Afroptera remifera ( Westwood, 1874 ) Abdalla & Mansell & Sole, 2019

Abdalla, Ishtiag H., Mansell, Mervyn W. & Sole, Catherine L., 2019, Revision of the southern African genera Nemopterella Banks and Nemia Navás (Neuroptera: Nemopteridae: Nemopterinae), with descriptions of new genera and species, Zootaxa 4635 (1), pp. 1-89 : 68-70

Afroptera remifera ( Westwood, 1874) comb. nov.

( Figs 76 , 97 , 124 , 149 , 150, 151)

Synonymy

Nemoptera remifera Westwood, 1874: 179 .

Halter remifera (Westwood) : Kirby 1900: 458.

Etymology. Unknown.

Type locality. South Africa, Western Cape Province. Uncertain locality: “ Cape of Good Hope”. Klaarstroom, Prince Albert District , 33°20S 22°33E, subsequently designated as type locality by Tjeder (1967: 490) .

Type depository. BMNH .

Diagnosis. This species can easily be distinguished from its congeners by the rounded apex of the forewings ( Figs 149 , 150), the very short antennae and the extremely small rounded apical antennal segment that ends in a distal membranous part ( Figs 76 , 149 ).

Size (mm). Male: body length 9.5 (7.5–11.5); forewing 21.4 (19–23.8); hind wing 46.5 (41–52); antenna 14 (13–15); Female: body length 11–12; forewing 21–23.5; hind wing 44–50; antenna 12–13. (N = 7).

Type material. Holotype ♀ (not examined).

Other material examined. SOUTH AFRICA, Western Cape Province. 1♂ 4♀, SAM–NEU–A001275, Rooinek Pass [33°19’56’’S 20°55’34’’E], C.P / Nemopterella remifera Westw ., ♀, det. Bo Tjeder 1966; 1♀, SAMC00177 , Klaarstroom, Prince Albert [District], C.P / Nemopterella remifera Westw. , det. Tjeder 1966. (All SAMC) . 1♂, NEUR09829 , Prince Albert Dist., Tierberg Research Station , 33°07’39’’S 22°16’26’’E, 4.x.1988, W.R.J.Dean, Light. ( SANC) .

Distribution and habitat. Afroptera remifera is currently known from localities in the Succulent Karoo Biome in the Western Cape Province, South Africa ( Fig. 151 ). The ranges are mainly in the Rainshadow Valley Bioregion with features of the Prince Albert Succulent Karoo vegetation unit ( Mucina & Rutherford 2006). See description of the habitat under the distribution of A. exigua .

Remarks. This species was originally described by Westwood (1874) and is in BMNH. Tjeder (1967), in his taxonomic notes, mentioned that he was informed by Dr. D.E.Kimmins that the female holotype is in bad condition, with damaged meso- and metanotum and one of the hind wings being complete. Tjeder therefore resorted to redescribing the species using a female specimen from Klaarstroom, Prince Albert District, after which Kimmins compared it with the type specimen and confirmed their similarity. Our revision of this species is consequently based on Tjeder’s material that is in SAMC, Cape Town, South Africa.

Figures

FIGURES 67–78. Antennae of Afroptera spp. 67, A. segregata (Tjeder); 68, A. peringueyi (Tjeder); 69, A. parva (Tjeder); 70, A. nigrosetosa (Tjeder); 71, A. pilosa (Tjeder); 72, A. sabuleti (Tjeder); 73, A. longicorins (Tjeder); 74, A. munroi (Tjeder); 75, A. exigua (Tjeder); 76, A. remifera (Westwood); 77, A. dyscrita (Tjeder); 78, A. leptocera, (Navás).

FIGURES 96–101. Afroptera spp. Thorax. 96, A. segregata (Tjeder); 97, A. remifera (Tjeder) 98, A. pilosa (Tjeder); 99, A. peringueyi (Tjeder); 100, A. parva (Tjeder); 101, A. exigua (Tjeder).

FIGURES 123–124. Afroptera spp. 123, A. segregata (Tjeder), male holotype and associated labels; 124, A. remifera (Westwood), habitus ♀ and associated labels. Photos: Simon van Noort (SAMC).

FIGURES 146–149. 146, Abdomen of A. bitis with white pubescence on dorsum and black on venter; 147, Abdomen of A. munroi with white pubescence on dorsum and venter; 148, Forewing of A. parva; 149, Forewing of A. remifera.

FIGURES 151–152. Distribution maps of Afroptera spp.