Lekrugeria nepalica U. Aspöck & H. Aspöck, 1986

Li, Di, Aspöck, Horst, Aspöck, Ulrike & Liu, Xingyue, 2020, New beaded lacewings (Insecta: Neuroptera: Berothidae) from Indochina, Zootaxa 4890 (4), pp. 509-520 : 517-519

Lekrugeria nepalica U. Aspöck & H. Aspöck, 1986

( Figs 6 , 24–30 )

Lekrugeria nepalica U. Aspöck & H. Aspöck, [1986] 1985: 93 . Type locality: Nepal (Mugling).

Diagnosis. This species is characterized by the vertex with two longitudinal brown spots, the forewing with two short gradate series of crossveins, the male sternum 9 posteriorly with a median convexity, the male gonocoxite 9 in ventral view with swollen and rounded base, and the male fused gonocoxites 11 with hook-like lateral endings in lateral view.

Description. Male. Body length 6.8 mm; forewing largely damaged, estimated length 9.0 mm, hindwing length 7.0 mm.

Head yellow. Vertex medially with two longitudinal brown spots; postocular region globular, with many dark reddish brown spots. Compound eyes blackish brown. Antenna pale yellow with yellowish setae; scape long and thick, as long as proximal four flagellomeres.

Thorax yellow. Prothorax pale yellow, pronotum with brown spots, darker on anterior and lateral margins; mesonotum with dense brown spots; metanotum medially with a large brown marking and laterally with paired triangular brown markings. Legs pale yellow with yellowish setae; tibia with dense blackish brown spots. Forewing pale yellow, with numerous pale brown markings, denser on posterior margin, transversely arranged as arcuate bands; posterior margin with dark reddish brown markings. Longitudinal veins pale yellow, interrupted by many reddish brown spots; crossveins generally brown, but costal crossveins pale yellow or reddish brown. Hindwing much paler than forewing; some branching points of longitudinal veins, some branches of CuP and crossveins reddish brown.

Abdomen yellowish brown, pregenital segments brown dorsomedially but pale yellow laterally, each pregenital segment darker on anterior margin.

Tergum 9 + ectoprocts in lateral view ovoid ( Figs 24 , 26 ). Trichobothria reduced. Sternum 9 as long as sternum 8, posteriorly with a median convexity ( Figs 24–27 ). Gonocoxite 9 in ventral view with swollen and rounded base, subdistally distinctly inflated into a hemispherical lobe on inner margin, and distally with pointed apex ( Figs 25 , 27 ). Complex of fused gonocoxites, gonapophyses and gonostyli 10 with a basal sclerite, which is composed of a rectangular sclerite with paired protruding narrow sclerites directed posterolaterally, and a short bow formed by bundled bristles ( Figs 26–29 ). Fused gonocoxites 11 (= gonarcus) arched, hook-like at base ( Figs 26–29 ). Hypandrium internum missing.

Female. See description in U. Aspöck & H. Aspöck (1986).

Material examined. Holotype ♀, Nepal, Mugling, 900–1500 m, 14.I.–15.II.1982, L. Tessop BM. 1982–89 (NHM). 1♀, Gokheik Burma, 30.12.20, Dr. A. Moore, ex coll. C. L. Withycombe, Reg. 12.VII.1932 (NHM); 1³, Myanmar, Mandalay Region, Naypyidaw , Paunglaung creek , 28.XI.2016, Hongliang Shi (CAU); 1³, Nepal, Si- walik Range , Bardia NP bei Babai Basar , [28°21’N, 81°42’E], 350 m, 9–15.III.2003, Malicky, Ratomate Khola, unterer Bach (HUAC).

Distribution. Myanmar (Mandalay, Shan); Nepal (Bheri, Gandaki Pradesh).

Remarks. The species was originally described by U. Aspöck & H. Aspöck (1986) from Nepal and Myanmar based solely on females.

We assigned the males described here to this species based on the vertex with two longitudinal brown spots, and the forewing with two short series of gradate crossveins. In the other two species of Lekrugeria , the forewing only has one long gradate series of crossveins. Moreover, the male specimen of L. nepalica from Nepal has almost identical diagnostic characters to the specimen from Myanmar described and figured in this paper.

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. Species of Berothidae from Indochina. 1. Asadeteva acutata sp. nov., habitus, male holotype; 2. Asadeteva acutata sp. nov., habitus, female paratype; 3. Asadeteva acutata sp. nov., base of wing, female; 4. Asadeteva acutata sp. nov., fore leg, female; 5. Berotha incurvata sp. nov., habitus, male holotype; 6. Lekrugeria nepalica U. Aspöck & H. Aspöck, 1986, habitus, male. Arrows indicating the scales on the bases of wings and legs. Scale bars: 2.0 mm.

FIGURES 24–25. Lekrugeria nepalica U. Aspöck & H. Aspöck, 1986, photos of genitalia. 24. Male genitalia, lateral view; 25. Male genitalia, ventral view. Abbreviations: e, ectoproct; gx9, gonocoxite 9; gx+gp+gst10, complex of fused gonocoxites, gonapophyses and gonostyli 10; gx11, fused gonocoxites 11 (= gonarcus); S9, sternum 9; T9, tergum 9. Scale bar: 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 26–29. Lekrugeria nepalica U.Aspöck & H. Aspöck, 1986. 26. Male genitalia, lateral view; 27. Male genitalia, ventral view; 28. Male, complex of gonocoxites 9, fused gonocoxites, gonapophyses and gonostyli 10, and fused gonocoxites 11, lateral view; 29. Male, complex of gonocoxites 9, fused gonocoxites, gonapophyses and gonostyli 10, and fused gonocoxites 11, ventral view. Abbreviations: e, ectoproct; gx9, gonocoxite 9; gx+gp+gst10, complex of fused gonocoxites, gonapophyses and gonostyli 10; gx11, fused gonocoxites 11 (= gonarcus); S7–9, sternum 7–9; T7–9, tergum 7–9. Scale bar: 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 30. Distribution map of the species of Berothidae from Indochina. Distribution information is partially taken from U. Aspöck & Randolf (2014).