Euclimacia nicobarica, Kaur & Pandher & Chandra & Dubey, 2021

Kaur, Simarjit, Pandher, Manpreet Singh, Chandra, Kailash & Dubey, Anil Kumar, 2021, Subfamily Mantispinae Enderlein, 1910 (Insecta: Neuroptera) in India, Zootaxa 5068 (3), pp. 355-377 : 361-368

8. Euclimacia nicobarica sp. nov.

( Figs. 21–33 )

Holotype: Male, India: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Port Blair, Bird watch tower, 15.xi.2018, (Dubey & party), ( NZSI).

Paratype: India: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Nicobar, Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve , 8.xi.2018, (Devanshu & party), ( NZSI), 1 male and 1 female .

Diagnosis. In general appearance, this species is similar to Euclimacia horstaspoecki Ohl, 2004b , described from Thailand and obviously it belongs to the informal group of ‘ nigra-guerini-partita ’ as given by Handschin 1961. Euclimacia horstaspoecki is characterised by transverse black band at posterior margin of vertex in dorsal view; pronotum with black tiny medial spots, large black markings ventrolateral of maculae and two small spots laterobasally; mesothorax with medial and posterolateral black spots; mesoscutal black markings present; pleural region with anepisternum, anepimeron partly black, pre-episternum black; foreleg coxa and trochanter basally having black markings, femur with two black bands on outer surface and one black spot on inner surface; mid and hind leg coxae and tibiae with tiny median marking on outer surface; wings yellow to orange (darker at anterior one-third) with black apical spot, sharply delimited at a right angle to the costal margin, covering most of the distal pieces of the Rs (RP) branches; abdomen segment I black, terga III-V with black spots, basal and terminal sterna, terga IX and X partly black.

24, head and thorax, lateral view; 25, pterothorax, dorsal view; 26, pterothorax, lateral view showing pleural region; 27, forelegs.

By contrast, Euclimacia nicobarica sp. nov., is with vertex without transverse black band in dorsal view; prothorax yellowish orange without any black spot or markings; pterothorax only with lateral longitudinal scattered brown black patches, pleural region yellowish orange with black spots near sutures; foreleg with coxae brownish black, with light band in the mid length; trochanter yellowish orange; femur inner surface yellowish orange, brownish at the base of spines; outer surface yellowish brown, dark brown at base of spines; tip of spines reddish brown; mid and hind legs yellowish orange, except femora with light brown patch on outer surface; abdomen yellowish orange with black bands at distal ends of each segment (without any median spot on terga I-X).

Description.

Body Length. Male 17 mm (n=2).

Head. ( Fig. 22 ). Frons yellow, labrum brown.Vertex yellow orange bearing small black setae ( Fig. 19 ). Mandibles brownish black; palpi dark brown, terminal segment black. Antennal sulcus black; scape and pedicel brownish; flagellomeres black except distal end (12-13 segments) yellow symmetrical, 45-46 in number.

Thorax. ( Figs. 23–26 ). Pronotum yellowish orange, length almost equal to width of prozona in dorsal view, wrinkled, pubescent; maculae dorsolaterally directed ( Fig. 23 ). Prozona broad in dorsal view, width twice its length, rounded, with conspicuous black pubescence. Pterothorax yellowish orange, with lateral longitudinal scattered brown black patches in dorsal view ( Fig. 25 ). Prescutum black. Scutum yellowish orange, with scattered black brown patches on lateral margins. Scutellum yellowish orange. Pleural region yellowish orange with black spots near sutures ( Fig. 26 ).

Legs. ( Fig. 27 ). Foreleg: coxae brownish black, with light band in the mid length; trochanter yellowish orange; femora about three times as long as wide, inner surface yellowish orange, brownish at the base of spines; outer surface yellowish brown, brown at base of spines; tip of spines reddish brown; tibiae yellowish orange. Mid and hind legs yellowish orange, except femora with light brown patch on outer surface, tarsomeres with black ends, tarsal claws brown, each with 5 teeth.

Wings. ( Fig.21 ) Forewing length 19.5 mm (n=2). Pterostigma reddish brown; membrane golden except base, including M cell and Cu1 (CuA) and dark yellow longitudinal band in anterior one third of wing including costal space; wing apex dark chocolate brown including distal pieces of Rs (RP) branches of Rs3 (rarp3) cell. Costal space with 12 crossveins. Five radial veins arise from Rs1 (rarp1), four from Rs2 (rarp2) and five from Rs3 (rarp3) ( Fig.16 ). Hindwing length 16 mm (n=2). Membrane light golden, base and longitudinal band dark yellow, veins brown. Costal area with 11 crossveins. Four veins arise from Rs1 (rarp1), five from Rs2 (rarp2) and four from Rs3 (rarp3).

Abdomen. Yellowish orange with black bands at distal ends of each segment.

Male genitalia. ( Figs. 28–31 ) Ectoproct yellowish brown, ovoid in lateral view, covered with fine long setae in both dorsal and lateral views; ventromedian lobe medially directed, with prominent short and thick setae. Sternite IX sub pentagonal, with rounded medial projection in dorsal view, longer than ectoprocts. Gonarcus with median lobe pointed, broad at middle, tapering at apex. Mediuncus wide at base, apically forked. Gonocoxite IX rod like, apex rounded. Pseudopenis pointed at apex. Pseudopenal membrane trapezoidal. Hypomeres short and blunt.

Female. Body color and pattern similar to male; body length 16 mm; forewing length17.5 mm; hindwing length14.5 mm.

Female genitalia. ( Figs. 32–33 ) Ectoprocts ellipsoid with fine long setae; spermatheca with median section coiled, uniform in diameter, distal section S-shaped, wider than median section; fertilization canal duct narrow and curved at base with apex covered with long setae.

Etymology. This species is named after the type locality Nicobar.

Remarks. Based on color pattern Handschin (1961:275) divided the species of Euclimacia known to him into 7 informal groups. E. vespiformis , E. horstaspoecki , E. nicobarica sp. nov., E. grandis and E. partita should belong to same group, i.e., nigra-guerin-partita. The species of genus Euclimacia are wasp mimics, which are structurally very similar and color as well as the wing venation are used as the only characteristics for species discrimination ( Ohl, 2004a). The wing coloration of E. nicobarica sp. nov. is similar to E. grandis Guérin- Méneville (1831) from Indonesia and species identified by Ohl (2004a) as Euclimacia sp. nr. E. grandis from Indonesia (Sumatra). However, as per the original description of E. grandis given by Guérin- Méneville (1831), whole body of the species is black. Further E. partita from Indonesia is similar to E. nicobarica sp. nov. in their body color but differs in the wing coloration based on the description of Handschin (1961) and Ohl (2004a). Besides this, E. nicobarica sp. nov. is very similar to E. vespiformis Okomata, 1910 reported from Taiwan and China. At present, we don’t have any published information regarding genitalia of other two species E. vespiformis and E. horstaspoecki . So, to eradicate any chances of confusion, we compared the male genitalia of the available Euclimacia species (i.e., E. nodosa with E. nicobarica ). The male genitalia of E. nodosa differs from E. nicobarica in the following characteristcs: ectoprocts almost bean shaped in dorsal view; sternite IX dome shaped; gonarcus with medial lobe less pointed and lateral lobes with frilled surface; pseudopenis comparatively smaller and less pointed; pseudopenal membrane almost rectangular; hypomeres present as a pair of lateral elliptical sclerites.

Figures

FIGS. 21–27. Euclimacia nicobarica sp. nov.: 21, habitus, dorsal view; 22, head, front view; 23, head and thorax, dorsal view;

FIGS. 28–29. Euclimacia nicobarica sp. nov.: 28, male genitalia, dorsal view; 29, sternite 9, ventral view.

FIGS. 30–31. Euclimacia nicobarica sp. nov.: 30, male genitalia, ventral view; 31, gonarcus, ventral view.

FIGS. 32–33. Euclimacia nicobarica sp. nov.: 32, female genitalia, lateral view; 33, spermatheca, lateral view (cap- capsule, ds- distal section of the spermatheca, ect- ectoproct, fc- fertilization canal, gcx9- gonocoxite- 9, ms- medial section of the spermatheca, sp- spermathecal, s7 & s8- sternite seven and eight, t8- tergite VIII, t9- tergite IX).

FIGS. 19–20. Euclimacia similis sp. nov. 19, male genitalia, ventral view; 20, gonarcus, ventral view. (ect- ectoproct, g- gonarcus, gcx9- gonocoxite- 9, hpm- hypomere, med- mediuncus, psp- pseudopenis, ppm- pseudopenal membrane, vml- ventromedian lobe).

FIGS. 7–16. Euclimacia similis sp. nov.: 7, habitus, dorsal view; 8, head, front view; 9, head and thorax, dorsal view; 10, head and thorax, lateral view; 11, pterothorax, dorsal view; 12, pterothorax lateral view showing pleural region; 13, foreleg, inner view; 14. foreleg, outer view