Afroptera acuta Abdalla & Mansell, 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 : 27-29

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4635.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E1AC3BD4-6FCB-49F9-8069-624760C2CAF7
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/89846189-3B15-4AD8-9647-E56872D4075E
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:89846189-3B15-4AD8-9647-E56872D4075E
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Afroptera acuta Abdalla & Mansell
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Afroptera acuta Abdalla & Mansell sp. nov.

( Figs 42 View FIGURE 42 , 47 View FIGURES 46–49 , 56 View FIGURES 56–66 , 79 View FIGURES 79–86 , 154 View FIGURES 153–154 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:89846189-3B15-4AD8-9647-E56872D4075E

Etymology: The specific epithet from the Latin word acuta (acute, sharp) for the acute tip to the forewings.

Type locality. NAMIBIA, Karas Region. Orange / Boom River Confluence, 28°02’S 17°04’E GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis. A large species. General body colour greyish ( Fig. 42 View FIGURE 42 ). This unique species can be readily distinguished from its congeners by the elongate forewings with remarkably elongated rounded tip ( Figs 42 View FIGURE 42 , 79 View FIGURES 79–86 ).

Description. Size (mm). Male: body length 9.6 (9–10.9); forewing 24 (22.4–25.4); hind wing 53.8 (46.4–56.5); antenna 21 (18.8–22.8), Female: body length 10.5 (9–12.5); forewing 20.9 (20–23.5); hind wing 45.2 (42.4–52.2); antenna 14.2 (12.9–16.4). Holotype ♂, body length 9.0; forewing 22.4; hind wing 46.4; antenna 20.3.

Head. Clypeus yellow. Vertex yellowish brown with yellow hind margin and pair of rounded yellowish spots near eye margins. Palpi dark brown. Eyes large. Antennae yellow in proximal portion, light yellowish brown distally, extending beyond pterostigma, with short black setae ( Fig. 42 View FIGURE 42 ); apical segment longer than preapical segments and mostly membranous ( Fig. 56 View FIGURES 56–66 ).

Thorax. Greyish, distinctly powdered ( Fig. 47 View FIGURES 46–49 ). Longitudinal midstripe only traceable centrally on pronotum near hind margin as dark brown shading while lateral stripes shortened to brown transverse spots laterally on either side of pronotum near hind margin. Fore and hind margins of pronotum with erect, long black hairs intermixed with long white hairs. Fine and long white hairs scattered on disc. Long white hairs combined with long black hairs also present laterally. Longitudinal mid and the lateral stripes on mesonotum appear as faint brown shading. Prescutum entirely covered in dense long white hairs dorsally with two clusters of long, stiff white hairs present antero-later- ally. Long, sparse white hairs cover mesoscutum disc with two tufts of sparse long white hairs present laterally along hind margin of mesoscutum. Mesoscutellum bearing a few short, white hairs on disc and two tufts of long white hairs laterally on each side of mesoscutellum. Metanotum with two groups of long white hairs laterally.

Forewings. Slender, elongate, with pronounced rounded apex and shallow emargination before apex ( Fig. 79 View FIGURES 79–86 ). Venation light brown. Costa whitish, proximal Cx shaded light brown. Costal cells increasing in size towards pterostigma. Pterostigma dark brown, broad at base, long but not reaching C. Twenty Cx before pterostigma in both wings. Ten crossveins between R and M before origin of Rs in right wing, 9 in left. Eleven radial crossveins before pterostigma in right wing, 9 in left. Hind wings light brown to creamy white in proximal half before the dark area. Crossveins shaded brown. Longitudinal veins creamy white to light brown. The dark area brown, shorter than white area and apical area white haired. Legs yellow with black hairs.

Abdomen. Brown, pruinose, with yellowish brown hind margins to tergites. Tergites with long white hairs, denser and longer laterally on each tergite. Venter with sparse, short, white hairs. Apex with black hairs.

Variation. Some males have a very shallow emargination before apex of forewings.

Type material examined. NAMIBIA, Karas Region. Holotype ♂, NEUR08943 , Orange / Boom River Con- fluence, 28°02’S 17°04’E, 29.x.1999, M.W.Mansell, C.H.Scholtz GoogleMaps . Paratype s: 5♂ 4♀, same data as holotype. (All SANC) GoogleMaps .

Distribution and habitat. The range of distribution of this species is in the Desert Biome ( Fig. 154 View FIGURES 153–154 ). The col- lection locality falls within the Noms Mountain Desert vegetation unit in the Gariep Desert Bioregion ( Mucina & Rutherford 2006). The area is situated in the southernmost part of Namibia, it is montane consisting of low mountains and sparse succulent shrub type vegetation. It receives winter and summer rains with a mean annual precipitation of 40–60 mm ( Mucina & Rutherford 2006).