Myrmeleon punctinervis, Banks, 1937

Lin, Yu-Hsiu Hugh, Ko, Chiun-Cheng & Tseng, Hui-Yun, 2024, Taxonomic revision of the antlion tribe Myrmeleontini (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae) of Taiwan, European Journal of Taxonomy 969, pp. 1-61 : 32-33

Myrmeleon punctinervis group

Diagnosis

The M. punctinervis group is characterized by the hindwing shorter than the forewing; hindwing RP at origin runs closer to MA; male genitalia with gonarcus narrow, arched, crescent-shaped in lateral view, mediuncus well sclerotized, large, trapezoid in caudal view, parameres well sclerotized, large, rectangular in caudal view.

Included species

Myrmeleon heppneri Miller & Stange, 1999 , M. persimilis Miller & Stange, 1999 , M. punctinervis Banks, 1937 , and M. taiwanensis Miller & Stange, 1999 .

Remarks

In Miller et al. (1999), the M. punctinervis complex was mentioned, stating that four species were recognized, including M. confusus , M. persimilis , M. taiwanensis , and M. punctinervis , of which confusus being a nomen nudum. Another invalid name M. nigriventris was also mentioned, which is likely an erratum of punctinervis depending from the text. The punctinervis group recognized here is likely to be consistent with the species complex they mentioned. While Miller et al. (1999) suggested that there may be additional species from Taiwan, this has not been confirmed by our investigation.

The four species within this group are similar in body size, general appearance, and the shape of the male genitalia. The larvae of this group can all be found on the coast, with M. punctinervis also inhabiting inland riverbanks ( Miller et al. 1999; Stange et al. 2003; Lin et al. 2021). A similar structure of the male genitalia is also seen in many species of Myrmeleon , including M. otiosus ( Navás, 1912) , M. solers Walker, 1853 , M. mariaemathildae Pantaleoni et al., 2010 , M. almohadarum Badano et al., 2016 , M. regularis ( Esben-Petersen, 1918) , M. immanis Walker, 1853 M. inconspicuus Rambur, 1842 and M. capito Navás, 1912 ( New 1985, 1990; Pantaleoni et al. 2010; Krivokhatsky 2011; Sekimoto 2014; Badano et al. 2016). This may indicate a close relationship among these species and the punctinervis group from Taiwan, resulting in a larger species group. Confirmation will require additional material and research.