Suarius paghmanus ( Hölzel, 1967 )

Hassan, Muhammad Asghar & Liu, Xingyue, 2022, The green lacewings of Pakistan (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae): a faunal review with new records of genera and species, Zootaxa 5180 (1), pp. 1-83 : 64-65

Suarius paghmanus ( Hölzel, 1967)

( Figs 44–48 , 58 )

Chrysopa (Suarius) paghmana Hölzel, 1967: 38 . Type locality: Afghanistan (Kabul: Paghman) and Pakistan (Gilgit-Baltistan: Gilgit ).

Chrysopa mongolica Steinmann, 1968: 94 . Type locality: Mongolia. An invalid junior homonym of Prochrysopa mongolica Tjeder, 1936 .

Diagnosis and notes

Suarius paghmanus seems to be very common and widespread throughout the northern areas in Pakistan, including Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan ( Fig. 58 ). It can be distinguished by the following characters: frons pale yellow, with X-shaped dark pink marking around the base of antennal trouli; interantennal marking dark brown; scape with dorsal and lateral dark brown stripes; vertex with a median parenthesis-shaped dark brown stripes; lateral margins of pronotum dark brown; hind femora with subapical brownish spot; pretarsal claws with basal dilation. However, we observed a minor difference in markings on the frons and pronotum among some individuals, which probably are of intraspecific variations ( Figs 46A–H ).

Redescription

Measurements (♂ n=8, ♀ n=5). Forewing: length ♂ 9.4–10.3 mm, ♀ 8.8–13.0 mm; width ♂ 3.2–3.6 mm, ♀ 2.9–3.8 mm; hindwing: length ♂ 8.0– 9.7 mm, ♀ 7.7–11.1 mm; width ♂ 2.8–3.0 mm, ♀ 2.2–3.5 mm; body length: ♂ 4.6–5.5 mm, ♀ 5.0– 6.5 mm.

Head ( Figs 46A–H ). Vertex moderately raised, pale yellow, with two median longitudinal parenthesis-shaped brownish stripes; proximal margin above antennae with a dark brown V-shaped marking (indistinct in some individuals), contiguous to interantennal dark spot; lateral margins at distal half narrowly brownish yellow stripe. Postorbital sclerite yellow, unmarked. Frons yellow, with an inverted V-shape dark pink stripe at base of antennal toruli (indistinct in some individuals), contiguous to interantennal dark spot. Clypeus yellow, lateral margins with a crescent-shaped dark stripe. Labrum brownish yellow. Genae yellow, with a median transverse dark stripe. Maxillary and labial palpi dark brown, brownish yellow at joints, covered with short yellow setae. Antennal toruli yellow, lateral margins slightly dark brown. Antennae shorter than forewing, pale yellow, covered with short pale setae; scape with dorsal and lateral dark brown stripes; pedicel with dorsal dark brown stripe; flagellum pale yellow.

Thorax ( Figs 46A–H ). Pronotum slightly wider than long (length 0.43–0.47 mm, width 0.48–0.73 mm), yellow, with a narrow median dark brown stripe and lateral margins broadly dark brown (lateral margins entirely pale yellow with indistinct brownish spots in some individuals), covered with short yellow setae. Meso- and metanotum yellow, with an indistinct median dark brown stripe, sublateral margins with brownish markings, sparsely covered with short yellow setae.

Legs ( Fig. 45E ). Pale yellow, hind femora with subapical dark brown spot, covered with short black setae. Pretarsal claws with basal dilation, quadrate at base ( Fig. 45D ).

Wings ( Figs 44A–B ). Forewing: Costal area relatively narrow at both ends, slightly wider at the longest subcostal veinlets (4–11). Subcostal area with three to four crossveins below pterostigma. Pterostigma indistinct. Crossveins, inner and outer gradates dark brown. Eight to nine radial cells (r cell). Four Banksian cells (b cell); four lower Banksian cells (b’ cell). Basal crossvein between Rs and M (r-m) oblique, meets at subdistal margin of im cell. Median arculus (m-cu2), Pseudomedia (Psm) and pseudocubitus (Psc) dark brown. Two series of gradates; two to three inner gradates (ig) and four to five outer gradates (og). Two intramedian cells; first intramedian cell (im1) ovate. Second (m2) and third (m3) median cells of similar size. Three intracubital cells (two closed); first cubital crossvein proximal to second mediocubital crossvein (m-cu2); first (icu1), second (icu2) and third (icu3) intracubital cells of similar size. Hindwing: Costal area narrow, subcostal veinlets dark brown. Subcostal area with three to four dark brown crossveins below pterostigma. Pterostigma indistinct. Longitudinal veins pale yellow. Crossveins dark brown. Seven to eight radial cells (r cell). Four Banksian cells (b cell); four lower Banksian cells (b’ cell). Pseudomedia (Psm) and pseudocubitus (Psc) pale yellow, except branching points dark brown.

Abdomen ( Figs 44A–B ). Tergum brownish yellow with dark brown patches at lateral margins, covered with short yellow setae. Sternum pale yellow, covered with short yellow setae.

Male genitalia ( Figs 47A–J ). Tergum 8 (T8) subquadrate in lateral view. T9+ectoproct subquadrate in lateral view, covered with short brown setae. Dorsal arm of apodeme (da) on T9+ectoproct transverse, pointed at apex; submarginal apodeme (sa) of S8+9 arcuated. Callus cerci (cc) oblong, with 25–27 trichobothria. S8+9 fused, without suture, subtrapezoidal in lateral view. S8+9 as long as T9+ectoproct in lateral view. Entoprocessus (ent) long, inverted hooked shape distally. Gonarcus (gon) long, with a pair of median short horns, arcuated distally. Arcessus (arc) straight or bend downward in some individuals, trifurcate distally. Gonosetae (gst) short. Hypandrium internum (hi) V-shaped with small and straight comes (c) in dorsal view.

Female genitalia ( Figs 48A–F ). Tergum 8 (T8) quadrate in lateral view. T9+ectoproct rounded in lateral view. Sternum 7 (S7) rectangular in lateral view. Gonaphophyses lateralis (gl) oblong in lateral view. Callus cerci (cc) oblong, with 25–27 trichobothria. Subgenitale (sg) rounded, as long as wide (0.17 mm), bilobed distally, heavily sclerotized, distinctly visible in lateral view. Spermatheca (sm) small, rounded, doughnut-shaped, with a distinct median rounded invagination (inv). Spermathecal duct (sd) long, cylindrical, attached to bursa copulatrix (bc).

Figures

FIGURE 44. Suarius paghmanus (Hölzel), habitus of adults. A–B. Male and female from Gilgit-Baltistan (A. Sermik valley; B. Skardu valley). Scale bar: 2.0 mm.

FIGURE 45. Suarius paghmanus (Hölzel). Male.A. Dorsal habitus; B. Head, frontal view; C. Head and pronotum, lateral view; D. Hind pretarsal claws; E. Lateral habitus. Scale bars: 2.0 mm (A, E); 1.0 mm (B–C).

FIGURE 46. Suarius paghmanus (Hölzel). A, C. Head without distinct dark pink V-shaped marking at the dorsal margin of frons; B, D. Thorax, dorsal view (individuals from Gilgit-Baltistan); E, G. Head with distinct dark pink V-shaped marking; F, H. Thorax, dorsal view (individuals from Azad Kashmir). Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 47. Suarius paghmanus (Hölzel).A. Male genitalia, lateral view; B. Same, ventral view; C–I. Gonarcus, entoprocessus and arcessus: showing intraspecific variations; J. Hypandrium internum, dorsal view. Scale bar: 0.5 mm (A–B). Abbreviations: arc = arcessus; c = comes; cc = callus cerci; da = dorsal arm of apodeme; ent = entoprocessus; gon = gonarcus; gst = gonosetae; S = sternum; S8+9 = fused eighth and ninth sterna; sa = submarginal apodeme; T = tergum; T9+ect = fused ninth tergum and ectoproct; hi = hypandrium internum.

FIGURE 48. Suarius paghmanus (Hölzel). A. Female genitalia, lateral view; B. Same, ventral view. C–E. Spermatheca; F. Subgenitale, dorsal view. Scale bar: 0.5 mm (A–B). Abbreviations: cc = callus cerci; gl = gonaphophyses lateralis; inv = invagination; S = sternum; pr = ventrally projecting process on neck of subgenitale; sd = spermathecal duct; sg = subgenitale; sm = spermatheca; T = tergum; T9+ect = fused ninth tergum and ectoproct; vel = spermathecal velum.

FIGURE 58. Distribution map of the Suarius species from Pakistan.