer than basitarsus. - Abdomen: Abdomen sclerites dark brown, with light brown in posterior margin near the terminalia, with brown setae. Male paramere plates oblong on lateral view. Gonarcus arch positioned not above paramere plates on lateral view. Male genitalia clavate setae with globose club. - Larva. Larvae unknown.

Remarks.

The taxonomic background for this species is confusing. Decades after its original description by Gerstaecker, Esben-Petersen (1920) synonymizes this species (as Myrmeleon tendinosus ) under Amazoleon pubiventris along with Foya trapezia . In his words, M. tendinosus "is the same species" according to the type specimen. However, on the following paragraph the author also seemingly synonymizes it again, but under another species, A. nigriventris (along with A. hirsuta ). Years later, Stange (1967) cites Esben-Petersen nomenclatural decisions for A. tendinosa , but only regarding F. trapezia , and Penny (1977) does not mention A. tendinosa at all. It is only twenty-seven years later that A. tendinosa is mentioned again as a valid species ( Stange 1994).

This species is restricted to Brazil. The male paralectotype of A. nigriventris somewhat agrees with this species and can possibly be a specimen of A. tendinosa , which would expand this species distribution to the Amazon region including Colombia. Additionaly, three female specimens labeled as from Colombia were identified from the CASC collection. However, as A. nigriventris male paralectotype genitalia was not analyzed in the present work, and as this particular batch from where these Colombia female specimens come from (the ones labeled as "bought from F. H. Walz.") had some other label issues, we interpreted these Colombia records as dubious data.

Ameromyia tendinosa can be distinguished from other species in the Ameromyia nigriventris group by the dark forewing CuP and by the forewing mediocubital area which is completely suffused with dark brown infuscation from wing base at least to CuA fork (Figs 45 , 46A ). A. pleuralis , A. dimidiata and A. muralli shows the same suffusion on mediocubital area, but the first two species have pale forewing Sc and RA veins, and the latter shows a dashed forewing CuP with alternating coloration, as well as a falcate hindwing.

Examined material.

(5♀ 4♂) BRAZIL: MATO GROSSO • 1♀; Campo Novo do Parecis ; xii.1960; M. Alvarenga; FSCA • 1♂; Vera ; x.1973; Alv. and Roppa; MZFS . - MINAS GERAIS • 1♂ ; Campina Verde ; x.1962; M. Alvarenga; FSCA . - RONDÔNIA • 1♂ ; Vilhena , xi.1960, M. Alvarenga; FSCA . - SÃO PAULO • 1♀ 1♂ ; Pirassununga ; 24.i.1962; FSCA. - PROBABLE MISLABELS : COLOMBIA • 3♀ ; Cumaral ; 20.i.1959; Bought by F.H.Walz; CASC .

Figures

Figure 3. Ameromyia specimens, head, thorax and legs, lateral view: A A. tendinosa, photograph by Lara Lopardo (EMAU). B A. guarica. C A. explicata sp. nov. - Abbreviations: fe: femur external face; fi: femur internal face; fs: femoral sense hair; mep: mesepisternum; ptc: pretarsal claws.

Figure 5. Ameromyia forewing color patterns: A A. pubiventris. B A. explicata sp. nov. C A. tendinosa, photograph by Lara Lopardo. Legend indicates wing vein pattern with associated terminology.

Figure 6. Ameromyia forewing base: A A. tendinosa. B A. protensa. Photographs by Lara Lopardo (EMAU). Legend indicates Anal veins and its respective color guide. - Abbreviation: bc, basal crossvein.

Figure 7. Ameromyia male terminalia and genitalia chaetotaxy: A A. protensa lectotype male terminalia, lateral view, photograph by Lara Lopardo (EMAU). B A. explicata sp. nov., globose club of genitalic sac clavate setae. C A. guarica, same but club sickled. D A. clepsydra sp. nov., same, but club subglobose. - Abbreviations: et, ectoproct; etl, ectoproct postventral lobe.

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

Figure 45. Ameromyia tendinosa type series, habitus on dorsal view, with respective type labels: A male lectotype. B - D Female paralectotypes. Photographs by Lara Lopardo (EMAU).

Figure 46. Ameromyia tendinosa: A fore and hind wings, B head and thorax, dorsal view, C head, thorax and legs, lateral view and D male terminalia of lectotype. E illustration of male genitalia, lateral view. Photographs by Lara Lopardo (EMAU). - 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.