Osmylus sp.

Li, Zechuan, Zheng, Yuchen, Wang, Yongjie & Liu, Xingyue, 2025, A revision of the Osmylus hyalinatus species group (Neuroptera: Osmylidae), with description of seven new species, Journal of Natural History 59 (13 - 16), pp. 849-893 : 888-889

Osmylus sp.

Description

Head width 2.9 mm; fore wing length 29.6 mm; hind wing length 26.0 mm.

Head. ( Figure 13C ) Brown, faded in these specimens. Vertex dark brown, anteriorly with a pale transversal band, hairless. Ocelli distinct, with yellowish-brown long setae. Scape, pedicel and flagellum dark brown, filiform. Frons brown. Clypeus brown, lateral margin with a pair of dark dots, covered with some yellowish-brown setae. Mandibles basally brown, distally dark brown. Maxillary and labial palpi yellowish brown.

Thorax. ( Figure 13B ) Pronotum as long as wide, anteriorly narrow, totally dark brown. Meso- and metanotum brown with some dark brown markings, covered with many yellow setae.

Legs. Long and slender, yellow, foreleg tibiae outer margin dark, covered with short setae. Tibia nearly twice as long as femur; tarsomere 1 relatively longer, nearly as long as entire length of tarsomeres 2–4; pretarsal claws curved. Metatibia longer than that of fore- and midlegs.

Wings. Ovoid, hyaline, with dense setae. Pterostigma dark brown alternating with pale. Fore wing gradate series area to apex, distal M and Cu area with few dots; costal space broad basally, subcostal veinlets basally connected by some short oblique crossveins; RP with 17 branches; crossveins among RP branches numerous, irregularly spaced; two distinct gradate series present; CuP with numerous crossveins; A1 and A2, with pectinate branches and crossveins. Hind wing without marking; subcostal veinlets without interlinked crossvein.

Abdomen. Dark brown, covered with yellowish-brown setae. Male tergum 9 with a triangular process, gonocoxites 9 with two pairs tubercles, the posterior pair digitiform to subtriangular in lateral view; gonocoxites 10 curved acutely ( Figure 13D–G ).

Material examined

CHINA: 1♂, Guizhou, Qiannan, Libo County [荔波县], Maolan Karst Forest [茂兰国家级自 然保护区], Dongdai [董歹], 18 July 2018, leg . Mingzhi Zhao ( CAU); 1♂, Guizhou, Qiandongnan, Leishan County [雷山县], Mt . Leigong [雷公山], leg . Tao Li ( CAU) .

Remarks

This undetermined species is known from two specimens collected from Maolan Karst Forest and Mt . Leigong, Guizhou. This species appears to be very similar to O. atomatus from Xizang in fore wing markings and male genitalia, except for slight differences in the posterior pair of tubercles on the male gonocoxites 9. In the specimen collected from Maolan ( Figure 13D, E ), the posterior pair of tubercles of gonocoxites 9 is digitiform and slightly extended ventad; while in the specimen from Mt . Leigongshan ( Figure 13F, G ) the posterior pair of tubercles is subtriangular and in O. atomatus the posterior pair of tubercles is digitiform but slightly extended dorsad.

Unfortunately, these specimens are dried, and attempts to extract DNA from them were unsuccessful. Also, there is no female specimen to examine. Considering the widely separated distribution and differences in the male gonocoxites 9, it is inappropriate to assign these specimens to O. atomatus or any other known species. We therefore regard these specimens to belong to an undetermined species.

Figures

Figure 13. Osmylus sp.; A–E: specimen from Maolan Karst Forest; F, G: specimen from Mt. Leigong. A. habitus; B. head and thorax, dorsal view; C. head; D. male genitalia, lateral view; E. male genitalia, ventral view; F. male genitalia, lateral view; G. male genitalia, ventral view. Scale bars: A = 10.0 mm; B = 2.0 mm; C = 1.0 mm; D–G = 0.5 mm.