Austrogymnocnemia arcuata New, 1985

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 : 76-80

Austrogymnocnemia arcuata New, 1985

( Figs. 28–30 )

Austrogymnocnemia arcuata New 1985:15 (OD); New 1996:67 (cat); Stange 2004:98 (cat); Oswald 2018 (cat).

Diagnosis. Body mostly dark; forewing with numerous brown marks; hind wing with a broad transverse band subapically; profemur with a series of long white setae on dorsal surface.

Description. Lengths: forewing: 17–22 mm; hind wing: 15–21 mm.

Head ( Figs. 28 a–b): Labrum pale (dark brown in few darker specimens); set with a line of elongate setae. Clypeus pale with two lateral dark brown spots (in some paler specimens marks almost indistinguishable); set with few elongate black setae. Frons predominantly shiny black, except for pale ventral corners; set with few short black setae. Gena pale. Vertex raised with lateral corners straight; in anterior view pale with two short transverse dark brown marks laterally and a rounded central dark spot (in some specimens the dark marks all connected forming a line); in dorsal view mostly, dark brown with two pale marks posterolaterally; covered with short black setae. Ocular setae absent. Antennae clubbed; elongate,> 3x length of pronotum; distance between antennae larger than scape width; in general, entirely dark brown with a pale ring at distal margin of scape; torular membrane pale; flagellomeres almost as long as wide at base, apical ones much wider than long; all segments set with short black setae. Mandibles pale to brown, with tip black. Palpi, maxillary and labial mostly dark brown with pale marks; apical labial palpomere fusiform, palpimacula opening oval and located medially.

Thorax ( Fig. 28b ): Pronotum about as wide as long; posterior as wide as anterior; subapical furrow present; mostly dark brown except by some pale areas, as follows: a thin central line on anterior margin, two sinuous marks on posterior half, two spots on anterior half (some specimens with pale areas larger and sometimes fused); beset with short black setae, and few long black or white setae on borders. Mesonotum mostly dark brown with pale areas, as follows: two lateral rounded spots on prescutum, two rounded spots near wing base (some specimens with marks around central area) at scutum, a medial line on scutellum; covered with short black setae, and few white setae on posterior margin of prescutum. Metanotum mostly dark brown, except for irregular pale areas mostly around midline and posterior margin of scutellum, covered with few short black setae. Pterothoracic pleura dark brown; covered with long white setae; Miller’s organ present.

Wings ( Fig. 28c ): Rather narrow with tip acute; anterior and posterior Banksian line present in both wings; veins mostly dark brown, but some veins intercalated with white spots, beset with short black setae. Male pilula axillaris present. Forewing membrane mostly hyaline with small brown marks as follows: marks at tip, posterior margin, around crossveins (mainly at radial and mediocubital areas), pterostigma, subcostal area, and gradate crossveins; tip of pterostigma white; CuA fork located between RP origin and first fork, but closer to RP origin; three presectoral crossveins; subcostal veinlets simple; some specimens with costal area large and basal veinlets sinuous; prefork area wider than posterior area, with many longitudinal crossveins. Hind wing membrane mostly hyaline except for two large brown marks (sometimes fused), one on rhegmal area and another on pterostigma; MP fork located near RP origin; subcostal veinlets simple; one presectoral crossvein.

Legs ( Figs. 28 a–b): All pairs of legs, femur elongate (> 2x length of coxa); tibia, femur and tarsi about same size; tibial spurs absent; T3 and T4 about same size, T2 slightly longer than T3, T1 about twice longer than T2, and T5 longer than T1; claws about half of T5 length; coxa, trochanter, femur and tibia set with white setae, mainly at femur with longer setae dorsally; femur, tibia and tarsi set with black setae, and scattered long black setae; T5 ventrally with two rows of thick, long, black setae. Proleg sense hair slightly longer than femur width; tibia with antennal cleaning setae ventroapically; coxa, trochanter and femur with external surface dark brown, internal surface pale, in some specimens with irregular pale areas on external surface, tibia pale with three dark brown rings on external surface; tarsi mostly dark brown, but base of T1 and T5 pale, in some specimens the base of T2 also pale. Mesoleg with colour pattern similar to proleg, except for coxa, trochanter and femur entirely dark brown; and tibia dark brown with three pale rings. Metaleg with femur and tibia slightly longer than in other legs; colour pattern similar to mesoleg, except for tibia pale with tip and internal surface midline dark brown, some specimens with irregular pale marks, mainly at femur.

Abdomen: Mostly black with scattered pale marks, mainly on sternites medial areas and tergites posterior margins. Beset with short white setae.

Male Terminalia ( Figs. 29 a–c): Ectoproct posterior margin rounded in lateral view, set with elongate black setae. 9 th sternite short, with posterior margin straight in ventral view; set with elongate black setae. Genitalia with a large membrane ventrally, bearing few short setae. Gonarcus broad, arched, with anterior margin thin and curving downwards in lateral view. Mediuncus absent. Paramere broad in lateral view, with an apical hook curving downwards.

Female Terminalia ( Figs. 29 d–e): Ectoproct posterior margin rounded covered with thin elongate setae. Lateral gonapophyses rounded, much smaller than ectoproct, set with few thickened setae. 7 th sternite small, with distal margin curved in ventral view; covered with long black setae. Pregenital plate broad, “Y” shaped, with a short and sclerotized extension between the “Y” arms, with a basal rounded expansion in ventral view. Posterior gonapophy- ses broad, long, with tip recurved; covered with long black setae, and few cavisetae posteroapically. 9 th tergite with a long membranous digitiform process. Anterior gonapophyses absent. Ventral membrane gonapophyseal plates present.

Distribution ( Fig. 30 ). Australia: NSW*, SA*, VIC*, WA. Known from scattered records in southeastern Australia, with outliers in western Western Australia.

Adult activity period. Records for September to January, April, and May.

Biology. Unknown, larva unknown.

Name-bearing type. Austrogymnocnemia arcuata : Holotype (by original designation), male, WAM, high-resolution images examined. Type locality: Australia, Western Australia, Wilroy (town). From original description: “ Holotype, ♂, Western Australia, Wilroy ( WAM)”. Condition: good; antennae and some legs missing; terminalia dissected.

Additional material examined (12♂, 17♀). AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Nombinnie Nature Reserve: 18 air km SSE Mount Hope , 160m, 32.99613 oS– 145.94006 oE ± 70m, 3.i.2013, M.V., Oswald, Diehl & Machado, Oswald #626 (3♀, TAMU) ; South Australia: 12 km WSW of Alawoona , 34:46S–140:22E, 6.i.1996, M.S. & B.J. Moulds (1♂, 2♀, AMSA) ; 13 km S, M.S. & B.J. Moulds & K.A. Kopestonsky (3♂, 2♀, AMSA) ; Danggali : 8 km S of Tomahawk Dam, ix.1996 (1♀, SAMA) ; Gluepot Reserve: near Stella Camp , xii.2000 (2♀, SAMA) ; i.2000 (1♀, SAMA) ; Loxton : 18.i.1958, at m.v.l., N.B. Tindale (1♀, SAMA) ; Pinkawillinia District : late x.1989; A. Sundholmi & J. Bugeja (1♂, 2♀, AMSA) ; Purnong: Near Murray River , 29.xii.1911 (4♂, 1♀, MVM) ; Yurgo : i.1956 (1♂, SAMA) ; Weetara Tank: Wirrulla , ix.1995 (1♂, SAMA) ; Victoria: Lake Hattah : 28.xi.1967 (1♂, MVM) ; Murray- Sunset National Park : - 34.63207 o– 141.97935 o, 10.i.2010, S. Winterton (1♀, CSCA) ; Western Australia: Gillford Creek Station: 15 km W, Malaise trap near Drying pool in Yangibana Creek , 23 o 56.8’S– 116 o 07.6’E 26.iv–10.v.2003, M.E. Irwin & F.D. Parker (1♀, FSCA) .

Comments. Austrogymnocnemia arcuata is the smallest species in the bipunctata species group and is closely associated with A. bipunctata . It is easily separated from the other species of the group by the broad, dark, transverse band on the hind wings. 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 28. Austrogymnocnemia arcuata: a) head, anterior; b) head and thorax, dorsal; c) wings, dorsal.

FIGURE 29. Austrogymnocnemia arcuata: male: a) terminalia, lateral; b) genitalia, lateral; c) genitalia, posterior; female: d) terminalia, lateral; e) 7th sternite and pregenital plate, ventral. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 30. Distribution of Austrogymnocnemia species (part).