Myrmeleon tenuipennis Rambur, 1842

Hassan, Muhammad Asghar, Zheng, Yuchen & Liu, Xingyue, 2022, Taxonomic notes on the antlion tribe Myrmeleontini Latreille (Neuroptera, Myrmeleontidae, Myrmeleontinae) from Pakistan, with description of a new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 831, pp. 1-44 : 13-21

Myrmeleon tenuipennis Rambur, 1842

Figs 6–11 , 20

Myrmeleon tenuipennis Rambur, 1842: 405 . Type locality: India (Maharashtra: Mumbai).

Myrmeleon fryeri Navás, 1914c: 135 . Type locality: Sri Lanka.

Myrmeleon bimaculatus Yang, 1999: 149 . Type locality: China (Fujian: Nanping). Syn. nov.

Diagnosis

Myrmeleon tenuipennis can be distinguished based on the presence of two narrow median longitudinal yellow markings at posteromedially on vertex ( Fig. 8C ) and with a pair of median dark brown stripes on pronotum, which is narrowly separated by a central yellow line.

Material examined

PAKISTAN – Islamabad Capital Territory • 11 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; Margalla Hills ; 33°43′53.76″ N, 73°2′9.96″ E; 562 m a.s.l.; 16 Aug. 2019, Hassan M.A. leg.; CAU • 1 ♀; Faiz Abad ; 33°39′50.6154″ N, 73°9′9.36″ E; 480 m a.s.l.; 11 Aug. 2019, Hassan M.A. leg.; CAU . – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province • 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀; District Swat ; 35°3′14.7306″ N, 72°33′53.4492″ E; 760 m a.s.l.; 11 Sep. 2019; Fazullah leg.; NIM • 1 ♀; District Haripur, Sarai Saleh ; 33°59′07.64″ N, 72°59′20.97″ E; 610 m a.s.l.; 12 Aug. 2019; Hussain R. leg.; PMNH . – Punjab Province • 1♀; District Faisalabad , UAF; 31°25′46.8048″ N, 73°4′14.3112″ E; 192 m a.s.l.; 28 Aug. 2019; Hassan M.A. leg.; NIM .

CHINA – Fujian Province • 1 ♀ (paratype of Myrmeleon bimaculatus ); Sha County; 27 Aug. 1979; Bangkan Huang leg.; CAU • 3 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; 6 larvae reared to adults; Longyan, Xinluo District, Mt. Tiangongshan ; 15 Mar. 2020; Yuchen Zheng leg.; CAU • 1 ♂; Xiamen, Siming District, Hudietan ; 11 Jun. 2021; Yuchen Zheng leg.; CAU . – Hainan Province • 1 ♂; Ledong, Jianfengling ; 14 Jun. 1983; Maobin Gu leg.; CAU . – Guangdong Province • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Guangzhou, Fanyu District, Sun Yat-sen University ; Jun. 1987; Xuanda Zhang leg.; CAU . – Guangxi Province • 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀; Nanning ; 23 May 1982; Fasheng Li leg.; CAU • 1 ♂; Congzuo, Pingxiang ; 10 May 1963; Chikun Yang leg.; CAU .

Re-description

MEASUREMENTS (♂ n =5, ♀ n = 6). Forewing: length ♂ 24.5–31.0 mm, ♀ 25.0– 32.5 mm; width ♂ 5.5– 6.8 mm, ♀ 5.6–6.6 mm; hind wing: length ♂ 24.5–30.0 mm, ♀ 27.5–32.0 mm; width ♂ 4.2–5.4 mm, ♀ 4.7–5.5 mm; body length: ♂ 24.5–25.5 mm, ♀ 22.5–28.0 mm.

HEAD ( Fig. 8B–C ). Vertex moderately raised; in frontal view black, without yellow markings; dorsally black, posteromedially with two longitudinal yellow markings; epicranial area shining black. Frons shining black, but ventral corner yellow, covered with short brownish pubescence. Occiput shining black. Postorbital sclerite yellow. Clypeus pale yellow, distally with four long black setae. Labrum yellow, covered with erected brownish setae at proximal margin. Genae pale yellow. Maxillary and labial palps pale yellow, terminal labial palpomere spindle-shaped, palpimacula brownish, small and circular, with short black setae. Antennae black, scape mostly yellow, pedicel yellow at proximal ⅓, flagellum dark brown, covered with short black setae. Antennal sclerite yellow ( Fig. 8C–D ).

THORAX ( Fig. 8A, C ). Pronotum slightly wider than long, yellow, with two median longitudinal dark brown stripes, separated by a narrow yellow central stripe, lateral margins yellow, covered with long yellow setae. Mesonotum dark brown, medially with faintly brownish yellow marking, distal margin yellow, covered with sparse yellow setae, but prescutum with long dark brown setae. Metanotum dark brown, medially with faintly brownish yellow markings, distal margin of metascutellum yellow, covered with sparse yellow setae. Pleuron dark brown, covered with sparse yellow setae ( Fig. 8E ).

LEGS ( Fig. 8E ). Foreleg: coxa and trochanter yellow, covered with short yellow setae. Femur yellow, posterolaterally brownish at apex, covered with short black setae, but posterolaterally with a few long black setae at proximal ½ and ventrally with short yellow setae; femoral sense hair shorter than proximal ½ of profemora. Tibia yellow, anterolaterally brownish, covered with short black setae, posterolaterally with a few long black setae, antennal cleaning setae yellow; tibial spurs brownish, straight, as long as Ta1. Tarsomeres yellow, covered with short black setae; Ta1 equal to combined length of Ta2–Ta4; Ta2, Ta3 and Ta4 nearly equal in size; Ta5 equal to combined length of Ta1–Ta3. Pretarsal claws brownish, moderately curved. Mid leg: coxa and trochanter similar to foreleg. Femur yellow, anterolaterally brownish, covered with short black setae, ventrally with soft yellow and laterally with a few long black setae at proximal half; femoral sense hair shorter longer than proximal half of mid femora. Tibia similar to foreleg, but laterally with a few long black setae; tibial spurs similar to foreleg. Tarsomeres and pretarsal claws similar to foreleg. Hind leg: coxa and trochanter similar to mid leg. Femur yellow, with distinct subapical brownish ring, covered with short black setae, but at proximal half with a few long black setae; femoral sense hair absent. Tibia yellow, ventrally brownish, covered with short black setae, ventrally with a row of long black setae; tibial spurs similar to middle leg. Tarsomeres and pretarsal claws similar to mid leg.

WINGS ( Fig. 7 ). Forewing: slightly longer and wider than hind wing, subacute at apex; membrane hyaline; costal area slightly narrow at proximal region; venation yellow, except Sc with alternate brownish and yellow patches at proximal half, covered with sparse short black setae; poststigmal area with a few interconnected crossveins; seven to nine presectoral crossveins; initial branching point of CuA at same level or proximal to Rs origin; Rs with 10–13 branches; CuP origin at same level to basal crossveins, fused with 1A after a short free base; pterostigma small, milky white; anterior Banksian line absent; posterior Banksian line present. Hind wing: relatively narrower than forewing, acute at apex; membrane hyaline; venation similar to forewing; four presectoral crossveins; median fork proximal to Rs origin; Rs with 12–14 branches; pterostigma indistinct; anterior Banksian line absent; posterior Banksian line present; pilula axillaris small, with rounded knob, covered with dense brown setae.

ABDOMEN ( Fig. 6 ). Tergites dark brown, but in some specimen with a narrow transverse yellow stripe at distal margin of terga 4–8, covered with short brownish yellow setae. Sternites dark brown, covered with short brownish yellow setae.

MALE GENITALIA ( Fig. 9C–G ). Tergum 9 trapezoidal, with anterior margin slightly prominent in lateral view. Sternum 9 ovoid in ventral view, covered with elongated black setae at distal half. Ectoproct nearly rectangular in lateral view, covered with yellow setae at distal half, posteroventral corner at proximal half with long thick black setae in lateral view. Gonocoxites 11 highly sclerotized, lateral arms straight, posterolaterally wide and rounded in dorsal view. Gonostylus 11 slightly prominent in dorsal view. Gonocoxites 9 broad and elongated, proximally diverged in dorsal view, distally rounded in lateral view.

FEMALE GENITALIA ( Fig. 9A–B ). Tergum 9 quadrate in lateral view, covered with short black setae. Ectoproct rounded in lateral view, posterodorsal margin rounded, with short yellow setae, but proximal ⅓ with robust digging setae. Anterior gonocoxites 8 short, as long as wide, covered with thick long black setae. Posterior gonocoxites 8 long, digitiform, covered with long black setae. Gonocoxites 9 broad and rounded, covered with robust digging setae, anterolaterally with a bunch of erected short black setae at proximal ⅓. Pregenital plate small, pointed at apex in ventral view.

Note

Myrmeleon tenuipennis is rarely mentioned in literature since its original description ( Rambur 1842; Ghosh 1983; Stange 2004). Previously, it was only known from India, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam ( Stange 2004; Oswald 2020). But we thought this is the most common antlion species in Pakistan, previously misidentified as M. assamensis . The marking patterns on frons and pronotum of M. assamensis reported from Pakistan ( Akhtar et al. 2018: fig. 1a) and the paratype of Myrmeleon bimaculatus Yang, 1999 ( Fig. 11 ) from China are almost identical to the type photographs of M. fryeri Navás, 1914 ( Fig. 10 ). However, it can be distinguished from these closely related species by the presence of two yellow markings on vertex in dorsal view (with four yellow markings in M. assamensis : two at median and two at lateral margins in dorsal view). After careful examination of the holotype photographs of M. fryeri ( Fig. 10 ), which is a junior synonym of M. tenuipennis proposed by Esben-Petersen (1931), it is concluded that the specimens presently collected from Pakistan are M. tenuipennis based on the presence of two yellow markings on vertex, instead of four in M. assamensis . We also examined the paratype of M. bimaculatus Yang, 1999 (holotype lost), and confirm that this species is a synonym of M. tenuipennis . Myrmeleon tenuipennis is widely distributed in coastal areas of southern China.

Distribution

Pakistan: Punjab Province (Islamabad Capital Territory: District Jhelum); China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Taiwan), India (Maharashtra), Sri Lanka, Vietnam ( Ghosh 1983; Yang 1999; Stange 2004; Bao & Wang 2006; Bao et al. 2009; Oswald 2020).

Figures

Fig. 6. Myrmeleon tenuipennis Rambur, 1842. Dorsal habitus. A. Male (CAUPK000010). B. Female (CAUPK000011). Scale bars = 5.0 mm.

Fig. 7. Myrmeleon tenuipennis Rambur, 1842. Right fore- and hind wing. A. Male (CAUPK000010). B. Female (CAUPK000011). Scale bars = 2.0 mm.

Fig. 8. Myrmeleon tenuipennis Rambur, 1842. A. Dorsal habitus of head and thorax. B. Head, frontal view. C. Head and pronotum, dorsal view. D. Antenna. E. Lateral view. A–B, D–E: ♂ (CAUPK000010); C: ♀ (CAUPK000011). Scale bars: A = 2.0 mm; B–D = 1.0 mm; E = 3.0 mm.

Fig. 9. Myrmeleon tenuipennis Rambur, 1842. A. Female genitalia, lateral view. B. Same, ventral view. C. Male genitalia, lateral view. D. Same, ventral view. E. Complex of gonocoxites 9 + gonocoxites 11, dorsal view. F. Same, ventral view. G. Same, lateral view. A–B: ♀ (CAUPK000011); C–G: ♂ (CAUPK000010). Abbreviations: ag8 = anterior gonocoxites 8; ect = ectoproct; gst11 = gonostylus 11; gx9 = gonocoxites 9; gx11 = gonocoxites 11; pg8 = posterior gonocoxites 8; pp = pregenital plate; S = sternites; T = tergites. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 10. Holotype of Myrmeleon fryeri Navás, 1914 (NHMUK). A. Male, dorsal habitus. B. Head, frontal view. C. Lateral view.

Fig. 11. Paratype of Myrmeleon bimaculatus Yang, 1999, ♀ (CAU-N 100589), dorsal habitus.

Fig. 20. Distribution map of species of Baliga Navás, 1912 and Myrmeleon Linnaeus, 1767 from Pakistan.