Nemopterella kabas Mansell & Abdalla, 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 : 14-17

Nemopterella kabas Mansell & Abdalla sp. nov.

( Figs 13 , 16 , 18 , 32 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:72FBC1C2-B60A-4CCA-BC7A-A13557C49A84

Etymology. The specific epithet is a noun in apposition derived from Kabas Farm, Pofadder District, where the type specimens were collected.

Type locality. SOUTH AFRICA, Northern Cape Province, Kabas Farm, Pofadder District , 29°02’S 19°26’E .

Diagnosis. Externally, the species is similar to N. africana . Similarity and differences between the two species are discussed in the diagnosis of N. africana .

Description. Size (mm). Male: body length 11.1 (9.7–12.6); forewing 28.3 (24.7–32.2); hind wing 60.4 (49.7– 73.1); antenna 30.4 (24.7–37.2). Female: body length 12.3 (10.2–14.2); forewing 25.2 (21.2–28.7); hind wing 54.2 (44.2–62.3); antenna 18.9 (15–20.2). (N = 128). Holotype ♂ ( Fig. 13 ): body length 11.9; forewing 28; hind wing 62.3; antenna 33.

Head. Frons, clypeus light yellow. Genae creamy. Palpi light brown. Vertex light reddish brown with dark brown midline along epicranial suture, also with pair of sub-triangular yellowish portions on raised area of frons above antennae. Two dark brown spots near eye margins either each side of vertex. The yellow hind margin of vertex shortened into two yellow portions laterally on each side of epicranial suture. Eyes large, brown, widely separated. Antennae extremely long, longer than forewings. Scape and pedicel brownish, flagellomeres yellow with sparse, short setae proximally and dark, dense setae distally. Apical segment dark brown, ending with acute tip.

Thorax. Yellow, slightly pruinose with pronotum yellow to creamy white ( Fig. 16 ). The longitudinal brown central and lateral stripes well defined on pronotum, prescutum and mesoscutum, being much darker on pronotum and mesoscutellum and lighter on prescutum, central stripe appears narrow on pronotum and on area between prescutum and mesoscutellum and narrow on postnotum of mesothorax and metanotum and enlarged over prescutum disc. Mesoscutellum central stripe appears broad as an ill-defined brown shading. The three stripes also visible over dorsal cervical sclerite between pronotum and prescutum. Pronotal margins with erect, extremely long dense black hairs intermixed with long fine pale white hairs, with white hairs being denser on hind margin than fore margin. Pronotal disc with long pale white hairs. Very long erect brown hairs admixed with very long white hairs also present distally on each lateral side of pronotum. Prescutum disc with very long, dense, erect dark brown hairs intermingled with some pale white hairs on frontal part of prescutum. Extremely long, dark brownish hairs intermingled with long white hairs present antero-laterally on each side of prescutum. Long white hairs spread along lateral sides of prescutum. Mesoscutum disc with long, soft brown hairs admixed with a few long white hairs and two clusters of extremely long white hairs present posteriorly on each side of mesoscutum. Two clusters of short black hairs present on lateral sides of mesoscutum above forewing bases. Mesoscutellum with faint brown shading centrally. Two groups of long white hairs situated posteriorly on each side of mesoscutellum. Metanotum with two tufts of very long white hairs laterally on each side of metanotum.

Forewings. Elongate, broadened in middle, tapered towards apex with sub-acute tip and slightly emarginated before apex ( Figs 13 , 18 ). Venation brown. Costa whitish, Sc and R yellow. Distal portion of Sc and R and below pterostigma whitish. Pterostigma short, white, broad at base. Proximal costal cells shaded with very light brown. Costal (Cx) bases before pterostigma white, remainder dark brown. Thirty four Cx before pterostigma in right wing, 35 in left. Thirteen crossveins between R and M before origin of Rs in right wing, 12 in left. Eleven radial crossveins before pterostigma in right wing, 12 in left. Hind wings light yellow proximally, whitish before the dark area. Longitudinal and crossveins light brown to creamy-white proximally and whitish before the dark area. Dark area dark brown with longitudinal and cross veins of same colour; shorter than the white area. Two tufts of long white hairs at each wing base. Legs. Femora yellow with brown tips, tibia and tarsi whitish yellow with long black setae. Fore coxae with dark brown hairs intermingled with long white hairs, while mid and hind coxae bear white hairs with a few short black hairs.

Abdomen. Yellow, slightly pruinose laterally. Dorsum with distinct longitudinal dark reddish brown mid and lateral stripes. Tergites with sparse, very long white hairs, much denser and longer at sides of tergites and on third tergites. Sternites not striped. Sternites covered in sparse relatively long black hairs, sparse short white hairs present on sternites 2–3. Apex yellow with long black hairs.

Variation. In some male specimens there are short black hairs intermingled with the white hairs on tergites 5–8 and also some white hairs intermixed with the black hairs on sternites.

Type material examined. SOUTH AFRICA, Northern Cape Province. Holotype ♂, NEUR09631 , Kabas Farm, 10 Km NE Pofadder , 29°02’S 19°26’E [29°03’40’’S 19°26’07’’E], 800 m, 1.xi.1996, M.W. Mansell / Collected at light . Paratypes: 2♂ 4♀, NEUR09631 , same data as holotype; 7♂ 6♀, NEUR09631 , same locality but 1.x.1996, M.W. Mansell, C.H. Scholtz / collected at light ; 11♂ 22♀, NEUR09630 , same locality but 27.x.1996 / M.W. Mansell, C.H. Scholtz / Collected at light; 13♂ 13♀, NEUR09628 , Bottom of Kouboomkloof , 6 Km S W of Aggeneys, 29°13’’30’S 18°47’’20’E, 6.xi.1996, E. Holm, C. Deschodt / Collected at light ; 1♂, NEUR08901 , Rich- tersveld, Cornell’s Kop , 145 m, 28°25’S 16°53’E, (2816 Bd), 9.x.1974, M.W.Mansell / Collected at mercury vapour light, arid rocky terrain / Nemopterella africana (Leach, 1815) ♂, Det. M.W. Mansell, 1986 ; 2♂ 4♀, NEUR09826 , Richtersveld, Swartpoort , 28°07’S 16°55’E, 100m, 7.x.1991, M.W. Mansell / Collected at light ; 3♀, NEUR09827 , Richtersveld , De Hoop Turnoff, 3 km E Die Koei, 28°17’S 17°02’E, 450 m, 6.x.1991, M.W. Mansell / Collect- ed at mercury vapour light; 2♀, NEUR09825 , Richtersveld, Jenkins Kop , 28°43’S 17°15’ E, 600 m, 9.x.1991, M.W. Mansell, R.G. Oberprieler / Collected at mercury vapour light ; 1♀, without accession No. Richtersveld , 27.xi.1986, G.Newlands ; 1♂, without accession No. 9 m W Steinkopf [29°15’11’’S 17°43’52’’E], 17.xi.1962, H.D. Brown, W.Furst. NAMIBIA, Karas Region. 11♂ 11♀, NEUR08944 , Dabimub River Valley , 27°58’S 17°07’E, 28.x.1999, M.W. Mansell, C.H.Scholtz / At light ; 2♂, NEUR09786 , Orange / Boom Rivers Confluence , 28°03’S 17°04’E, 29.x.1999, M.W. Mansell, C.H. Scholtz; 4♂ 8♀, NEUR09823 , Obib Poort , 28°06’S 16°42’E, 1.xi.1999, M.W. Mansell, C.H. Scholtz / Mercury vapour light. All SANC

.

Distribution and habitat. This species is endemic to South Africa and Namibia ( Fig. 32 ). In South Africa, it occurs in the Northern Cape Province in localities mainly centred in the Succulent and Nama Karoo Biomes. In the Succulent Karoo Biome, the species has been collected from the Richtersveld Bioregion where it is associated with Upper Annisvlakte Succulent, Bushmanland Inselberg, Umdaus Mountains Succulent, Central Richtersveld Mountain and the Stinkfonteinberge Eastern Apron Shrublands vegetation units, and associated with the Namaqualand Blomveld vegetation unit in Namaqualand Hardeveld Bioregion ( Mucina & Rutherford 2006). (See the description of the habitats in these units under the distribution of A. parva , A. dyscrita , A. brinkmani , A. papio and A. munroi ). In the Nama Karoo Biome, the range of distribution is mainly centred in the Bushmanland Sandy Grassland vegetation unit, Bushmanland Bioregion ( Mucina & Rutherford 2006). See the description of the habitats in these units under the distribution of A. munroi . The range of distribution of this species extends north into the extension of the Succulent Karoo Biome of southern Namibia.

Figures

FIGURE 13. Nemopterella kabas Mansell & Abdalla sp. nov., male habitus. Forewing length= 28 mm.

FIGURE 16. Thorax. Nemopterella kabas.

FIGURES 17–19. Nemopterella spp., male forewings. 17, N. africana; 18, N. kabas; 19, N. cedrus Scale = 1 mm.

FIGURES 32–33. Distributions of Nemopterella and Siccanda spp. 32, N. cedrus sp. nov and N. kabas sp.nov; 33, Siccanda arenaria (Tjeder).