Xantholeon xadnus, New, 1985

Miller, Robert B. & Stange, Lionel A., 2012, The cave mouth antlions of Australia (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae), Insecta Mundi 2012 (250), pp. 1-65 : 35

Xantholeon xadnus New

( Figure 63, 64, 65)

Xantholeon xadnus New 1985c: 11 , figure 1107-1112. Holotype male, 21 km. northeast Kalbarri, 12.xii.1971, McFarland (ANIC).

Description. Adult: length of body 23 mm, forewing 25 mm, hindwing 24 mm. Coloration: pale yellowish brown; labrum and clypeus pale; frons with broad dark brown to black band; vertex reddish in midline, red marks flanking two partial brown bands across central region; antennal flagellomeres pale, club with about 10 segments black; pronotum with much of central third suffused with longitudinal brown streaks, posterior border partially blackened, mostly dark brown laterally; mesopleuron about same color as metapleuron, with little dark brown anteriorly; abdomen predominantly pale brown, anterior of tergite II dark brown and irregular but uniform dark brown mark towards anterior of other tergites; wing with pale brown longitudinal veins except at intersections with crossveins which are black except near wing apices; forewing with dark mark at fusion of CuA2 and CuP + lA which extends along 3 or more cross veins; forewing without extended cubital mark; legs pale except darkened apices of all segments. Chaetotaxy: labrum and clypeus with pale brown hairs; midfemur with long dark sense hair other femoral hairs pale; tibia with sparse outstanding black bristles; male ectoproct with fringe of long black hairs. Structure: slender; antenna slender with flagellar segments longer than wide, club well defined; pronotum slightly longer than broad, incipient transverse furrow; legs slender, foretibia longer than forefemur, other tibia about equal to femoral length; tarsus shorter than tibia; distal tarsomere longer than basitarsus and tarsomeres II-IV; spurs slender, incurved apically, extending to apex of tarsomere III; pretarsal claws simple, slender, about equal to basitarsus; male sternite IX bluntly rounded; genitalia with gonarcus deeply hooded, tapered posteriorly; parameres widely spaced anteriorly, with strongly developed dorsal flange.

New records. AUSTRALIA. Western Australia: 37 km. east Pt. Hedland, S20 o 23' 34.6", E118 o 54' 27.5", 1.III.1994, Miller & Stange (2m, 3f, FSCA) ; 70 km. north Mullewa, Tallering Peak, S 28 o, 05', 36.8", E 115 o, 38', 37.0", 23.III.1994, Miller & Stange (1m, 1f, FSCA) .

Discussion. New regarded X. xadnus as very similar to X. montanus differing mainly on color patterns. However, he only saw one male of X. xadnus and one female of X. montanus whereas we have seen 7 specimens of X. xadnus and 12 specimens of X. montanus of both sexes. The forewing with dark mark at fusion of CuA2 and CuP + lA extending along 3 or more cross veins ( Figure 52) differs from X. lineatus and X. cavernicolus .