Crambomorphus grandidieri van der Weele, 1907

Mansell, Mervyn W., 2018, Antlions of southern Africa: genus Crambomorphus McLachlan, 1867, including extra-limital species (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae: Palparinae: Palparini), Zootaxa 4382 (3), pp. 465-500 : 492-497

Crambomorphus grandidieri van der Weele, 1907 .

Figs 63–71 , 85 , 91

Crambomorphus grandidieri van der Weele, 1907: 252 . 406.

Stenares (Crambomorphus) grandidieri (van der Weele) : Banks 1913: 189. 61. Crambomorphus grandidieri van der Weele : Stange 2004: 38. 11168.

Redescription. Habitus ( Fig. 63 ). Large Palparini . Wings marked with brown, sinuate with falcate apices and narrow sinuate stripe along posterior margin of forewings. Costal area of forewings with irregular biaereolate cells in apical half, basal costal crossveins mostly unmodified. Meso- and metathorax sparsely clothed with white recumbent setae. Differs from other Crambomorphus species by the lack of a distinct median stripe on the vertex, although visible on the thorax, and by the shorter, almost straight ectoprocts.

Size: Forewing length 59.4 mm, hindwing 58.9, forewing width 12.8, hind wing width 13.6, body 69.2 (male specimen, badly damaged). Female holotype: forewing length 66.0, Hind wing length 65.0, abdomen 40.0 (van der Weele 1907: 253).

Head: wider than prothorax, vertex slightly raised with fine, sparse white and black setae, setae, median black stripe absent, but with row of black maculae across vertex, three maculae in occipital region and three on frons, face below antennae, clypeus, labrum shiny black; toruli less than scape diameter apart. Antennae longer than head width, black, covered in short black setae, scape with black setae. Eyes greater than hemispherical. Labial palps ( Fig. 91 ) black, covered with short black setae, clavate, with distinct tip, palpimacula slit-shaped extending to, but not over apex, maxillary palps black.

Thorax: prothorax short, much wider than long, greyish black with central black stripe, lateral margins black, anterior margin raised, with dense fringe of black setae, hind margin raised with long black setae. Mesothorax greyish black, black stripe medially, lateral black stripes and black marks over wing bases, sparse black setae dorsally, white pubescence laterally; metathorax greyish black, broadly black medially with brown velvet spots, black setae dorsally, long white pubescence laterally, metascutum greyish black with central black stripe. Thoracic pleurites and sternites dark brown with long white pubescence (it is possible that the general greyish black coloration is due to discoloration as the specimen examined is extremely old: collected in 1902).

Wings: sinuate, marked with brown, ( Fig. 63 ), wing veins mainly devoid of setae, except for dense black fringe along C and in hypostigmatic area; hypostigma long; pterostigma not discernible. Forewings: with four highly variable diffuse pale brown markings; basal mark variable, two middle marks distinct, apical mark diffuse, with narrow sinuate brown stripe on posterior margin; wing veins black not densely reticulate, basal costal veins uniaereolate becoming biaereolate distally; Rs and CuA arise on about same level, basal presectoral veins uniaereolate becoming irregularly biaereolate distally; Mp2 arises well beyond CuA fork. Hind wings: with three discernible dark brown bands and small spot basally; basal costal cells uniaereolate becoming biaereolate distally, slightly sinuate especially distally; Rs arises before Mp fork, presectoral crossveins uniaereolate.

Legs: black covered with black spines and dense short white setae; forelegs with dense setal brush on tibiae, tibiae longer than tarsi in all legs, tibial spurs black, slightly curved, extending to just beyond Ta2; Ta1–Ta4 short, Ta5 long, approximately equal to combined length of Ta1–Ta4; pretarsal claws longer than Ta1–Ta2, black, slightly curved.

Abdomen: shorter than hind wings, dark brown in specimen examined, covered with black setae and white setae on terminal segments, with some long white pubescence on T1 and anterior margin of T2. Male ( Figs 64–71 ) with T9 divided, sternite IX with acute apex ( Fig. 65 ). Ectoprocts ( Figs 64–67 ) short, black, outwardly curved, thickened medially bearing long straight spines along the distal two thirds; gonarcus and parameres ( Figs 69–71 ) fused into a rigid cone-shaped structure, parameres sclerotized, shiny black with medial tuft of sensory setae, gonarcal bulla smoothly rounded, not as pronounced as in congeners ( Figs 71 , 85 ), hypandrium internum ( Fig. 68 ) lightly sclerotized, keel-shaped in ventral view. Female not examined and no description from van der Weele (1907).

Larva. Unknown.

Distribution. Endemic to Madagascar and apparently confined to the arid and semiarid areas of the south western part of the island.

Type material examined. MADAGASCAR: Holotype ♀, Crambomorphus grandidieri van der Weele, 1907 , Madagascar , Côte Ouest, entre Morondava et Mahabo, Grandidier, 2855-90 ( MNHN) .

Additional Material examined. MADAGASCAR: 1♂, Muséum Paris, Ankazoabo [22.17.20S 44.30.38E, 403m], Bastard, 1902 ( MNHN).

Comments. Crambomorphus grandidieri is a poorly known taxon, with very little material available for study. As in C. madagascariensis , more extensive exploration is required to determine its range, extent and conservation status, and to procure fresh material for molecular analyses to verify its phylogenetic affiliation.

Figures

FIGURE 63.Crambomorphus grandidieri. Male habitus (Forewing length 62 mm).

FIGURES 64–68. Crambomorphus grandidieri: Male terminalia: 64, lateral; 65, ventral; 66, dorsal; 67, Ectoproct spines profile; 68, Hypandrium internumventral.

FIGURES 69–71. Crambomorphus grandidieri: Male Gonarcus & Parameres complex:69, dorsal; 70, caudal; 71, lateral.

FIGURES 80–85. Crambomorphus species: comparative Gonarcus & Parameres lateral profiles: 80, C. sinuatus; 81, C. kalaharicus; 82, C. namibicus; 83, C. karrooanus; 84, C. madagascariensis; 85, C.grandidieri.

FIGURES 86–91. Crambomorphus species:comparative Labial palps:86, C. sinuatus; 87, C. karrooanus; 88, C. kalaharicus; 89, C. namibicus; 90, C. madagascariensis; 91, C. grandidieri.