Purenleon bistictus (Hagen)

Miller, Robert B. & Stange, Lionel A., 2014, A revision of the genus Purenleon Stange (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae: Nemoleontini), Insecta Mundi 2014 (384), pp. 1-67 : 31-34

Purenleon bistictus (Hagen)

Figures 63–67 , 146–147

Myrmeleon bistictus Hagen 1861: 235 . Holotype, Cuba, Poey (not located)

= Psammoleon bictichus Wolcott 1950: 91 (subsequent misspelling)

Taxonomy. Navás 1921a: 117 (as Nelees ); Banks 1927: 61 (as Psammoleon ); Stange 2002: 286 (in Purenleon ).

Further description. Gundlach 1886: 201; Banks 1927: 61, Fig. 33 (female terminalia); Smith 1931: 815, Fig. 14 (wings); Alayo 1968: 67, Fig. 24 (wings), Plate V, Fig. 2 (head; nota); Plate VII, Fig. 1 (female terminalia); Miller and Stange 2011: 18, Fig. 15 (color photo adult).

Biology. Miller and Stange 2011: 19, Fig. 30, 31 (color photos larva).

Distribution. U.S.A. (Florida) ( Banks 1927: 62; Stange 1980: 3); Cayman Islands (Banks 1941c: 176; Kirby and Askew 1979: 125); Cuba ( Alayo 1968: 66); Haiti ( Smith 1931: 815); Mexico ( Stange 1970: 24); Puerto Rico ( Wolcott 1950: 91 )

Diagnosis. Length of body 25–29 mm, forewing length 28–32 mm, hindwing length 26 to 30 mm. Coloration: face pale brown with interantennal dark brown mark large, extending well below antennae and becomes sericeous above antennae; vertex markings black; antenna weakly annulated with brown; pronotum ( Fig. 63 ) dull black, sericeous, with pale brown median line and broader pale brown streaks on each side; rest of notum dull black with pale brown areas especially at middle; legs ( Fig. 64 ) predominantly black, forefemur pale brown in front, midfemur and hindfemur with pale band or spot beyond middle; tibiae pale brown at base and with pale brown spot or streak on outerside; tarsi mostly wholly black; abdomen dull black, sericeous, each dorsal tergite with long pale brown streak on either side, sometimes divided into two spots; wings ( Fig. 65 ) with oblique streak from anal area and from rhegma; pterostigma with dark brown spot at base; venation dark brown and pale brown in streaks, mostly dark brown at junctures with crossveins. Chaetotaxy: pronotum with elongate white bristles at lateral margin, at least subequal in length to those on forecoxa; midfemoral sense hair about one half length of forefemoral sense hair; femora and tibia with white setae and many black setae; abdomen with mostly white setae; posterior margin of sternite VIII with short setae. Structure: pronotum a little broader than long measured along midline; basitarsus of hindleg over five times longer than greatest diameter, nearly twice as long as pretarsal claw; hindtibial spurs about equal to l.5 times as long as basitarsus; forewing costal area expands gradually from base with only one series of cells, narrow gradually at base, costal cells wider than long at middle; CuP + lA of forewing runs obliquely to hind margin along posterior fork of CuA at a point below origin of radial sector; abdominal tergites with numerous scale-like sculpturing; male genitalia ( Fig. 66 ) with gonarcus relatively broad and broadly arched, with mediuncus broad, longer than median diameter; paramere a broad plate, about four times longer than broad with narrow sclerotized lip on median margin at basal one-half; female terminalia ( Fig. 67 ) with ectoproct with short postventral lobe; posterior gonapophyses well separated, short and broad, about twice as long as wide; gonapophyseal plate narrow and long (over 13 times longer than diameter); lateral gonapophyses well separated, about three times as long as broad with many stout black digging setae on apical one-half; pregenitale with transverse bar about eight times wider than long, narrowing laterally, with median projection about 2.5 times longer than median width; spermatheca elongate and sigmoid.

Larva. Fig. 146–147. Ventral surface of head capsule with broadly separated dark brown spots near posterior one-fifth, dark brown spots closely separated at about middle, and large pair of brown spots near anterior margin; mandible with basal tooth close to base, distance between teeth 1 and 3 much longer than that between tooth 1 and base, distal tooth as long as or longer than middle tooth, all teeth parallel and usually equidistant, without dolichasters; dorsal head capsule with short, tubular setae that are open ended apically; mesothoracic spiracle borne on tubercle that is about twice as long as median diameter, pointed apically; abdominal spiracle VIII borne on tubercle about as long as wide, without dolichasters, longer than other spiracles.

Biology. Purenleon bistictus larvae live rather in the open on coastal sand dunes and beaches. They feed when temperatures are cool enough, and thermoregulate by digging deep in the sand or going beneath small bushes during the heat of the day. Early morning is a good time to find their trails in the open sand before it gets too hot. When it rains, they wait for the sand to dry out before digging. The larvae do not anchor their legs.

Variation. Specimens examined from the Cayman Islands have the lateral white setae on the pronotum shorter than normal.

Material studied. 45 males, 116 females. 6 larvae. May to November.

BAHAMAS. Eleuthera: Rainbow Bay , 15. V.1984. J.Wiley (16 m, 80f, FSCA) . Long Island: 1.VII.1994 (1f, FSCA). North Bimini Island : 12. VI.1950, M. Cazier & Ringe (3m, 3f, AMNH, FSCA) ; South Bimini Island: no further data, VI.1951, M. Cazier (6m, 15f, AMNH; USNM) .

CAYMAN ISLANDS. Cayman Brac: The Creek , 4.X.1996, E. Dilbert (1f, FSCA) ; Bight Road at Maj. Douglas Rd. , 23.V.2009, M. Thomas & R. Turnbow (1m, FSCA) . Little Cayman Island: 3 km. south Spot Bay, 8.VII.2013, M. Thomas, at blacklight (2m, 3f, FSCA) .

CUBA. La Habana: Jibacoa ( IZAC); Playa del Chivo ( IZAC). Oriente: Daiquiri ( IZAC).

GUANA ISLAND. 13.VII.1986, S. Miller (1f, FSCA).

HAITI. no further data (1f, MCZC).

MEXICO. Quintana Roo: Cancun , 4.V.1976, Pletsch (1f, FSCA) ; Puerto Sam , 21.XI.1981, reared, L. Stange & J. Lotti (1 larva, FSCA) . Yucatan: Alacran Reef , 1.VII.1961. F. Fosberg (1f, FSCA) .

PUERTO RICO. Mona Island: Camp Correy, 18.X.1955, W. Cross (1f, FSCA).

ST. KITTS. Major’s Bay, 3.IX.1991, R. Woodruff, at light (2m, 7f, FSCA).

U.S.A. Florida: Bahia Honda Key , Monroe Co., 29.III.1987, reared, L. Stange (5 larvae, 6m, 2f, FSCA) ; Bush Key, Dry Tortugas, 1.VII.1962, H. Weems (1m, 2f, FSCA) ; Dry Loggerhead Key, Dry Tortugas, 11. VI.1962, H. Weems (5m, 8f, FSCA) ; Garden Key, Dry Tortugas, 31.VIII.1962, H. Weems (4m, 3f, FSCA) ; Key West , Monroe Co., 26. V.1978, L. Stange (1f, FSCA) ; Upper Matecumbre Key , Monroe Co., 30. VI (1m, FSCA) .

Discussion. This transcaribbean species has been found at lights near coastal areas. This species appears closely related to P. parallelus which also inhabits coastal areas including the western side of Mexico and Central America.. Both species agree in having several elongate white bristles at the lateral margin of the pronotum and also in having the midfemoral sense hair much shorter than the forefemoral sense hair. These species differ in wing venation with P. parallelus having CuP+1A of the forewing running parallel to posterior fork of CuA for a long distance beyond origin of radial sector (CuP+1A runs to posterior vein near level of origin of radial sector in P. bistictus ). Also, the basitarsus of the hindleg is longer in P. bistictus (about five times longer than greatest diameter) than in P. parallelus .

Figures

Figures 63–67. Purenleon bistictus (Hagen), adult. 63) head and thorax; 64) lateral view; 65) wings; 66) male genitalia; 67) female terminalia, ventral view.

Figures 32–36. Purenleon fernandezi Miller and Stange, adult. 32) head and thorax; 33) lateral view; 34) wings; 35) male genitalia; 36) female terminalia, ventral view.

Figures 8–14. Purenleon albovaria (Banks), adult. 8) head and thorax; 9), lateral view; 10) vertex; 11) wings; 12) male genitalia; 13) female terminalia, ventral view; 14) female terminalia, lateral view.

Figures 21–25. Purenleon inscriptus (Hagen), adult. 21) head and thorax; 22) lateral view; 23) wings; 24) male genitalia; 25) female terminalia, ventral view.

Figures 1–7. Purenleon abruptus Stange, adult. 1) head and thorax; 2) lateral view; 3) vertex; 4) wings; 5) male genitalia; 6) female terminalia, ventral view; 7) female terminalia, lateral view.

Figures 15–20. Purenleon connexus (Banks), adult. 15) head and thorax; 16) lateral view; 17) wings; 18) male genitalia; 19) female terminalia, ventral view; 20) female terminalia, lateral view.

Figures 26–31. Purenleon oaxacae Miller and Stange, adult. 26) full dorsal view; 27) head and thorax; 28) lateral view; 29) wings; 30) male genitalia; 31) female terminalia, lateral view.