Ascalaphus festivus Rambur, 1842

Badano, Davide & Pantaleoni, Roberto Antonio, 2014, The Larvae of European Ascalaphidae (Neuroptera), Zootaxa 3796 (2), pp. 287-319 : 293-295

Ascalaphus festivus Rambur, 1842

( Figs. 1B , 2A , 3A , 4 )

The larvae of this species are described here for the first time. A photo of newly hatched 1 st instar larvae appears in U. Aspöck & H. Aspöck (1999).

Examined specimens. Italy. Sardinia, 2 L3 laboratory-reared from a female collected at Sant’Anna Arresi, Porto Pino , coastal marshes, VII.2005; 2 L3 and 1 L3 laboratory-reared to adult, laboratory-reared from a female collected in the same locality, IX.2008 ( R. A. Pantaleoni, D. Badano & A. Letardi) .

Description of 3 rd instar larva. Size (based on 4 specimens): BL 14.98 mm; HL 3.07 mm (2.88–3.18), HW 3.69 mm (3.51–3.79), ML 3.73 mm (3.47–3.97), HW/HL 1.20, ML/HL 1.21. Body bicoloured: anterior part of the body whitish with dark markings, posterior half of the abdomen dark brown with white markings, ventral side of the body whitish and mottled with brown; scolus-like processes mostly whitish; dorsal side of the head capsule mainly dark brown with paler areas on the clypeo-labrum and on the posterior half, ventral side brown, mandibles brown, darker apically; legs pale; setae of the body black. Head wider than long, slightly dilated posteriorly and with a deep dorsal posterior depression ( Fig. 4c ); ocular tubercles large, wider than long ( Fig. 4b ); mandibles straight, longer than the head capsule ( Fig. 4a ); interdental pseudo-teeth: (4–2)(4–2)(0); external margin of the mandible equipped with short setae. Pronotum covered by sparse short setae; mesothoracic spiracles ochre with a darker apex. Abdominal spiracles dark, the first pair positioned on the dorsal side ( Fig. 4d ); first pair of abdominal scolus-like processes positioned dorsally, black in colour ( Fig. 4e ), contrasting with the white following pairs.

Bio-ecology. In Sardinia A. festivus has been exclusively found in coastal salt marshes on back-dunes, living among rushes growing on a humid sandy substratum. In Africa this species is mainly reported from grasslands and similar biotopes. The larval habitat remains to be determined however the larvae probably live among the impenetrable tufts of rushes.

Distribution. This species has been reported from almost the whole African continent and Middle East, nevertheless it has been often confused with congeners thus a careful revision of the existing records appears necessary to establish its actual distribution.

Remarks. A. festivus is the only member of the genus whose larva is adequately described. The larva is easily recognizable due to the peculiar bicolour pattern of the body.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Taxonomic characters of Ascalaphidae larvae. A, Deleproctophylla australis dorsal and ventral view; B, head of Ascalaphus festivus; C, head of Puer maculatus; D, VIII and IX sternites of Libelloides siculus.

FIGURE 2. VIII and IX abdominal sternites of 3rd instar larva of Ascalaphidae. A, Ascalaphus festivus; B, Bubopsis agrionoides; C, Puer maculatus; D, Deleproctophylla australis; E, Libelloides macaronius. Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIGURE 3. Chaetotaxy of the VIII abdominal sternite of 3rd instar larva of Ascalaphidae. A, Ascalaphus festivus; B, Bubopsis agrionoides; C, Puer maculatus; D, Deleproctophylla australis; E, Libelloides longicornis. Scale bar: 100 µm.

FIGURE 4. Ascalaphus festivus Rambur, 1842, 3rd instar larva (Italy: Sardinia, Sant’Anna Arresi, Porto Pino). Dorsal (above), ventral (middle) and lateral (below) view; a–e: diagnostic characters, see species description.