Nepsalus chikuni, Zheng & Hayashi & Price & Liu, 2022

Zheng, Yuchen, Hayashi, Fumio, Price, Benjamin W. & Liu, Xingyue, 2022, Unveiling the Evolutionary History of a Puzzling Antlion Genus Gatzara Navás (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae: Dendroleontinae) Based on Systematic Revision,, Insect Systematics and Diversity 6 (3), pp. 1-22 : 12-15

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.1093/isd/ixac007
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/038D8B2B-442C-FF9F-FCFD-AE22FBFDFCD7
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Nepsalus chikuni
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Nepsalus chikuni sp. n. ( Figs. 1D View Fig , 5D View Fig , 7D View Fig , 9 View Fig , 10C View Fig , 11D View Fig )

Zoobank LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5095ABFF-76DA-4548-807B-26021B78B817

Diagnosis. Vertex with a few corrugated dark brown markings. Pronotum medially with a slender black stripe, lateral marking indistinct. Wings elongate and narrow, a brown band present on Banksian line. Forewing radial area with small brownish spots on veins; rhegma present as a dark brown spot; cubital area with a round brown marking fused with a continuous arcuate brown marking. Hindwing rhegma present as a dark brown spot; distal margin scarcely any marking. Male gonocoxites 9 hardly concaved posteriorly, slightly rounded, and feebly protruded in lateral view; gonapophyses 11 long oval in lateral view. Female gonocoxites 8 with posterior branch 2/3 length of anterior branch.

Descripoion. Head width 3.2–3.3 mm; forewing length 29.0– 31.4 mm; hindwing length 30.9–32.1 mm.

Head. Vertex with a few corrugated dark brown markings ( Fig. 9B View Fig ). Scape and pedicel generally dark brown; non-intumescent flagellum generally pale brown, only basal part with a few dark brown markings; intumescent part of flagellum generally black. Frons posteriorly black, anteriorly with a pair of indistinct dark brownish spots ( Fig. 7D View Fig ). Clypeus pale with a pair of dark brownish spots and a few setae. Labrum dark brown medially, but pale brown laterally. Maxillary palpus dark brown. Labial palpus pale brown, with distal segment slightly fusiform. Mandibles yellowish-brown with distal half dark reddish-brown, but apex black.

Thorax. Pale brown with black markings. Pronotum with long black and pale brownish setae; anteriorly with many brownish dots; medially with a slender black stripe, lateral marking indistinct ( Fig. 9B View Fig ). Mesoprescutum medially with a pair of black spots, and laterally with a pair of curved markings; mesonotum medially with a wide black stripe, and laterally with a pair of reverse U-shaped black markings; mesoscutellum medially with a wide black stripe. Metanotum generally black at middle; laterally with an irregular black marking. Pleurae with brownish stripe. Interpleural membrane pale brown with a black stripe.

Legs. Long and slender, with black setae. All coxae with brownish marking; tibial spurs slightly curved; tarsomeres generally pale brown, dark brown distally; pretarsal claws pale yellow, slightly curved and protruded basally. Foreleg: Femur dark brown dorsally, with a few dark brownish spots; tibia generally pale yellow, with a few black brownish dots, black distally; tibial spurs reaching tip of tarsomere 3. Midleg: Similar to foreleg. Hind leg: Femur generally pale brown, with many black spots; tibia with a few black dots, distally black; tibial spurs reaching base of tarsomere 3; tarsomere 1 longer than that of fore- and midleg.

Wings. Nearly falcate, elongate and narrow, distal margin straight, apex slightly pointed ( Figs. 5D View Fig , 9A View Fig ); veins alternating pale and brown. Pterostigma pale. Forewing costal space with a brownish marking proximad pterostigma; poststigmal area with some irregular markings; radial area with many small brownish spots, a brown band present on Banksian line; rhegma present as a dark brown spot, some irregular brown markings present near rhegma; some dark brown spots present on main vein of MP; posterior area with a brown spot; cubital area with a round brown marking fused with a continuous arch brown marking; three to four presectoral crossveins present; RP with 10 branches. Hindwing with basal half transparent; costal space with an indistinct brownish marking proximad pterostigma; poststigmal area generally brown; a brown band present on Banksian line; rhegma present as a small dark brown spot.

Abdomen. Pale brown, with some black markings, and short black setae. Male genitalia. Tergum 9 generally black, elongate, subrectangular in lateral view. Sternum 9 nearly pentagonal in ventral view, posterior margin slightly depressed, with long setae. Gonocoxites 9 with numerous tiny tubercles; hardly concaved posteriorly; distal part strongly sclerotized, short, subtriangular apex in ventral view; slightly rounded and feebly protruded in lateral view. Gonocoxites 11 widely arched; gonostyli 11 prominent in ventral view and slightly bulged in lateral view. Gonapophyses 11 long, ovoid in lateral view.?ctoproct with long setae, posterior half with black marking, posterior margin truncate in lateral view ( Figs. 9C–F View Fig , 11C View Fig ). Female genitalia. Pregenital plate subtriangular with blunt apex. Anterior branch of gonocoxites 8 elongate and wide; posterior branch of gonocoxites 8 slender, depressed laterally, 2/3 length of anterior branch of gonocoxites 8. Gonocoxites 9 with short setae anteriorly, digging setae present posteriorly.?ctoproct with long setae, posterior half with black marking, posterior margin truncated, but rounded on posteroventral corner in lateral view, with long setae ( Fig. 9D View Fig ).

Type Maoerial. Holotype male, CHINA: Tibet, Nyingchi, Medog County, 80 K (= 80 km point of road from Bome County to Medog County ), 2,115 m, 20.viii.2020, Yuchen Zheng ( CAU) . Paratypes: 1 male, CHINA: Tibet, Nyingchi, Bome County, Yiong Town [ƋḢ ø], Tangmai Township [šƌḃ], 9.ix.2013, Jianyun Wang % Yun Ji ( CAU), head and prothorax lost ; 1male, CHINA: Tibet, Nyingchi, Medog County, Hanmi [ũẑ], 2,200 m, 26.viii.2005, Dakang Zhou ( CAU) ; 1 female, CHINA: Tibet, Nyingchi, Medog County, 80 K (= 80 km point of road from Bome County to Medog County ), 2,096 m, 16.viii.2017, Kaidong Zhao % Yi Li ( IZCAS) .

Eoymology. The new species is dedicated to the late Prof. Chikun Yang for his outstanding contributions to the taxonomy of Myrmeleontidae from China.