Pseudoclimaciella Handschin

Snyman, Louwtjie P., Ohl, Michael, Mansell, Mervyn W. & Scholtz, Clarke H., 2012, A revision and key to the genera of Afrotropical Mantispidae (Neuropterida, Neuroptera), with the description of a new genus, ZooKeys 184, pp. 67-93 : 79-81

Genus Pseudoclimaciella Handschin

Pseudoclimaciella Handschin, 1960a: 207. Type species: Mantispa erichsonii Guérin-Méneville 1844: 391 (as " Pseudoclimaciella erichsoni [sic] ( Guérin-Méneville 1844)" on page 207, and as " Climaciella erichsoni [sic] Guérin-Méneville 1844 " on page 210), by original designation. Mantispa erichsonii is a replacement name for Mantispa grandis Erichson, 1839: 164, which is a junior secondary homonym of Mantispa grandis Guérin-Méneville, 1831: 196.

Remarks.

Pseudoclimaciella can easily be recognised and confusion with other genera is unlikely. Tuberonotha Handschin 1961, a genus with a Palaearctic, Oriental and Australasian distribution is similar in appearance but always lacks an apical stain on the wings. Four Afrotropical species also lack an apical stain and were assigned to Pseudoclimaciella by either Handschin ( Pseudoclimaciella congensis ( Navás, 1936); Pseudoclimaciella coronata (Stitz, 1913)) or Poivre ( Pseudoclimaciella cachani 1982b; Pseudoclimaciella ivoiriensis Poivre, 1982b) but all four have the characteristic elongated radial cells as well as a large number of crossveins originating from the radial cells. In addition to these, two crossveins originate from radial cell 3 and terminate at the anterior wing margin, all other Afrotropical mantispines have only one such vein. The members of Pseudoclimaciella are generally large mantispids. They may be mimics of certain Vespidae ( Hymenoptera ) species, an adaptation apparently not rare in Mantispidae . Colour patterns on the head as well as the pronotum fades with time and older museum specimens are frequently difficult to identify. Sexual dimorphism is unknown in Pseudoclimaciella .

Distribution.

The genus is probably confined to woodland and forests in the Eastern Tropical Corridor. All the locality data indicate a C-shaped distribution extending from the tropical areas in western Africa such as Sierra Leone through central Africa extending down into South Africa east of the plateau, and into Madagascar.

Diagnosis.

All members of Pseudoclimaciella are rusty reddish to brown. Basal cells of forewings always pigmented; basal cells of the hind wing always clear (Fig. 2a). Two or three veins originate from radial cell 3 and terminate at anterior wing margin (Fig. 2a); radial cells 1-3 elongated and narrow (Fig. 2a). Two yellow bands extend from pronotal maculae to ventral basal margin forming an inverted “V” shape on the dorsal side (Figs 3a, 4e). Hind tibia rusty reddish at joints and yellow in middle.

Description.

Head: Antennae moniliform; most flagellomeres dark in colour; twice as broad as long, one to three bright yellow flagellomeres apically; scape and pedicel rusty reddish. Vertex convex, not visible in lateral view; slightly raised posteriorly; vertex always yellow or rusty reddish; epistomal suture black except in Pseudoclimaciella elisabethae ( Navás 1936); mandibles black tipped with black inner margin. Eye margins rusty reddish.

Thorax: Pronotal maculae conspicuous, from the pronotal maculae two yellow bands with black margins extend to ventral basal margin forming an inverted “V” shape on the dorsal side; prescutum with yellow margin forming another inverted “V” shape; prothorax longer than pterothorax, prozona relatively smooth, anterior margin of prothorax black, might be discontinuous medially; metazona with transversely rugulose, lacks setae. Postnota 2 and 3 often yellow as well as posterior abdominal margins providing a vespid wasp-like appearance.

Wings (Fig. 2a): Wing venation complex. Pterostigma elongated, narrow, rusty-reddish. Radial cells 1-3 elongated and narrow; of similar length; at least 8 radial sector veins extending in posterior direction from radial cells 1-3. Two veins from radial cell 3 extending towards anterior margin (C), (very few specimens with three such veins but only in one wing so some individual variation present). All species except for above mentioned 4 with apical pigmentation in both wings. Hind wings: Crossvein between Cua and Cup+Aa prominent; Cua almost parallel with basal half of Cup+Aa; inverted triangle formed by Cua shallow.

Legs: Raptorial femur, tibia and tarsi uniformly red; lacks patterns on inner femoral surface; suture in fore coxa prominent and paler; single fore tarsal claw claw lacking an arolium. Mid- and hind pretarsal claws pectinate (5-6 teeth); teeth of similar size; spoon-shaped appearance; arolium present on mid- and hind-tarsi. Proximal joint of hind tibia dark rusty-red, distal joint lighter rusty red; proximad third of tibia same dark rusty red as joint, two distal thirds of tibia yellow.

Abdomen/Genitalia: Males with ectoprocts inconspicuous to slightly enlarged. Pseudopenis visible in lateral and dorsal view; continuous variation in both ectoproct size and pseudopenis size. EEG absent. No morphological significance regarding the female genitalia.

Discussion.

Pseudoclimaciella and Nampista are quite similar in many aspects. Species of both genera are generally quite large, reddish in appearance with wings often pigmented with a similar colour. From an Afrotropical perspective, they may form a group, but with other genera such as Tuberonotha from the Oriental Region that is in most aspects identical to Pseudoclimaciella , it is likely that Nampista is not the most closely related taxon to any of the Afrotropical genera.