Ascalaphus festivus (Rambur, 1842)

Monnerat, Christian & Abraham, Levente, 2020, Owlflies from Jordan (Neuroptera, Ascalaphidae), Alpine Entomology 4, pp. 139-150 : 139

Ascalaphus festivus (Rambur, 1842) Figs 1-4

Bubo festivus Rambur, 1842 - (ODeskr), Navás 1913b (Tax, Dist).

Ascalaphus festivus (Rambur, 1842) - Walker 1853 (Nom), Hagen 1866 (Tax), Tjeder 1972 (Nom), 1980 (Tax, Dist), Ohm and Hölzel 1982 (Dist), Hölzel 1983 (Tax, Dist), 1998 (Dist), 2004 (Dist), Hölzel and Ohm 1990 (Dist), Aspöck and Hölzel 1996 (Chlist), Schacht 2000 (Dist), 2002 (Dist), Sziráki 1998 (Chlist), 2010 (Dist), Gillette 1999 (Dist), Whittington 2002 (Dist), Güsten 2003 (Dist), Monserrat and Martín 2005 (Dist), Ábrahám and Dobosz 2011 (Dist), Aistleitner and Hölzel 2012 (Dist), Pantaleoni et al. 2013 (Dist), Prost 2013 (Tax, Dist), Badano and Pantaleoni 2014 (Larva descr).

Encyoposis (?) festivus (Rambur, 1842) - McLachlan 1873 (Nom).

Helicomitus festivus (Rambur, 1842) - Van der Weele 1909a (Dist), 1909b (Mon), Klapálek 1912 (Dist), Navás 1912a (Dist), 1912b (Chlist), 1913a (Dist), 1914 (Dist), 1915 (Dist), 1919 (Dist), 1924 (Dist) 1925a (Dist), 1925b (Dist), 1926a (Dist), 1927 (Dist), 1928 (Dist), 1929 (Dist), 1930 (Dist), 1930-1931 (Dist), 1931a (Dist), 1931b (Dist), 1931c (Dist), 1933 (Dist), 1934 (Dist), 1936 (Dist), Banks 1930 (Dist), 1938 (Dist), Kimmins 1939 (Dist), 1949 (Rdescr, Dist), 1950 (Dist), Fraser 1951a (List), 1951b (Dist), Handschin and Markl 1955 (Dist).

Material examined.

1♀, Jordanien, Cumran a. Toten Meer, 16.x.1966, leg. J. and S. Klapperich, MHNG; 1♂, Jordania Jordan, Oberes Jordantal, vi.1999, leg. G. Müller, SCMK;

1♀, 7.75 km N Wadi Mujib mouth, 31.53664N, 35.56176E, 315 m u.s.l., 3.viii.2009, leg. C. Monnerat, CCM; 1♂, 7.75 km N Wadi Mujib mouth, 31.53705N, 35.56141E, 320 m u.s.l., 4.viii.2009, leg. C. Monnerat, CCM; 3♂♂, 3♀♀, 7.75 km N Wadi Mujib mouth, 31.53681N, 35.56125E, 330 m u.s.l., 12.vi.2011, leg. C. Monnerat, CCM (Figs 1 , 2 ); 3♂♂, 1♀, 7.75 km N Wadi Mujib mouth, 31.53671N, 35.56131E, 320 m u.s.l., 4.vi.2012, leg. M. Borer, CCM.

Distribution.

This species is widely distributed in Africa. According to Prost (2013) it is found in the Republic of South Africa, West Africa (Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Ghana and Liberia) and on the northern coast of Africa. Pantaleoni et al. (2013) published surprising records from southern Sardinia (Italy). Aspöck et al. (2001) documented the species on the border region of Southwest Palaearctic (Israel, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia and the Cape Verde Islands). Its occurrence in Egypt ( Navás 1913) was confirmed by Prost (2013). It is a new record for the fauna of Jordan. Further specimens can be found in the collection of SCMK ( Kaposvár) from Namibia, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia. A closely related taxon from Madagascar is treated by Tjeder (1980) and Prost (2013) as a separate species under the name Ascalaphus africanus (McLachlan, 1871), which is also mentioned from Mozambique ( Prost 2013). In the future, it would be worthwhile to confirm morphologically separated species by genetic testing.

Comments.

This species was found in a marsh near a hot spring and local water seeps. The vegetation was characterized by scattered date palms ( Phoenix dactylifera ) and covered with Juncus and Saccharum (Figs 3 , 4 ). Males and females were found during the day sitting on stems and collected with insect nets. The locality to the north of Wadi Mujib near the Dead Sea is the lowest observation point on earth for this species at 316 m b.s.l. and is located in the Sudanian bioclimatic region characterized by tropical influences. The species was found in Oman and Saudi Arabia near wadis, in their flood plains, or in oases (C. Monnerat, personal observation). In Sardinia, A. festivus is found in coastal salt marshes ( Pantaleoni et al. 2013).

Figures

Figures 1 - 8. 1. Habitus of Ascalaphus festivus female. 2. Habitus of A. festivus male. 3. Habitat of A. festivus near the Dead Sea, August 2009. 4. Habitat of A. festivus near the Dead Sea, December 2015. 5. Habitus of Stylascalaphus krueperi female. 6. Habitus of S. krueperi male. 7. Habitat of S. krueperi, Wadi Kufrinja Valley, August 2009. 8. Habitat of S. krueperi, Wadi Afra Valley, August 2009. Pictures: all C. Monnerat.