Afroptera bitis ( Tjeder, 1967 ) Abdalla & Mansell & Sole, 2019

Abdalla, Ishtiag H., Mansell, Mervyn W. & Sole, Catherine L., 2019, Revision of the southern African genera Nemopterella Banks and Nemia Navás (Neuroptera: Nemopteridae: Nemopterinae), with descriptions of new genera and species, Zootaxa 4635 (1), pp. 1-89 : 36-37

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4635.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E1AC3BD4-6FCB-49F9-8069-624760C2CAF7
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7853327
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03DBDF51-A77A-FF94-FF0D-F8AA37095A74
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Afroptera bitis ( Tjeder, 1967 )
status	comb. nov.

Treatment

Afroptera bitis ( Tjeder, 1967) comb. nov.

( Figs 64 View FIGURES 56–66 , 89 View FIGURES 88–89 , 104 View FIGURES 102–105 , 146 View FIGURES 146–149 , 152 View FIGURES 151–152 )

Synonymy

Nemopterella bitis Tjeder, 1967: 465 View in CoL .

Etymology. From the town of Pofadder (type locality) that was named after a well known and widespread African snake, Bitis arietans, whose common Afrikaans name is “Pofadder” or “puff adder” in English.

Type locality. SOUTH AFRICA, Northern Cape Province. Pofadder , 29°07’S 19°23’E GoogleMaps .

Type depository. ZILS .

Diagnosis. Adults of A. bitis resemble those of A. dyscrita in their large body size and broad forewings ( Fig. 89 View FIGURES 88–89 ), but A. bitis can easily be distinguished from A. dyscrita by a combination of the following characters: A. bitis has dense white hairs over the whole thorax ( Fig. 104 View FIGURES 102–105 ) while in A. dyscrita the prescutum is covered in stiff black hairs ( Fig. 102 View FIGURES 102–105 ). Moreover, A. bitis has long antennae that reach the pterostigma ( Fig. 89 View FIGURES 88–89 ) while in A. dyscrita they do not ( Fig. 129 View FIGURES 129–130 ).

Size (mm). Male: body length 9.8 (8–11.7); forewing 23.6 (18.7–27.0); hind wing 55.7 (41.1–64.8); antenna 21.7 (17–25.5); Female: body length 11.2 (9.3–13.7); forewing 22.7 (19.2–26.3); hind wing 49.4 (42–55.6); antenna 15.2 (12.3–18.2). (N = 319).

Type material examined. SOUTH AFRICA, Northern Cape Province. Holotype ♂ ( Fig. 89 View FIGURES 88–89 ) labelled: Cape Prov, Pofadder , 9.XI.1950, P.Brinck, G.Rudebeck, På lijus [on light] / Holotypus ♂ Nemopterella bitis Tjed, Bo Tjeder 1966 ’ (red printed label) / MZLU Type no. 3845:1 ( ZILS) . Paratypes: 4♀, TMSA02062 View Materials , Paratype Neu 094, Nemopterella bitis Tjeder (yellow printed label) / Pofadder [29°07’34’’S 19°23’44’’E], 17.x.1954, A.J.T.Janse (white printed label) GoogleMaps / Paratypus, Nemopterella bitis Tjed, Bo Tjeder, 1966 (red handwritten label). ( TMSA) .

Other material examined. SOUTH AFRICA, Northern Cape Province. 2♂, TMSA00729 View Materials , Richtersveld , 7 km SW Claim Peak, 28°26’S 17°10’E, 23.ix.1991, M.Krüger / Nemopterella bitis Tjeder, 1967 , Det. M.W.Mansell GoogleMaps 2013; 1♂ 1♀, TMSA00753 View Materials , Pofadder [29°07’34’’S 19°23’44’’E], 17.x.1954, A.J.T.Janse / Nemopterella bitis Tjed- er, 1967, Det. M.W.Mansell GoogleMaps 2013; 1♂ 1♀, TMSA00758 View Materials , Kenhardt 6 km W [29°20’57’’S 21°09’03’’E], 12.x.54, A.J.T.Janse. (All TMSA) GoogleMaps . 9♂, NEUR09772 and 16♀, NEUR09783 , Kabas Farm , 10 km NE Pofadder, 29°02’S 19°26’E, 800m, 1.xi.1986, M.W.Mansell GoogleMaps ; 143♂ 47♀, NEUR08925 , Richtersveld, Die Koei , 28°17’S 16°59’E, 400m, 1–6.x.1991, M.W.Mansell, R.G.Oberprieler / Collected at light GoogleMaps ; 50♂ 33♀, NEUR08927 , Richtersveld, De Hoop turnoff, 3 km E Die Koei, 28°17’S 17°02’E, 450m, 6.x.1991, M.W.Mansell / Collected at light GoogleMaps ; 1♀, NEUR08928 , Richtersveld, Hakkiesdoringhoek , 28°25’S 17°11’E, 500m, 2.x.1991, M.W.Mansell, R.G.Oberprieler GoogleMaps . NAMIBIA, Karas Region. 7♂ 2♀, NEUR10209 , ‘ Boom River Canyon 4 km N Orange ( ESE of Rosh Pinah ), 28°00’S 17°03’E, 200m, 25.x.1996, E.Holm, at gas light GoogleMaps .

Distribution and habitat. Afroptera bitis is endemic to the Northern Cape Province, South Africa, from localities mainly centred in the Richtersveld and Bushmanland Bioregions ( Fig. 152 View FIGURES 151–152 ). The Bioregions fall mainly within the Succulent and Nama Karoo Biomes. The habitats vary from arid mountainous desert with a succulent vegetation type and winter rains in the Richtersveld Bioregion to arid habitats dominated by shrubs and grass, characterized by late summer rains in Bushmanland ( Mucina & Rutherford 2006).