ACANTHACLISINI NAVÁS 1912

Miller, Robert B. & Stange, Lionel A., 2012, The cave mouth antlions of Australia (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae), Insecta Mundi 2012 (250), pp. 1-65 : 44

TRIBE ACANTHACLISINI NAVÁS 1912

Tribe Acanthaclisini Navás 1912:40

Further description: Stange and Miller 1985: 29 (larvae); New 1985c: 53. Keys to genera: (Adults and larvae) Stange and Miller 1985: 31. List of species: Stange 2004: 340 -363 (100 species).

Distribution: Afrotropical; Palaearctic; Oriental; Australian; Nearctic; Neotropical.

Description: Adult: body 16- 50 mm, forewing 20-50, hindwing 20-50 mm. Chaetotaxy: with long hair on pronotum, forefemur, and elsewhere; closing face of femora with many short, black spines, that of tibiae with small, fine hair. Structure: tibial spurs thick, strongly curved or bent, sometimes with flange; pretarsal claws thick with subbasal process, usually strongly curved or bent (except Phanoclisis ); forefemur, midfemur and sometimes hindfemur with 1 or 2 elongate sensory hairs; forewing vein CuP short; forewing with vein 2A running close to lA basally, then strongly curved toward 3A; hindwing with 3 or more presectoral crossveins; hindwing vein CuA fuses with posterior fork of MP2 some distance from fork or connected by short cross vein ( Paranthaclisis ); male pillula axillaris well developed; male abdomen with pair of eversible sacs (usually bearing long setae) between segments VI and VII; female posterior gonapophysis clubbed-shape with long spines.

Larva: labial palpus shorter than basal width of mandible; distal palpomere less than twice as long as wide; mandible with 1, 2, but usually 3 teeth, when three teeth present, basal one shorter than distal one; lateral margin of mandible without long hairs; mesothoracic spiracle not borne on tubercle; scoli absent; dolichasters absent; abdominal sternite VII without submedian tooth; sternite IX broadly rounded posteriorly, much wider than long, without fossoria.

Discussion. This tribe is well defined in both adults and larvae ( Stange and Miller 1985). Most of the species are large, robust and very pilose. Larvae do not construct pitfall traps, but a few genera ( Vella Navás , Phanoclisis Banks ) contain species that move only backwards. The hindwing venation is distinctive (except Paranthaclisis Banks ) in having the vein CuA uniting with MP 2 shortly after the latter’s origin. Pretarsal claws and tibial spurs are well developed, and in some genera the tibial spurs are strongly angled and with a tooth. Sometimes this tribe has been given subfamily status (New 1985). Hair pencils are found in all species except Arcuaplectron woocallensis New and Paranthaclisis nevadensis Banks. At least two species of this tribe were found in caves. Unfortunately only one species was successfully reared and identified as Heoclisis fulva (Esben-Petersen) . The other species is probably a species of Heoclisis or perhaps another genus such as Cosina Navás.