Megagonoleon roseipennis ( Tillyard, 1916 ) Machado & Oswald, 2020

Machado, Renato Jose Pires & Oswald, John David, 2020, Morphological phylogeny and taxonomic revision of the former antlion subtribe Periclystina (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae: Dendroleontinae), Zootaxa 4796 (1), pp. 1-322 : 248-251

Megagonoleon roseipennis ( Tillyard, 1916) , new combination

( Figs. 128–130 )

http://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/ 273300BE-BC99-43B7-86AA-B068CDFC51B3

Glenoleon roseipennis Tillyard, 1916:57 (OD); Esben-Petersen 1923:586 (cit); Stange 1976:306 (cat); New 1985b:51 (key, rd, ill); New 1996:84 (cat); Stange 2004:106 (cat); Oswald 2018 (cat).

Diagnosis. Forewing broad, hyaline; tibial spurs present; posterior gonapophysis absent; pregenital plate large and conically invaginated; posterior margin of 7 th sternite with two rectangular plates; male gonarcus/mediuncus complex very long and slender.

Description. Lengths: forewing: 28–34 mm; hind wing: 26–32 mm.

Head ( Figs. 129 a–b): Labrum orange; with a line of elongate setae. Clypeus pale to orange; with few elongate pale setae. Frons predominantly orange with some dark brown areas, generally with two small curved marks near antennal base, but in some specimens these marks are much larger, fused and covering interantennal space; set with short white setae. Gena pale to orange. Vertex raised; in anterior view mostly orange with a small medial longitudinal dark brown line and two rounded dark brown spots on each side; in dorsal view mostly orange with a central longitudinal dark brown line, three rounded dark marks on posterior border, and some irregular dark small marks at central area; vertex covered with short black setae. Ocular setae absent. Antennae clubbed; elongate,> 4x length of pronotum; distance between width; all segments orange but with posterior surface slightly darker; torular membrane orange; flagellomeres almost as long as wide at base, apical ones much wider than long; scape, pedicel and two basal flagellomeres covered with short white setae, remaining flagellomeres set with short black setae. Mandibles mostly pale, with tip black. Palpi, maxillary and labial entirely pale to orange but with area around palpimacula opening darker; apical labial palpomere fusiform, palpimacula opening oval-shaped, located medially.

Thorax ( Fig. 129b ): Pronotum wider than long; posterior margin as wide as anterior; subapical furrow present; mostly orange except for small dark spots on setal bases, and some dark brown marks as follows: a central and two curved marks on posterior region and two small marks at furrow; beset with short black setae, and some long black setae on margins; sometimes with few elongate white setae on anterior margin corners. Mesonotum orange with small dark rounded spots on setal bases, some irregular larger dark brown marks at medial area, and two small longitudinal lateral lines at scutum; covered with long black setae, with ones at prescutum longer. Metanotum very similar to mesonotum, but with darker areas larger, and with less short black setae. Pterothoracic pleura orange with scattered dark brown spots at anterior sclerites; covered with long white setae; Miller’s organ present.

Wings ( Fig. 129c ): Broad, anterior Banksian line present in both wings, posterior absent; veins mostly orange, but some veins intercalated with brown spots, beset with short black setae. Male pilula axillaris present. Forewing membrane hyaline; CuA fork located close to RP origin; three presectoral crossveins, in some specimens there is a longitudinal veinlet connecting RP with the distal presectoral vein; subcostal veinlets simple; posterior area as wide as prefork area at CuA fork level, but slightly wider in some specimens. Hind wing membrane hyaline; MP fork located between RP origin and first fork, but closer to RP origin; subcostal veinlets simple; one presectoral crossvein.

Legs ( Figs. 129 a–b): All pairs of legs, femur elongate (near three times longer than coxa); tibia slightly longer than femur, and longer than tarsi; tibial spurs surpassing T1 apex; T3 and T4 about same size, T2 slightly longer than T3, T1 longer than T2, T5 longer than T1; claws longer than half of T5 length. Proleg coxa orange with small black marks on posterior surface, covered with elongate white setae; trochanter orange, covered with short white setae; femur mostly orange, except for two brown areas on dorsal surface (one at apex and other medial), sense hair short, about as long as femur width, covered with short white setae, scattered long setae, and few short black setae at apex of dorsal surface; tibia orange with three brown rings, ventral surface covered with short white setae and antennal cleaning setae ventroapically, dorsal surface covered with short black setae, and scattered long black and white setae; tarsi mostly orange but T3, T4 and tip of T5 dark brown, covered with short black setae, T5 ventrally with two rows of thick, long, black setae. Mesoleg very similar to proleg, except for coxa entirely orange. Metaleg with femur and tibia slightly longer than in other legs; colour similar to mesoleg except for tibia and femur entirely orange, but tip dark brown.

Abdomen: Mostly orange but with numerous dark brown areas. Dark areas mostly on tergites posterior halves, in some darker specimens the whole area is dark brown, but in other specimens this area has numerous of irregular orange marks. Anterior sternites dark brown, but posterior ones mostly orange with irregular brown marks. Beset with short black setae, and some short white setae mostly on basal segments.

Male Terminalia ( Figs. 130 a–d): Ectoproct posterior margin rounded in lateral view; set with elongate black setae. 9 th sternite posterior margin medially elongate with tip rounded in ventral view; set with long black setae. Genitalia elongate with tip always exposed. Gonarcus and Mediuncus fused, very long, with tip rounded in posterior view and acute in lateral view. Paramere weakly sclerotized, as two parallel longitudinal lines, located beneath gonarcus/mediuncus complex in ventral and lateral view.

Female Terminalia ( Figs. 130 e–g): Ectoproct posterior margin rounded, set with thin elongate setae and some long cavisetae ventrally. Lateral gonapophyses rounded, about same size as ectoproct, beset with elongate cavisetae. 7 th sternite very long but covered with short black setae; posterior region with two large rectangular plates that bend over the distal margin; plates covered with many short setae. Pregenital plate, a long conically invaginated sclerotized structure; tip rounded but with a small dorsal expansion in lateral view. Posterior and anterior gonapophyses absent. 9 th Tergite membranous digitiform process absent. Ventral membrane gonapophyseal plates absent.

Distribution ( Fig. 128 ). Australia: NT, QLD, SA, WA. Widespread across mainland Australia; most records in northern half. The records presented by New (1985b) are not included here. Re-examination of many of those specimens revealed them to be misidentifications, particularly of M. punctatus and M. banksi .

Adult activity period. Records for July to October, March, and June; most records for August to October; not recorded from the hottest summer months; apparently primarily a late winter/early spring emerging species.

Biology. Unknown, larva unknown.

Name-bearing type. Glenoleon roseipennis : Holotype (by original designation), male [not female], BMNH, high-resolution images examined. Type locality: Australia, Queensland, Winton (town). From original description: “Hab.---Winton, Q. A unique ♀, taken by Mr. R. L. Higgins, in 1912. Type in Coll. Tillyard”. From New (1985b): “ Holotype, ♀ (end of abdomen missing), Queensland, Winton, R. L. Higgins, 1912 (BMNH) (seen)”. From Stange (2004): “ holotype male, Winton, Queensland 1912, Higgins (BMNH!)”.

Tillyard’s original description stated that the holotype was a female, which was followed by New (1985b). Stange (2004) stated that the holotype was a male, which is corroborated by the BMNH holotype images examined for this work. These clearly show the presence of a pilula axillaris—a male secondary sexual characteristic. The imaged specimen matches Tillyard’s original description and bears locality and type labels consistent with that treatment, leaving no doubt that the imaged specimen is the holotype.

Additional material examined (25♂, 19♀). AUSTRALIA: (1♂, ZMHB) ; Northern Territory: Arltunga : 1930 (1♀, SAMA) ; Elkedra : x.1977 (1♀, SAMA) ; Gorge WH: between Hatches Creek and Elkedra , 7.x.1977, at light, J.A. Forrest (1♀, SAMA) ; 17.7 km WSW of Mount Sanford , 8.viii.1973, LP Kelsey (1♂, ANIC) ; Palm Val- ley: 26.ix.1959, museum expedition (1♂, SAMA) ; 30.ix.1959 (1♀, SAMA) ; Reedy Rockhole: Amadeus Basin , 21.20S– 131.35E, 23.ix.1962, P. Ranford (1♂, ANIC) ; Tempe Downs : ix.1962 (1♀, ANIC) ; ix.1963 (1♀, ANIC) ; Queensland: Chilagoe : viii.1967 (1♂, ANIC) ; Clermont : (2♀, ZMBH) ; 3 mi S of Cloncurry , 29.vi.1969, D. Hill (1♂, ANIC) ; Cudmore National Park : x.2010 (1♂, QMBA) ; South Australia: Ernabella Mission : 30.ix.1960, Chinnick, McCabe, Corby (1♀, ANIC) ; McDonald Downs : 1930 (1♀, SAMA) ; Musgrave Range : x.1994 (1♀, SAMA) ; Western Australia: 20 mi SW of Balfour Downs Homestead , 16.vii.1964, R. Plumb (1♂, ANIC) ; Blackstone Range : ix.1956 (1♂, SAMA) ; 186 km SEbyE of Broome , 18.53S– 123.43E, 10.viii.1976, IFB Common (1♂, 2♀, ANIC) ; 11.viii.1976 (1♂, ANIC) ; Great Sandy Desert : 130 miles SE of Broome, 15.ix.1924 (3♂, 2♀, MVM) ; 8 mi S of Lansdowne homestead, 23.viii.1964, R. Plumb (1♂, ANIC) ; 1 km SSW of Milstream , 21.35S– 117.04E, 31.x.1970, Upton & Feehan (1♀, ANIC) ; 28.x.1970 (1♀, ANIC) ; 0.5 km E of Pungkulpirri Waterhole, Walter James Rg, 24 o 39’15’’S– 128 o 45’18’’E, 26.ix.2006, at light, Central Ranges Survey Camp 1 (5♂, 1♀, SAMA) ; Rawlinson Range : 21.viii.2012 (1♀, SAMA) ; Winttenoon : 4.iii.1994, Miller & Stange (4♂, FSCA) ; x.1960 (1♂, TAMU) ; Wolf Creek Meteor Crater : ix.1953 (1♂, SAMA) .

Comments. Tillyard’s original description of M. roseipennis notes that the wing membrane of the holotype is lightly washed with rose-pink in different areas, from which the name of the species was derived. However, after examining a series of high-resolution images of the holotype, it is clear that the pinkish marks are not natural. The marks are very intense on the left wings, but not on the right wings, and particularly not on the hind wings, where the marks are absent. The marks appear to be some form of artificially applied pigment of unknown origin. No other specimens of M. roseipennis , or any of its close related species, have similar pinkish wing membranes. Megagonoleon roseipennis shares with M. annulatus and M. punctatus sp. nov. the distinctive feature of a large and conically invaginated, pregenital plate. For phylogenetic relationships see Fig. 4 .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Strict consensus tree of morphology-based parsimony analysis of species belonging to the former subtribe Periclystina (ingroup, names in black), and outgroups (names in red). Former Glenoleon species are shown on blue branches, former Austrogymnocnemia species on green branches. Numbers above branches are Bremer support values; numbers below branches are bootstrap values (shown where>50%).

FIGURE 128. Distribution of Megagonoleon species (part).

FIGURE 129. Megagonoleon roseipennis: a) head, anterior; b) head and thorax, dorsal; c) wings, dorsal.

FIGURE 130. Megagonoleon roseipennis: male: a) terminalia, lateral; b) genitalia, lateral; c) genitalia, posterodorsal; d) genitalia, ventral; female: e) terminalia, lateral; f) terminalia, ventral; g) 7th sternite and pregenital plate, posteroventral. Scale bars = 1mm.