Sisyra elongata Penny & Rafael, 1982

Ardila-Camacho, Adrian & Martins, Caleb C., 2017, First record of spongillaflies (Neuroptera: Sisyridae) from Colombia, Zootaxa 4276 (1), pp. 129-133 : 132

Sisyra elongata Penny & Rafael, 1982 ( Figs. 1 , 2 .)

The present diagnosis is based on the descriptions of Penny & Rafael (1982), and Flint (2006) as well as observations made of the specimen examined. Diagnostic characters of the female are based on Monserrat (2005).

Diagnostic features. Forewing length 4 mm, hindwing length 3.6 mm. Head brown, scape and pedicel golden brown, flagellum with 32 articles, light brown ( Fig. 1 a). Pronotum brown, shiny, with some long bristles; meso- and metanotum golden brown. Forewing fuscous, costal field with 10 crossveins; radial field with two crossveins. Rs with three or four branches, a single crossvein between first and second Rs branches; M vein forked nearly opposite to the origin of the first Rs branch. Area between MP and CuA with two crossveins ( Fig. 2 a). Hindwing pale fuscous, costal field with 7 crossveins; radial field with single crossvein. Rs possessing three branches. M vein forked before the origin of the first Rs branch. Area between MP and CuA with a single crossvein. Male genitalia with gonocoxites 9 elongated, with distal portion somewhat dilated in lateral view ( Fig. 2 b), densely setose, with some thickened setae on the inner surface; basal most portion of the inner surface has a narrow digitiform projection with a strong seta at apex, close to that projection and towards midline of the inner surface a long and tapered seta is present ( Fig. 2 c). Gonocoxite 11 rod-like, somewhat expanded in the lateral parts; gonostyli 11 short and curved. Female genitalia with tergite 9 short, robust and arched; gonocoxites 8 small and bilobate, gonocoxite 9 short and slightly arched.

Specimen examined. Colombia, Caquetá, Solano, Reserva Koreguaje , Jericó , Konsaya river , la raya stream, 0°32’28.7’’N ‒ 75°5’59.8’’W, led light trap, 241 m. a.s.l., 28.IX.2016, J. Hoyos (1 ♂ - UNAB).

Comments. Sisyra elongata was described by Penny & Rafael (1982) from Manaus, Brazil; Flint (2006) provided additional diagnostic characters, a redescription and a new record from Loreto, Peru; thereafter, Monserrat (2005) provided diagnostic characters and illustrations of the female genitalia of this species, and expanded its distribution to the east of Brazil, in the state of Bahía ( Fig. 1 b), a report remarkably distant from the previous records from the Amazonia. The temporal distribution of the known records of this species includes January ( Peru), March (Bahía, Brazil), August (Brazilian Amazonia) and September (Brazilian Amazonia and Colombia). There is few information on dietary habits of Sisyridae adults, however fungi hyphae and spores, fragments of mites and scales, setae and other fragments of unidentified arthropods, as well as pollen and siliceous material have been reported from the gut content of S. elongata ( Monserrat 2005) . There are two other species, Sisyra apicalis Banks, 1908 and Sisyra amazonica Penny, 1981 , morphologically very similar to S. elongata . The three species have gonocoxites 9 elongated, however in S. elongata they are expanded at the distal third, with dense apicomedial brush of setae ( Flint 2006). Gonocoxites 9 are parallel sided in S. apicalis , with basomedial projections on the lower and upper surfaces ( Penny 1981). On the other hand, S. amazonica has gonocoxites 9 gradually tapering and without dorsal or ventral basal projections ( Penny 1981; Penny & Rafael 1982; Flint 2006).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Sisyra elongata (Neuroptera: Sisyridae). a) male habitus, dorsal view (abdomen partially omitted); b) known (black circles, based on literature) and new geographical records (red star).

FIGURE 2. Sisyra elongata (Neuroptera: Sisyridae) male. a) fore- and hindwing; b) genitalia, ventral view; c) genitalia, lateral view. Abbreviations: ect = ectoproct; gc 9 = gonocoxite 9; gc 11 = gonocoxite 11; gs 11 = gonostylus 11; hyi = hypandrium internum; s 9 = sternite 9.