Austrogymnocnemia interrupta ( Esben-Petersen, 1915 )

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 : 116-120

Austrogymnocnemia interrupta ( Esben-Petersen, 1915)

( Figs. 51–53 )

Gymnocnemia interrupta Esben-Petersen, 1915:64 (OD).

Austrogymnocnemia interrupta (Esben-Petersen) : Esben-Petersen 1917:206 (ncb); Esben-Petersen 1923:587 (cit); Stange 1976:302 (cat); New 1985b:20 (key, rd, ill); New 1996:67 (cat); Stange 2004:99 (cat); Oswald 2018 (cat); Machado et al. 2019 (tree).

Diagnosis. Tibial spurs absent; male gonarcus with anterior margin acute; male paramere with apical hook absent and anterior margin acute; female posterior gonapophysis with tip enlarged and rounded; body colour mostly dark; forewing mediocubital area with an interrupted dark line.

Description. Lengths: forewing: 17–21 mm; hind wing: 16–19 mm.

Head ( Figs. 52 a–b): Labrum brown; set with a line of elongate setae. Clypeus pale with two lateral rounded brown marks dorsally; set with some elongate black setae. Frons shiny black, covered with few short black setae. Gena pale. Vertex 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 two central perpendicular dark brown lines and two black marks posterolaterally; covered with short black setae. Ocular setae absent. Antennae clubbed; elongate, more> 3x length of pronotum; distance between antennae wider than scape width; in general, completely dark brown, but distal margin of flagellomeres pale in some specimens; torular membrane pale; flagellomeres almost as long as wide at base, apical ones much wider than long; set with short black setae. Mandibles mostly brown, with tip black. Palpi, maxillary and labial mostly pale with dark brown marks, but entirely dark brown in some specimens; apical labial palpomere fusiform, palpimacula opening oval-shaped, located medially.

Thorax ( Fig. 52b ): Pronotum about as long as wide; posterior as wide as anterior; subapical furrow present; mostly dark brown except for four pale longitudinal thin streaks laterally; medial line usually darker; beset with long white setae and short black setae. Mesonotum mostly dark brown to grey (in general medial area darker) with two longitudinal yellow bands around central area; covered with short black setae. Metanotum in general dark brown with mid line grey in some specimens; set with few short white setae. Pterothoracic pleura dark brown with some pale areas in sclerites’ borders in some specimens; covered with white setae, and some short black setae on anterior sclerites; Miller’s organ present.

Wings ( Fig. 52c ): Rather narrow with tip acute; anterior Banksian line present in both wings, posterior present only in the forewing. Veins mostly dark brown, but some veins intercalated with white spots, most crossveins white with brown punctuations on setal base. Male pilula axillaris present. Forewing membrane mostly hyaline with some brown marks on pterostigma, around Banksian lines, posterior margin, and subcostal area; mediocubital area is totally brown in basal area and part of distal area; CuA fork located about same level RP origin; three presectoral crossveins; subcostal veinlets simple; posterior area narrower than prefork area. Prefork area with few longitudinal crossveins. Hind wing membrane mostly hyaline except for a small brown mark on rhegmal area; MP fork located near RP origin; subcostal veinlets simple; one presectoral crossvein.

Legs ( Figs. 52 a–b): All pairs of legs, femur elongate (> 2x length of coxa); tibia, femur and tarsi about same size; tibial spurs absent; T2, T3 and T4 about same size, T1 about twice longer than T2, but shorter than T5; claws slightly longer than half of T5 length; all segments set with short white setae, but some long setae at femur base; femur, tibia and tarsi set with short black setae, and scattered long black setae; T5 ventrally with two rows of thick, long, black setae. Proleg sense hair absent; tibia with antennal cleaning setae ventroapically; coxa dark brown, trochanter light brown, femur dark brown with internal surface pale, tibia dark brown with three pale rings; tarsi dark brown. Mesoleg with the same colour pattern of proleg. Metaleg femur, tibia and T1 slightly longer than in other legs; colour pattern similar to anterior legs, except for tibia with most part of anterior surface pale.

Abdomen: Dark brown set with short black setae, and some short white setae on basal sternites.

Male Terminalia ( Figs. 53 a–d): Ectoproct posterior margin rounded in lateral view, set with elongate black setae. 9 th sternite very short, with anterior margin concave and posterior straight in ventral view; set with elongate black setae, longer than sternite. Gonarcus very broad, arched, with anterior margin thin and elongate in lateral view. Mediuncus absent. Paramere broad with tip sclerotized in posterior view, and with anterior margin thin and elongate.

Female Terminalia ( Figs. 53 e–f): Ectoproct posterior margin rounded covered with thin elongate setae. Lateral gonapophyses rounded, much smaller than ectoproct, set with few thickened setae. 7 th sternite elongate with distal margin curved in ventral view, covered with long black setae. Pregenital plate rounded with an anterior transverse arched bar and with an acute extension on ventral surface. Posterior gonapophyses broad, elongate, with tip dorsally enlarged and rounded; covered with long black setae, and few elongate cavisetae apically. 9 th tergite with an elongate membranous digitiform process. Anterior gonapophyses absent. Ventral membrane gonapophyseal plates present.

Distribution ( Fig. 51 ). Australia: NSW, NT, QLD, SA, WA. Widespread across mainland Australia; most records in southern half.

Adult activity period. Records for November to March, and June.

Biology. Unknown, larva unknown.

Name-bearing type. Gymnocnemia interrupta : Holotype (by explicit monotypy), female, ANIC, examined. Type locality: Australia, New South Wales, Coolabah (village). From original description: “Coolebah, N. S. W.; one specimen, 16.ii.1907 (W. W. Froggatt leg.). Type in Coll. Froggatt”. From New (1985b): “ Holotype of Gymnocnemia interrupta , ♀, New South Wales, Coolibah, 16.ii.1907, W. W. Froggatt leg. ( ANIC) (antennae missing, body very mouldy: many markings indistinct)”. Condition: bad; body very mouldy.

Additional material examined (31♂, 34♀). AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Barrier Range : 10.i.1986, R.H. Mulder collection (2♂, 2♀, AMSA) ; Broken Hill : near. race track , 31.96445 oS– 141.41817 oE ± 70m, 280m, 2.i.2013, M.V., Oswald, Diehl & Machado, Oswald #625 (1♂, TAMU) ; i.1964 (1♂, 1♀, ANIC) ; 65 km W of Cobar , 28.i.1976, M.S. & B.J. Moulds (1♂, AMSA) ; Talyealye Homestead : 29 o 05’28’’S– 144 o 27’59’’E, 17.i.1999, M.S. & B.J. Moulds (1♀, AMSA) ; Tintinallogy Station : - 31.99947 o– 143.01706 o, 15.i.2010, S. Winterton (2♂, 3♀, CSCA) ; Northern Territory: 48 miles WSW of Alice Springs , 10.ii.1966, Britton, Upton & McInnes (1♂, ANIC) ; South Australia: Arkaba Creek: 26 air km ENNE Hawker , 390m, 31.68717 oS– 138.57257 oE ± 70m, 31.xii.2012, M.V., Oswald, Diehl & Machado, Oswald #623 (2♂, 3♀, TAMU) ; El Alamein : ii.1964 (1♀, SAMA) ; Eringa : iii.1993 (1♂, SAMA) ; Flinders Range : (4♀, SAMA) ; Gammon Ranges : iii.1973 (1♀, SAMA) ; Leigh Creek : 20.i.1966, G.C. Gregory (7♂, 1♀, ANIC) ; i.1955 (1♂, 2♀, SAMA) ; i.1965 (2♂, 2♀, SAMA) ; ii.1965 (1♂, SAMA) ; xii.1965 (2♂, 1♀, SAMA) ; Mount Serle : i.1965 (1♂, SAMA) ; Muloorina Homestead : iii.1965 (1♂, SAMA) ; Witjira : xi.1995 (1♀, SAMA) ; Queensland: 2 miles NE of Noccundra , 28.i.1965, L.J. Chinnick (2♂, 3♀, ANIC) ; Western Australia: 19 km W of Coolgardie , 7.ii.1994, L. Stange & R. Miller (3♀, FSCA; 1♀, TAMU) ; 65 km W of Cobar , 28.i.1976, M.S. & B.J. Moulds (1♂, AMSA) ; Dedari Pump Station : 14.i.1992, J Bugeja (1♀, ANIC) ; 70 air km WWNW of Gascoyne Junction , 24.87559 oS– 114.55150 oE ± 90m, 21.xii.2012, M.V., Oswald, Diehl & Machado, Oswald #613 (7♂, 9♀, TAMU) ; Goldfields highway : 85 km SSE Wiluna , 27.32886 oS– 120.50593 oE ± 70m, 560m, 26.xii.2012, M.V., Oswald, Diehl & Machado, Oswald #617 (1♂, TAMU) ; Lake Raeside : 29 o 44.3’S– 122 o 31.5’E, 8.iv.2005, D. Brzoska (♀, FSCA) ; Kalgoorlie : 18.vi.1986, A.J. Graham (1♀, AMSA) ; 55 km ESE of Mount Magnet , 18.i.1989, M.S. & B.J. Moulds (1♀, AMSA) ; 19.i.1989 (1♂, AMSA) .

Comments. Austrogymnocnemia interrupta is closely related to A. lineata ( Fig. 4 ), based on similar body and wing colour patterns. These traits also differentiate both species from A. diehli sp. nov., another closely related species. Austrogymnocnemia interrupta and A. lineata are very similar, but can currently be separated on the basis of the mediocubital longitudinal line, which is interrupted medially in A. interrupta , but continuous in A. lineata . However, this relatively minor difference may only be intraspecific variation, and these two species might be synonymized in the future. Austrogymnocnemia lineata is known only from a few specimens, and only one male. More specimens (particularly of A. lineata ) are needed to confirm the status of A. interrupta and A. lineata .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Strict consensus tree of morphology-based parsimony analysis of species belonging to the former subtribe Periclystina (ingroup, names in black), and outgroups (names in red). Former Glenoleon species are shown on blue branches, former Austrogymnocnemia species on green branches. Numbers above branches are Bremer support values; numbers below branches are bootstrap values (shown where>50%).

FIGURE 51. Distribution of Austrogymnocnemia species (part).

FIGURE 52. Austrogymnocnemia interrupta: a) head, anterior; b) head and thorax, dorsal; c) wings, dorsal.

FIGURE 53. Austrogymnocnemia interrupta: male: a) terminalia, lateral; b) genitalia, lateral; c) genitalia, posterior; d) genitalia and 9th sternite, posteroventral; female: e) terminalia, lateral; f) pregenital plate, ventral. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.