Neuroleon drosimus Navás, 1912

Michel, Bruno & Akoudjin, Massouroudini, 2012, Review of Neuroleon Navás of West Africa with descriptions of four new species (Neuroptera, Myrmeleontidae), Zootaxa 3519, pp. 32-52 : 36-37

Neuroleon drosimus Navás, 1912

( Figs. 4–14 )

Neuroleon drosimus Navás, 1912: 70 .

Neuroleon waterloti Navás, 1921: 298 , syn. nov.

Diagnosis. Medium-sized species. General coloration grey and black. Wing membrane hyaline with 4–5 oblique stripes along posterior margin of forewing after the cubital mark ( Figs 4, 5 ).

Redescription.

Head. Face yellowish. Interantennal mark black extending under and below scapes. A median narrow vertical black stripe on face ( Fig. 6 ). Antennae entirely dark brown. Thorax. Pronotum pattern as in figure 7. Foreleg. Coxa dark dorsally, yellow ventrally with 2–3 long white setae. Femur yellow ventrally often with basal and subapical yellow area. Sensory seta long. Tibia yellow, dark dorsally at base, in middle and apically. Tibial spurs slightly shorter than tarsomeres 1–3. Tarsomeres yellow, dark apically. Middle leg. Femur yellow with median dorsal dark ring. Sensory seta long. Tibia yellow. An incomplete dark ring at apical 1/3, dark apically. Tibial spurs as long as tarsomeres 1–2. Tarsomeres as in foreleg. Hind leg ( Figs 8, 9 ). Yellow. Tibia dark apically with longitudinal dark stripe. Tibial spurs as long as tarsomeres 1–2. In female only 4–5 and about 10 stout setae on femur and tibia respectively ( Fig. 8 ). Femur and tibia of male with about 15 and 30 long slender erect setae respectively ( Fig. 9 ). Wings ( Figs 4, 5 ). Forewing 3 19 (type of N. waterloti ) – 23 mm, ♀ 20–23 mm. Hind wing 3 19 (type of N. waterloti )– 23 mm, ♀ 20–23 mm. Forewing. Generally no crossvein in apical field but some specimens with one to two. Longitudinal veins white with black markings at junctions with crossveins. Crossveins mainly white. Four to five oblique stripes from extremity of A1 along posterior margin after the cubital mark which is generally more marked. Rhegmal mark small. Gradates black. Pterostigma white. Hind wing. Narrower than forewing. Black markings in apical ¼ along posterior margin, clearly more intense in female than in male ( Figs 4, 5 ). Abdomen. 3 19–20 mm, ♀ 15–16 mm. Dark grey to black. Distal margin of last segments and ectoprocts yellow. Male. Parameres long, lyre shaped with a stout seta inserted on inner margin. Gonosaccus with numerous long setae. Gonarcus V-shaped basally. Subgenital plate elongate ( Figs 10, 11 ). Female. Gonapophyseal plate straight, arched at extremity ( Fig. 12 ).

Type material examined. Neuroleon drosimus Navás, 1912 . Type 3, Badeggi [09°03’N 06°08’E] NIGERIA (Coll. BMNH) . Neuroleon waterloti Navás, 1921 . Type 3, BENIN (Coll. MNHN)

Additional material examined (513, 44♀♀). MALI Sikasso [11°19’N 05°40’W] 13 13.I.1994 ; 1♀ 18.I.1996, attracted to light 04:00 a.m. ; 13 03.II.1995, in morning on a wall, attracted to light ; 23 15.II.1996, in morning on a wall, attracted to light ; 13 18.III.1996, light trap, 21:00 ; 1♀ 08.IV.1996, CMDT factory light, 21:30 ; 1♀ 17.IV.1996, Wayerma District, light trap 22:30 ; 1♀ 25.IV.1997, Wayerma District, in morning, attracted to light ; 13 16.V.1995, CMDT factory, attracted to light 22:00 ; 1♀ 18.V.1995, CMDT factory, attracted to light 21:00 ; 2♀♀ 24.V.1995, CMDT factory, attracted to light 21:30 ; 13 1♀ 25.V.1995 ; 13 28.V.1995 ; 13 3♀♀ 04.VI.1995, attracted to light ; 1♀ 23.VI.1995, attracted to light ; 13 10.VIII.1994 ; 1♀ 10.VIII.1996, in the morning, attracted to light ; 13 17.VIII.1996, in the morning, attracted to light ; 13 24.VIII.1996, in the morning, attracted to light ; 1♀ 26.VIII.1996, in the morning, attracted to light ; 1♀ 04.IX.1996, CMDT factory, in the morning, attracted to light ; 13 09.IX.1994 ; 13 12.IX.1994 ; 23 14.IX.1994 ; 13 17.IX.1994 ; 1♀ 03.X.1995, in the morning, attracted to light ; 13 08.X.1997 ; 1♀ 29.X. ?? ; 1♀ 04.X.1994, side of the airstrip ; 23 1♀ 05.X.1994, side of the airstrip ; 1♀ 02.XI.1994 ; 13 1♀ 11.XI.1996, side of the airstrip, 17:00 ; 13 30.XII.1999, Wassoulou Hotel, attracted to light 20:30. About 11 km North Sikasso [11°26’32’’N 05°39’11’’W] 13 03.V.1997 ; 13 05.V.1997 ; 1♀ 10.V.1997 ; 13 10.V.1997 ; 13 02.X.1995 ; 13 13.XI.1995 ; Pégnasso [11°28’N 05°38’W] 13 16.V.1998 ; 13 20.VIII.1997. Natiékoura [11°20’N 05°51’W] 1♀ 30.I.1996 ; 1♀ 04.III.1998 ; 1♀ 06.V.1997 ; 13 1♀ 08.V.1997 ; 1♀ 17.V.1998 ; 13 14.VI.1995 ; 13 15.VI.1995 ; 1♀ 22.VIII.1998. Farako [11°12’27’’N 05°27’00’’W] 3♀♀ 04.II.1997, 16:30, on the ground after bushfire ; 13 27.II.1998 ; 13 18.III.1998 ; 1♀ 04.IV.1997, light trap ; 13 1♀ 08.IV.1996 ; 33 1♀ 29.VIII.1996 ; 23 08.IX.1994 ; 13 20.IX.1994 ; 1♀ 03.X.1996. Fana [12°46’N 06°57’W] 13 13.V.1997, CMDT factory, in the morning, attracted to light ; 3♀♀ 11.IX.1996, 17:30. Koutiala [12°24’N 05°28’W] 1♀ 06.I.1998, 21:00, attracted to light. Kadiolo [10°32’N 05°44’W] 13 06.IV.1996. BURKINA FASO Bassora [11°43’N 04°05’W] 1♀ 21.V.2003, J. Bouyer leg. Bobo-Dioulasso [11°10’N 04°18’W] 13 19.V.2010, ONEA ; 23 21.V.2010, ONEA ; 1♀ 30.V.2010 ; 23 06.X.2009, M. Akoudjin leg. 13 10.III.2005, Forest of the Kou, gallery forest, J. Bouyer leg. Koumbia [11°14’N 03°41’W] 13 28.VI.2010, Forest of the Mou, M. Akoudjin leg. Farako-Bâ [11°06’ 04°20’W] 2♀♀ 18.X.1994, at light between 18:00–23:00, J.C. Streito leg. IVORY COAST Korhogo [09°26’N 05°38’W] 13 1♀ 10.VI.1995. BENIN Cotonou Calavi IITA station [06°25’N 02°19’W] 13 31.I.1997, light trap ; 1♀ 01.XII.1997, light trap, uncultivated land, G. Goergen leg.

Ecology. N. drosimus is a species associated with grass savannas and also found in patches of uncultivated land between crop fields. In southern Mali adults were collected throughout the year except in July during the rainy season.

Distribution: Widely distributed in the Sudano-Sahelian Region. Recorded from Senegal as Neuroleon extraneus Navás by Auber (1956).

Comments. Genitalia of a male of N. lepidus ( Kolbe, 1897) from Mozambique were dissected ( Fig. 13 ) and the type specimens of Macronemurus lepidus Kolbe, 1897 ♀ labeled Creagris lepidus TANZANIA (ZMHB), Neuroleon extraneus Navás, 1912 ♀ ZIMBABWE (BMNH) and Campestretus extraneus Navás, 1933 cotype (abdomen missing) MOZAMBIQUE (MNHN) were examined. The morphological characters and the wings markings of all are similar to N. drosimus . But in the specimen dissected, which is the same size of the West African specimens, the genitalia are distinctly stouter with the parameres distinctly more separated and divergent ( Fig. 14 ). Considering this difference N. drosimus and N. lepidus are maintained as separate and valid species. The discontinuity of their area of distribution suggests that both species could be vicariant species.

Neuroleon guernei Navás, 1914d from India, redescribed by Ghosh (1984) with the spelling guernii, whose type ♀ is in MNHN is similar to N. drosimus . As in N. lepidus , these are perhaps vicariant species. Examination of more material of N. guernei , including males, should establish the status of both species.

Figures

FIGURES 4 – 12. Neuroleon drosimus Navás. 4 — Habitus of male. 5 — Thorax and right wings of female. 6 — Face. 7 — Vertex and pronotum. 8 — Hind leg of female. 9 — Hind leg of male. 10 — Right view of male ectoproct and genitalia. 11. Ventral view of male subgenital plate and genitalia. 12 — Female terminalia. (af: apical field. cm: cubital mark. e: ectoprocts. g: gonarcus. gp: gonapophyseal plate. gs: gonosaccus. lg: lateral gonapophyse. p: paramere. pg: posterior gonapophyse. rm: rhegmal mark. sp: subgenital plate).

FIGURES 13 – 14. Neuroleon lepidus (Kolbe). 13 — Male from Mozambique. 14 — Genitalia of male (right) compared to N. drosimus (left).