Fusoleon stigmatus New, 1985

Machado, Renato Jose Pires & Oswald, John David, 2020, Morphological phylogeny and taxonomic revision of the former antlion subtribe Periclystina (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae: Dendroleontinae), Zootaxa 4796 (1), pp. 1-322 : 62-65

Fusoleon stigmatus New, 1985

( Figs. 19 , 22–23 )

Fusoleon stigmatus New 1985b:70 (OD); New 1996:81 (cat); Stange 2004:102 (cat); Oswald 2018 (cat); Machado et al. 2019 (tree).

Diagnosis. Body mostly dark; forewing subcostal area with brown marks; female ventromedial plate present.

Description. Lengths: forewing: 23–29 mm; hind wing: 22–28 mm.

Head ( Figs. 22 a–c): Labrum pale, with a line of elongate setae. Clypeus pale, with two small rounded black spots, beset with elongate pale setae. Frons mostly black except by interantennal space and ventral area pale (sometimes with a thin medial, dark, longitudinal line on ventral pale area); beset with short white setae. Gena pale. Vertex weakly raised; in anterior view pale with two short transverse dark brown marks laterally and a rounded central dark spot; in dorsal view mostly pale with a large mark “T” shaped, with the longitudinal region broad, and the extremities of the transverse region bending ventrally; set with short black setae. Ocular setae elongate and white. Antennae clubbed; elongate, about twice longer than pronotum; distance between width; all segments dark brown, except for anterior surface of scape, pedicel, and basal flagellomeres pale; torular membrane black; flagellomeres almost as long as wide at base, apical ones much wider than long; flagellum set with short black setae, scape and pedicel set with short white setae. Mandible pale with tip dark. Palpi, maxillary and labial pale except for the basal segment and some irregular, black marks on maxillary palpi; apical labial palpomere fusiform, palpimacula opening oval-shaped, located medially.

Thorax ( Fig. 22c ): Pronotum about as wide as long; posterior margin about as wide as anterior; subapical furrow present; mostly black; pale areas as follows: a thin sagittal line, two curved longitudinal lines laterally, two marks on anterior area; set with short black setae. Mesonotum mostly black, except for some pale areas: anterior margin, two thin longitudinal lines medially on each side of scutum; covered with short black setae. Metanotum mostly black, except for two thin longitudinal pale lines at scutum; set with few short black setae. Pterothoracic pleura mostly black with dorsal area pale; covered with short black setae; Miller’s organ absent.

Wings ( Fig. 22d ): Rather narrow with apex acute; Banksian lines absent; veins mostly dark brown, but some veins intercalated with white spots; beset with short black setae. Male pilula axillaris present. Forewing membrane mostly hyaline; dark marks as follows: a large brown at prefork area tip, two small brown marks (one at rhegmal area and another at hypostigmatic cell tip), brown marks along subcostal area; pterostigma white; CuA fork located near RP origin; three presectoral crossveins; subcostal veinlets simple (few distal forked); posterior area larger than prefork area. Hind wing membrane hyaline with a small rhegmal mark; MP fork located between RP origin and first fork, but closer to RP origin; subcostal veinlets simple; one presectoral crossvein.

Legs ( Figs. 22 a–c): All pairs of legs, femur short (<2x length of coxa); tibia slightly shorter than femur but slightly longer than tarsi; tibial spurs strongly arched and long, extending over T4 apex; T2, T3 and T4 about the same size, T1 slightly longer than T2, T5 about as long as T1–T4 combined; claws shorter than T5. Proleg sense hair longer than femur length; coxa pale with irregular dark marks, covered with long white setae; trochanter pale with short black and white setae; femur swollen, broader than tibia; mostly pale with small brown marks at dorsal surface, covered with short black and white setae and scattered long white setae at base; tibia with antennal cleaning setae in most of ventral surface, pale but with tip and a sub basal ring, dark brown; tarsi pale with tip of T5 brown; T5 ventrally with two rows of thick, long, black setae. Mesoleg similar to proleg, except with femur narrower, mostly dark brown, with base, tip and dorsal area pale, all setae black; sense hair longer than femur length. Metaleg similar to mesoleg except for tibia slightly longer, without white setae; sense hair absent.

Abdomen: Mostly dark brown except for irregular pale marks on tergites and medial region of sternites. Covered with short black setae.

Male Terminalia ( Figs. 23 a–c, f): Ectoproct posterior margin rounded, in lateral view; set with elongate black setae, mainly at ventral area. 9 th sternite short, with posterior margin rounded in ventral view; covered with long black setae. Gonarcus thin, a transverse bar with small lateral curves in dorsal view; arched in posterior view. Mediuncus membranous. Paramere broad and elongate in lateral view, with ventral margin and apex more sclerotized.

Female Terminalia ( Figs. 23 d–e): Ectoproct posterior margin rounded, set with thin elongate setae and some cavisetae ventrally. Lateral gonapophyses rounded, slightly smaller than ectoproct, with numerous cavisetae. 9 th tergite set with long thickened setae. 7 th sternite very long, with distal border straight in ventral view, covered with short setae. Pregenital plate weakly sclerotized, small, rounded with an acute extension on anterior margin. Posterior gonapophyses stout, beset with very long black setae, tip rounded and thinner than base. 9 th tergite membranous digitiform process absent. Anterior gonapophyses absent. Ventral membrane, ventromedial plate setose and triangular, set with some long and thickened setae on anterior margin; other areas of membrane with few elongate setae.

Distribution ( Fig. 19 ). Australia: NSW*, NT, WA. Known from sparse records across mainland Australia.

Adult activity period. Records for October, November, January, March, and April.

Biology. Unknown, larva unknown.

Name-bearing type. Fusoleon stigmatus : Holotype (by original designation), female, ANIC, examined. Type locality: Australia, Western Australia, Millstream, 21º35'S 117º04'E. From original description: “ Holotype, ♀, Western Australia, Millstream HS. (area), 21°35'S., 117°04'E., 10.iv.1971, Upton and Mitchell ( ANIC)”. Condition: good, terminalia dissected.

Additional material examined (5♂, 6♀). AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Deriah Aboriginal Area: 20.9 km E of Narrabi, stand of Ooline , - 30.368S– 149.991E, 11.xi. 2009, 330m, D.R. Britton & J. Recsei, black light bucket, SEVT2009017 (2♀, AMSA) ; Nombinnie Nature Reserve: 18 air km SSE Mount Hope , 160m, 32.99613 oS– 145.94006 oE ± 70m, 3.i.2013, M.V., Oswald, Diehl & Machado, Oswald #626 (2♂, 1♀, TAMU) ; Northern Territory: Devil’s Marbles : x.1960 (1♂, 1♀, FSCA) ; Emily Gap : 6 miles SE of Alice Springs, 17.ii.1966, Britton, Upton & McInnes (1♂ PT, ANIC) ; Ruby Gap National Park : 23 o 28’50’’S– 134 o 59’00’’E, 21.iii.1993, JA Forrest & D. Hirst (1♀, SAMA) ; Western Australia: Millstream Homestead : 21°35'S– 117°04'E, 2.iv.1971, Upton and Mitchell (1♂ PT ANIC) ; 19.iv.1971 (1♀ PT, ANIC) .

Comments. See Comments for Fusoleon .

Figures

FIGURE 19. Distribution of Franzenia, Fusoleon and Latileon species.

FIGURE 22. Fusoleon stigmatus: a) head, anterior; b) right foreleg, ventrolateral; c) head and thorax, dorsal; d) wings, dorsal.

FIGURE 23. Fusoleon stigmatus: male: a) terminalia, lateral; b) genitalia, posterior; c) genitalia, dorsal; f) genitalia, lateral; female: d) terminalia, lateral; e) terminalia, ventral. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.