Rapisma McLachlan, 1866

Liu, Xingyue, 2018, A review of the montane lacewing genus Rapisma McLachlan (Neuroptera, Ithonidae) from China, with description of two new species, Zoosystematics and Evolution 94 (1), pp. 57-71 : 57-58

Genus Rapisma McLachlan, 1866

Rapisma McLachlan, 1866: 353. Type species: Hemerobius viridipennis Walker, 1853: 276 (original designation).

Generic characters.

Medium- to large-sized lacewings (forewing length 19-35 mm). Head (Figs 1-3) partially retracted under prothorax; vertex moderately domed, medially with trace of ecdysial line; clypeus prominent, nearly rectangular. Antennae moniliform, but sometimes subserrate, much shorter than wings (4-11 mm). Compound eyes globular, maximum eye diameter divided by minimum interocular distance (i.e. EI ratio) 0.7-1.1; ocelli absent. Mouthparts mandibulate, mandibles short and broad, margin of labrum excised medially.

Thorax (Fig. 1) stout, covered with fine hairs, prothorax very broad and shield-like. Legs densely setose; tibial spurs absent; length of tarsal segments in approximate ratio 1.0 (basal):0.4:0.35:0.25:0.85 (distal); pretarsal claws broad at base with slight projection on inner side; pretarsus lacking arolium.

Wings (Figs 1-3) broad, with numerous setae on wing margins and veins. Both fore- and hindwing with single nygma between bases of RP+MA and MP, but with trichosors poorly developed, only confined on forewing costal margin.

Forewing broad, greenish, yellowish or brownish. Costal space very broad, particularly at base; costal crossveins usually with marginal forks and with interlink veinlets, most of which are arranged into a longitudinal line on proximal half. Recurrent humeral veinlet present, with several branches. ScA present, short. ScP running free to wing margin, not fused with RA, distally with a few short branches. Subcostal space with many crossveins (number ranging 18-31). RP+MA diverging very near base of R; RP with 3-9 pectinate branches. MA diverging near base of RP and forking repeatedly, with initial branching point either near base of MA or rather distad midpoint of MA. MP diverging into MP1 and MP2 near base; MP1 only forked near wing margin; MP2 profusely and usually dichotomously branched. Cu diverging into CuA and CuP slightly proximad initial branching point of MP. CuA forked only distally; CuP at least initially forked around midpoint; a series of interlink veins present among cua-cup crossveins and longitudinally arranged into a pseudo longitudinal vein. A1 with a few distal branches; A2 and A3 proximally fused, each forked near its base. Simple jugal vein present. Crossvenation exceptionally rich, distal-most crossveins among branches of RP+MA arranged into a gradate series.

Hindwing slightly shorter and narrower than forewing. Frenulum present, short. Venation generally similar to that of forewing, except for the followings. Costal space much narrower than that of forewing, with interlink veinlets among costal crossveins absent. RP with 2-7 pectinate branches. No interlink veinlets among cua-cup crossveins.

Abdomen corpulent. Genital segments much smaller than pregenital segment. Male genitalia (Figs 4-6): Tergum 9 much wider than long; sternum 9 slightly shorter than tergum 9; ectoprocts unpaired in dorsal view; callus cerci present; gonocoxites 9, gonostyli 11 and gonocoxites 11 associated into a complex structure; gonocoxites 9 paired, each of them with a broad lobe (glabrous or covered with many short spines) and a narrow lateral arm, which is articulating laterally on ends of fused gonocoxites 11 (= gonarcus); fused gonocoxites 11 present as a variously shaped arc; gonostyli 11 (= mediuncus lobes) present near posteromedian portion of fused gonocoxites 11, fused, but often showing paired trace, more or less setose; hypandrium internum usually present, but often small and difficult to been found. Female genitalia (Fig. 6): Sternum 7 large; segment 8 much shorter than and slightly retracted in sternum 7, tergum 8 enclosing spiracle; gonocoxites + gonapophyses 8 (= subgenital plate) fused, but usually divided by a transverse suture, posteriorly produced and notched at tip; tergum 9 much shorter than tergum 8, slightly narrowed ventrolaterally; gonocoxites 9 (= ovipositor) rather short and small, valvate, distally with tiny gonostyli 9; a pair of small setose lobes (gonapophyses 9) present posteriad gonocoxites 8 and usually beneath gonocoxites 9; ectoprocts unpaired in dorsal view, laterally with callus cerci; bursa copulatrix medially with a straight channel, anteriorly connected with spermatheca, which constitutes two tubes terminated with a large and a small ovoid sac.

Distribution. China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand.

Key to Rapisma species from China