Libelloides macaronius (Scopoli, 1763)

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 macaronius (Scopoli, 1763)

Ascalaphus kolyvanensis - Shengelia 1947 (syn.)

Libelloides macaronius kolyvanensis - Kerimova et al. 2023

Libelloides macaronius kolyvanensis , morpha typica - Krivokhatsky et al. 2018

Libelloides macaronius kolyvanensis , morpha alba - Krivokhatsky et al. 2018

Libelloides macaronius - Zakharenko and Krivokhatsky 1993, Aspöck et al. 2001, Dobosz et al. 2018

Material examined.

GEORGIA • 1♂; Kvemo Kartli, Tetritskaro mun., E of Koda Vill.; 41.5700°N, 44.8075°E; 940 m a.s.l.; Czyzewski S.; 10 Jun 2023; INat • 1♀; Rustavi, Ialguja ; 41.5232°N, 45.0431°E; 320 m a.s.l.; steppe; Tarkhnishvili D.; GBD • 1♂, 1♀ (in copula); Shida Kartli, Kaspi mun., Khovle Vill. ; N41.9003°, E44.2404; 714 m a.s.l.; forest meadow; Bulbulashvili N.; 29 Jun 2021; INat • 1♂; Gori ; 41.9627°N, 44.0967°E; 873 m a.s.l.; forest edge; Seropian A.; 16 Jun 2019; GBD • 1♀; Kaspi mun., Kodistskaro Vill. ; 42.0305°N, 44.3525°E; 793 m a.s.l.; Bulbulashvili N.; 25 Jun 2020; GBD • 1 specimen; Chachubeti Vill. ; 41.8465°N, 44.2677°E; 964 m a.s.l.; meadow; Sanakoeva A.; 1 Aug 2018; GBD • 1♂ (Fig. 3 ); Tbilisi, Dighomi Vill. ; 41.7801°N, 44.6930°E; 776 m a.s.l.; Paliurus spina-christi dominated shrubland; leg. Seropian A., Japaridze L-G.; 14 May 2022; JLGT • 2♀♀; leg. Japaridze L-G., Seropian A.; 17 May 2022; JLGT • 3♀♀, 4♂♂ (Fig. 8 ); Lisi Lake ; 41.7567°N, 44.7291°E; 688 m a.s.l.; steppe; leg. Makharadze G.; 18 Jun 2021; JLGT • 1♀, 1♂ (in copula); Napetvrebi ; 41.7368°N, 44.6482°E; 1115 m a.s.l.; Shermadini Z.; 17 Jun 2022; WGFB • 1♀ (Fig. 9 ); Kojori ; 41.6660°N, 44.6768°E; 1317 m. a.s.l.; meadow; leg. Makharadze G.; 18 Jun 2023; JLGT . • 1♂; Tbilisi; 41.7808°N, 44.6979°E; 721 m a.s.l.; steppe; leg. Seropian A.; 9 Jun 2021; CaBOL-ID 1010290 • 1♂; Kakheti, Dedoplistskaro mun., Vashlovani NP; 41.1925°N, 46.4489°E; 648 m a.s.l.; semidesert; Paposhvili T.; GBD • 3♀♀; Vashlovani NP, Pantishara canyon; 41.2372°N, 46.3653°E; 360 m a.s.l.; netting; leg. Królik R.; 17 Jun 2021; USMB • 1♂; Chachuna Managed Reserve, Dalis Mta Reservoir ; 41.2667°N, 45.9°E; 341 m a.s.l.; netting; leg. Matuszewski Ł.; 14-15 Jun 2018; ŁM • 1♂; Sagarejo mun., David Gareja ; 41.5211°N, 45.3885°E; 902 m a.s.l.; steppe; Songhulashvili Z.; 12 Jun 2016; GBD • 1♀; Samtskhe-Javakheti, Akhaltsikhe mun., near Atskuri ; 41.7583°N, 43.2113°E; 890 m a.s.l.; Chubinidze M.; 8 Jul 2022; WGFB • 1 specimen; N of Minadze Vill. ; 41.6214°N, 43.0566°E; 959 m a.s.l.; GBD • 1♀; Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Mtskheta, Jvari monastery vicinity; 41.8385°N, 44.7332°E; 608 m a.s.l.; steppe; leg. Japaridze L-G.; 15 Jun 2019; JLGT .

Additional materia.

GEORGIA • 1♂, 1♀, 1ex. (abdomen missing); Mtskheta, Dedoplistskaro (Tsiteltskaro), Borjomi ( Shengelia 1947) • 1♂, 1♀; Borjomi; Tyflis [Tbilisi]; ZIN ( Krivokhatsky et al. 2018) • Dzmoba station (Eastern Georgia), Transcaucasus Railway; ZIN ( Krivokhatsky et al. 2018) • 1♀; Mtschet [Mtskheta], prope. Tiflis [Tbilisi]; 17 Jul 1915; Mus. Caucasus ( Kerimova et al. 2023) • 1♂; road from Borjomi, 5 km NE of Atskuri; 41.7585°N, 43.2112°E; 890 m a.s.l.; meadow; leg. Dobosz R.; 29 May 2017; 4♂♂, 1♀; 2 km S of Minadze, near Akhaltsikhe; 41.6216°N, 43.0571°E; 958 m a.s.l.; meadow; leg. Dobosz R.; 29 May 2017 ( Dobosz et al. 2018) • 3♀♀; Tsarsk. Kolodez, Sighnaghi; 41.6111°N, 45.9271°E; leg. Uvarov B.; 10 Jun 2015; Mus. Caucasus. No 94-15 ( Kerimova et al. 2023).

Barcoding.

A single barcode was obtained from the specimen with CaBOL-ID 1010290 (BOLD:ACD2658). The identification via COI subunit was not straightforward, as the nearest neighbor in BOLD Systems L. coccajus (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) (BOLD:ACD2658, p -distance 1.07%) is from France. The second-best match is L. macaronius from Cyprus (BOLD:ACD2658, p -distance 1.22%).

Remarks.

A highly variable species that requires revision. Of the numerous described subspecies and color varieties, there are currently three recognized taxa ( Oswald 2023). An attempt to organize the taxonomy of L. macaronius of Crimea and related species from the Western Palearctic was made by Krivokhatsky et al. (2018). Unfortunately, in the taxonomy of this group, he adopted criteria that were inconsistent with the Code of Zoological Nomenclature, hence, despite many valid conclusions regarding population variability, they cannot be included in the taxonomy. In the Caucasus region, there is great variability within this species, which is also visible in the illustrations presented in this paper, e.g., Fig. 8 typical colored specimen, Fig. 9 white colored form (in Krivokhatsky (2018) [respectively] Libelloides macaronius kolyvanensis (Laxmann, 1770) m. typica and Libelloides macaronius kolyvanensis (Laxmann, 1770) m. alba).

Libelloides macaronius is a species with an expansive Ponto-Mediterranean distribution ( Devetak 2007). It is the most widespread local species, reported from Georgia and all neighboring countries ( Zakharenko and Krivokhatsky 1993; Aspöck et al. 2001). 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 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.

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.