Dicerapanorpa magna ( Chou, 1981 ) Zhong & Hua, 2013

Zhong, Wen & Hua, Baozhen, 2013, Dicerapanorpa, a new genus of East Asian Panorpidae (Insecta: Mecoptera: Penorpidae) with descriptions of two new species, Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 47 (13 - 14), pp. 1019-1046 : 1024-1028

Dicerapanorpa magna ( Chou, 1981) , comb. nov.

( Figures 1–3 )

Panorpa magna Chou in Chou et al., 1981: 3; Hua and Chou,1997: 273; Nie and Hua, 2004: 188.

Specimens examined

Holotype. ♀, CHINA: Shaanxi: Huoditang (1600 m), Ningshan Co., 20 July 1963, leg. ZF Ren.

Other specimens. Gansu: 3♂♂ 6♀♀, Liujiaping , Wenxian Co., 13 August 1992, leg. HJ Wang ( BNNR) ; 2♂♂ 3♀♀, Liujiaping , Wenxian Co., 11 June 1992, leg. HJ Wang ( BNNR) ; 1♂, Qujiaba , Wenxian Co., 25 June 1989, leg. HJ Wang ( BNNR) . Shaanxi: 8♂♂ 6♀♀, Houzhenzi , Zhouzhi Co., 19 May 2004, leg. SY Lang and T Peng ; 13♂♂ 7♀♀, Huoditang (1610 m), Ningshan Co., June 2003, leg. XN Nie. 28♂♂ 43♀♀, Pingheliang (1830 m), Ningshan Co., June2010, leg. W Zhong and HM Chen . 19♂♂ 32♀♀, Huoditang (1580 m), Ningshan Co., June–July 2011, leg. QX Chen and W Zhong.

Diagnosis

This species differs from its congeners by the marginal spot extending to vein R 2+3; parameres of male with an undeveloped basal branch; subgenital plate of female ovoid, widest at middle; genital plate broad, posterior arms short and curved mesally.

Redescription – male

Body yellowish. Vertex yellowish brown, ocellar triangle black. Rostrum with two indistinct dark lateral longitudinal stripes ( Figure 1E ). Maxillary palp brownish except the apical segment blackish brown; labial palp yellowish brown, with apical segment black. Antenna dark brown, with 40–42 flagellomeres.

Thorax. Dorsum with two black lateral longitudinal stripes ( Figure 1C ). Pronotum with 12–16 setae along anterior margin, and six to eight setae on posterior margin. Pleura with three to five irregular dark spots. Legs cream-coloured; coxae bearing setae on anterior surface; tibiae with five to seven spines along lateral sides and with two apical spurs; tarsomeres darkening toward apex; apical tarsomere entirely blackish brown ( Figure 1A ).

Wings. Forewing length 15.5–17.0 mm, width 4.3–4.6 mm; hindwing length 13.0–15.0 mm, width 4.0– 4.2 mm. Wings light yellow, with dark brown markings; apical band broad, often enclosing a large hyaline window spot, which is sometimes divided into small spots; pterostigmal band complete, with a broad basal and a narrow distal branch; marginal spot extending to vein R 2+3 or reduced to a spot between veins R 1 and R 2+3; basal band complete, extending from Sc to 1A; basal spot very small. Hindwing similar to forewing, except for the marginal spot and basal band usually reduced and basal spot mostly absent ( Figure 1C ).

Venation. In forewings, vein Sc extending into pterostigma; R 2 usually bifurcate; R 4+5 almost half the length of R 2+3; M 1 usually simple. Hindwings similar to forewings, but Sc shorter; R 1 usually bifurcate distally; M coalescing basally with CuA for a short distance ( Figure 1C ).

Abdomen. Terga I–V pale yellow, with two black longitudinal lateral stripes, the corresponding sterna slightly paler. Notal organ of tergum III semicircular, very short, only covering the dorsal process of tergum IV, with numerous black setae on its posterior margin ( Figure 1F ). Tergum VI with a pair of short digitate anal horns on posterior margin. Segments VII elongate, as long as VI, much thinner at basal half, and abruptly thicker at apical half ( Figure 1G ); segment VIII as long as VII but markedly thinner and only slightly constricted at base. In some individuals, segment VI with two irregular lines in lateral view, the upper one extending to the apex of the horn, another below the spiracle, extending to segment VIII, and bifurcated at apex.

Male genitalia. Genital bulb oval. Epandrium broad basally, slightly tapering toward apex, with a broad deep U-shaped terminal emargination ( Figure 2A ). The paired hypovalves divergent, reaching the apex of gonocoxite and with long bristles along the inner margin ( Figure 2B ). Gonostylus slightly shorter than gonocoxite, the outer margin smoothly curved, and the inner margin with a sharp mesal process and an extremely developed basal process, the latter with two or three strongly sclerotized conical spines on mesal surface ( Figure 2B, C ). Parameres trifurcate, with the basal branch very short; the lateral branch quite long, extending over the apex of gonocoxite; the mesal branch the longest, reaching the basal process of gonostylus, with microscopic setae on the inner margin of basal one-third ( Figure 2C, D ). Aedeagus strongly sclerotized, consisting of paired ventral and dorsal valves; ventral valves short and rounded apically, attached basally with the sex pheromone gland; dorsal valves longer, with black setae apically ( Figure 2 C–E).

Redescription – female

Head, thorax and abdomen similar to those of male in colour and patterns. Forewing length 16.5–18.0 mm, width 5.0– 5.5 mm; hindwing length 15.5–16.0 mm, width 4.5–5.2 mm. Markings similar to male; the basal band in forewing wider than male; basal band of hindwing complete, extending from R 1 to CuA ( Figure 1B, D ).

Female genitalia. Subgenital plate ovoid, terminating in a ligulate process, with long setae on the distal third, especially the lateral and caudal margins ( Figure 3 A–C). Genital plate broad, slightly narrow at base, ventrally folded on each side. Axis very short, almost entirely concealed in the main plate, only protruding as a small triangular process from caudal margin between the broad posterior arms ( Figure 3 D–F).

Habitat

Numerous adults of D. magna were collected from late May to mid August at the edges of coniferous and broad-leaf mixed forest, with dense sub-shrubs. At the type locality, the general habitat is mixed hardwoods, primarily Betula albosinensis and Pinus sp. mainly with Anemone hupehensis and Artemisia sp. as herbaceous groundcover. Adults are often found in moist microenvironment and hid on plant stems in the dense shade to avoid sunshine.

Remarks

This species is extraordinary in many aspects. It differs greatly from other panorpids in the female reproductive systems, with 16 ovarioles in each ovary and thick accessory glands ( Hou and Hua 2008). The male salivary glands have eight secretory tubes (Ma et al. 2011). The egg chorion is characterized by having a rough surface with higher ridges and larger raised protuberances ( Ma et al. 2009). The larva is unique for short setae relative to their long body, the longest annulated setae on abdominal segments and absence of microtrichia posterior to the subdorsal seta (SD 2) on abdominal segment X (Chen HM, unpublished data).

Distribution

China (Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces) .

Figures

Figure 1. Dicerapanorpa magna, from Huoditang, Ningshan, Shaanxi. (A) Male; (B) female; (C) male, dorsal view; (D) female, dorsal view; (E) head of male, frontal view; (F) notal organ of male, lateral view; (G) male abdomen, lateral view. Scale bars: C and D = 3.0 mm; E = 0.5 mm; F = 0.3 mm; G = 1.0 mm.

Figure 2. Dicerapanorpa magna, male genitalia, from Huoditang, Ningshan, Shaanxi. (A), (B) Genital bulb, dorsal and ventral views; (C) genital bulb, ventral view with hypovalves removed; (D, E) aedeagus complex, ventral and caudal views. gcx, gonocoxite; gs, gonostylus; hv, hypovalv; pm, paramere; vv, ventral valve of aedeagus; dv, dorsal valve of aedeagus. Scale bars: A–C = 0.5 mm; D and E = 200 µm.

Figure 3. Dicerapanorpa magna, female abdomen and genitalia, from Huoditang, Ningshan, Shaanxi. (A) Abdominal segments IX–XI, lateral view; (B) same, ventral view; (C) subgenital plate, ventral view; (D–F) genital plate, ventral, lateral, and dorsal views. Scale bars: A–C = 0.3 mm; D–F = 0.2 mm.