Purenleon tibialis Miller and Stange, 2014

Miller, Robert B. & Stange, Lionel A., 2014, A revision of the genus Purenleon Stange (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae: Nemoleontini), Insecta Mundi 2014 (384), pp. 1-67 : 22-23

Purenleon tibialis Miller and Stange , new species

Figures 37–41

Holotype male, Cumaral , Meta, Colombia, 20.I.1959, Walz ( FSCA).

Diagnosis. Pronotum with several elongate white bristles at lateral margin; paramere very large, nearly rectangular plate with weak scallop-like sculpture; female sternite VIII with short lobe (broader than long) laterally on posterior margin.

Holotype male. Length of body 24 mm; forewing and hindwing length 27 mm. Coloration: pronotum dorsally with broad submedial stripe, mostly dark brown laterally, pale brown area with several dark brown areas; pterothorax similar in pattern, mostly dark brown laterally and medially, submedian pale brown area with long brown stripe; scutelli dark brown with median pale brown line; forefemur and midfemur brown, hindtibia pale brown; foretibia and midtibia mostly dark brown, hindtibia mostly pale brown with several dark brown spots at setal bases and dark brown apex; tarsi mostly pale brown with dark brown apex, especially the basal tarsomere forewing suffusion limited, small dark brown spot near posterior margin where posterior fork of CuA reaches posterior vein, rhegmal dark brown area, dark brown area above stigma and scattered, minor dark brown spots in apical field. Chaetotaxy: pronotum with several elongate white bristles at lateral margin, at least subequal in length to those on forecoxa; forefemoral and midfemoral sense hair equal and long, about as long as tarsus and three fourths length of forefemur. Structure: pronotum about as long at midline as wide; legs short, hind leg longer than others; tibial spurs extending to apex of tarsomere IV; forewing and hindwing same length; forewing costal area moderately broadened at base, costal cells higher than wide at middle, not interconnected by crossveins; forewing vein CuP+1A running to hind margin at level of origin of radial sector. male genitalia ( Fig. 40 ) with very broad, strongly arched gonarcus that is broadest at middle; paramere very large, nearly rectangular plate with weak scallop-like sculpture.

Female. Fig. 41 . About as described for male except female terminalia. Posterior margin of sternite VIII produced sublaterally as broad lobe; ectoproct with postventral lobe about as long as broad with long apical setae; posterior gonapophyses widely separated, about six times longer than median diameter, bowed, with many long setae as long or longer than gonaophysis; gonapophyseal plate elongate, more than six times longer than broad; lateral gonapophyses widely separated, about four times longer than wide with digging setae concentrated toward apex; pregenitale small, triangular, strongly sclerotized, apex of triangle tooth-like; spermatheca long tube (at least ten times longer than median diameter), widest at base, strongly bent apically, then weakly bent again at apex, length of apical segment about six times longer than greatest diameter.

Variation. Forewing and hindwing length 24–38 mm.

Types. 1 male, 3 females. January. COLOMBIA. Meta: Cumaral, 20.I.1959, Walz (1m, 3f, FSCA).

Discussion. Purenleon tibialis shares with P. fernandezis the greatly swollen midtibia. The presence of elongate white bristles at lateral margin is one distinguishing character from P. fernandezi . The male genitalia of P. tibialis is different from P. fernandezi as well as the small triangular pregenitale. The lateral lobe from the posterior margin of sternite VIII in the female is broader than long compared to the more elongate lobe of P. fernandezi .

Etymology. This species is named after the unusually enlarged midtibia.

Figures

Figures 37–41. Purenleon tibialis Miller and Stange, adult. 37) head and thorax; 38) lateral view; 39) wings; 40) male genitalia; 41) female terminalia, ventral view.