Libelloides ustulatus (Eversmann, 1850)

Japaridze, Lasha-Giorgi, Makharadze, Giorgi, Rostiashvili, Ioane, Datunashvili, Anastasia & Dobosz, Roland, 2024, First barcode-assisted annotated checklist of owlflies (Neuroptera, Myrmeleontidae, Ascalaphidae) of Georgia with the first record of genus Deleproctophylla Lefebvre, 1842, Caucasiana 3, pp. 5-18 : 5

Libelloides ustulatus (Eversmann, 1850)

Libelloides ustulatus - Dobosz et al. 2017

Libelloides hispanicus ustulatus - Devetak et al. 2019

Material examined.

GEORGIA • 1♀; Kvemo Kartli, Tetritskaro mun., E of Elpia Vill.; 41.6462°N, 44.6286°E; 940 m a.s.l.; shtepbraiter; 29 May 2022; INat • 1♂, 1♀; Birtvisi Natural Monuments ; 41.62°N, 44.5306°E; 1150 m a.s.l.; netting; leg. R. Zamorski; 31 May 2022; USMB • 2♂♂; leg. R. Dobosz; 31 May 2022; USMB • 1♂; leg. Ł. Matuszewski; 31 May 2022; USMB • 1♀; netting; 96% ethanol; leg. Ł. Matuszewski; 1 Jun. 2022; ILIAUNI • 1♀; Shida Kartli, Gori ; 41.9734°N, 44.0840°E; 803 m a.s.l.; meadow at forest; N. Bulbulashvili; 15 May 2021; INat • 1♀; Adigeni mun., Tashiskari Vill. ; 41.9523°N, 43.5034°E; 742 m a.s.l.; meadow at the forest; Z. Khachidze; 12 May 2016; WGFB • 1♂; Samtskhe-Javakheti, Adigeni mun., Zekari Pass , N of Abastumani; 41.8224°N, 42.8443°E; 2172 m a.s.l.; jhskevington; 11 Jun. 2019; INat • 1♀; Abastumani ; 41.7927°N, 41.8404°E; 1893 m. a.s.l.; 23 Jun. 2018; leg. T. Klenovsek; BOLD Systems • 1♀; Borjomi mun., Kvabiskhevi Vill. ; 41.7780°N, 43.2394°E; 940 m a.s.l.; meadow; I. Goliadze; 12 May 2011; WGFB • 1♀; Zanavi Vill ; 41.8872°N, 43.4325°E; 800 m a.s.l.; netting; leg. A. Lasoń; 18 May 2019; USMB • 3♀♀, 4♂♂ (Fig. 10 ); Tbilisi, Kiketi ; 41.6556°N, 44.6537°E; 1177 m a.s.l.; meadow at the forest; leg. G. Makharadze; 23 May 2023; JLGT • 1♂ ( Fig. 4 ); A. Seropian; 17 May 2021; GBD • 1♂; 41.6389°N, 44.6378°E; 1166 m a.s.l.; meadow at the forest; leg. Makharadze G.; 17 May 2021; CaBOL-ID 1010385 • 2♂♂ (Fig. 11 ); Nutsubidze plateau; 41.7306°N, 44.7094°E; 702 m a.s.l.; artificial pine planting; leg. A. Seropian & L-G. Japaridze; 1 May 2020; JLGT • 1♂; Kojori ; 41.6406°N, 44.6920°E; 1332 m a.s.l.; meadow; leg. L-G. Japaridze & S. Tchkoidze; 26 May 2023; JLGT • 1♂; 41.6598°N, 44.7086°E; 1276 m a.s.l.; forest edge, tree branch; N. Melikishvili; 8 May 2021; WGFB • 1♂; Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Mtskheta ; 41.8333°N, 44.7°E; 558 m a.s.l.; leg. J. Kadlec; 18 May 2018; USMB .

Additional material.

GEORGIA • 3♂♂, 1♀; W Tbilisi, N Naosari, NE Manglisi; 41.7333°N, 44.4500° Е; 1814 m a.s.l.; leg. M. Snižek; 14 May 2014 ; Dobosz et al. (2017) • 1♀; Abastumani ( Lesser Caucasus Mountains ); 41.792694°N, 42.840417°E; 1893 m; coniferous forest, meadow; 23 Jun. 2018 ; Devetak et al. (2019) • 2♀♀, 1♂; Borjomi ; 41.8400°N, 43.3908°E; leg. P. Winogradow; 5 Jun. 1911 ; 1♂ (white morph); Borjomi, Likani ; 41.8324°N, 43.3463°E; leg. A. Wasilinin; 4 May 1912 ; Kerimova et al. (2023).

Barcoding.

A single barcode was obtained from the specimen with CaBOL-ID 1010385 (BOLD:AEG2795) identical to the nearest neighbor in the BOLD Systems L. ustulatus (Eversmann, 1850) from Georgia, Abastumani (BOLD:AEG2795).

Remarks.

Libelloides ustulatus was synonymized with L. hispanicus Rambur, 1842, by Navás (1912). Due to the extraordinary morphological similarity of the Libelloides hispanicus and Libelloides ustulatus taxa, convergence at the subspecies level was postulated ( Aspöck et al. 1980). At the same time, due to the disjunctive nature of the distribution of these two species, some authors raise L. hispanus ustulatus to the species level ( Aspöck and Aspöck 1994; Szirák 1998; Aspöck et al. 2001; Canbulat 2007). Libelloides ustulatus is a species with a Caucaso-Anatolian distribution ( Dobosz et al. 2017; Dobronosov et al. 2023). Unlike other local owlfly species, L. ustulatus occurs mainly in forest meadows at higher altitudes. For species distribution within the country, see Fig. 12 .

Figures

Figures 12. The distributional map of Georgian owlflies (Ascalaphidae) discussed in the main text.

Figures 5 - 11. Images of preserved specimens of studied owlflies. 5 - 6: Bubopsis hamata (Klug, 1834), male and female; 7: Deleproctophylla australis (Fabricius, 1787), female; 8 - 9: Libelloides macaronius (Scopoli, 1763), male and female; 10 - 11: Libelloides ustulatus (Eversmann, 1850), male and female. Scale bars = 10 mm.

Figures 2 - 4. Images of live specimens of studied owlflies. 2: Bubopsis hamata (Klug, 1834), female; 3: Libelloides ustulatus (Eversmann, 1850), male; 4: Libelloides macaronius (Scopoli, 1763), male.