Minyleon pygmaeus (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 : 267-268

Minyleon pygmaeus (New, 1985) , new combination

( Figs. 137 , 140–141 )

http://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/ 3E9D6D0E-9600-492D-86E5-3400C6C17AD1

Austrogymnocnemia pygmaea New, 1985:24 (OD); New 1996:68 (cat); Stange 2004:100 (cat); Oswald 2018 (cat).

Diagnosis. Pronotum longer than wide, pronotum posterior margin wider than anterior; protibia lacking antennal cleaning setae; female forewing length ≤ 15 mm.

Description. Lengths: forewing: 12–20 mm; hind wing: 11–19 mm.

Head ( Figs. 140 a–b): Labrum light brown, set with a line of elongate setae. Clypeus mostly pale but dark brown laterally and dorsally, set with few elongate pale setae. Frons shiny black with irregular pale marks ventrally; set with white setae. Gena pale, extended (head in anterior view with line of clypeo-labral articulartion lying dorsal to ventral margin of gena). Vertex raised; in general, dark brown with anterior and posterior margin pale; covered with short black setae. Ocular setae absent. Antennae clubbed; elongate, about twice longer than pronotum; distance between antennae wider than scape width; scape, pedicel and most flagellomeres dark brown with a pale ring at distal margin, apical flagellomeres entirely dark brown; torular membrane pale; flagellomeres almost as long as wide at base, apical ones much wider than long; all segments set with short black setae. Mandibles reduced, mostly hidden behind labrum. Palpi, maxillary and labial pale; apical labial palpomere fusiform, palpimacula opening ovalshaped, located medially.

Thorax ( Fig. 140b ): Pronotum much longer than wide; posterior margin wider than anterior; subapical furrow present; mostly light brown with black areas as follows: a broad medial line “Y” shaped, two sinuous longitudinal lines around midline, lateral margins; beset with black setae and few long white setae on borders. Mesonotum colouration mostly black with few pale areas as follows: two rounded marks on prescutum, two longitudinal lines near midline on scutum, and posterior margin of scutellum; covered with short black setae. Metanotum black with irregular pale marks near midline, covered with few short black setae. Pterothoracic pleura black; covered with white setae; Miller’s organ present.

Wings ( Fig. 140c ): Rather narrow with tip acute (wings broader in male); anterior Banksian line present in both wings, posterior absent; veins mostly dark brown, but some intercalated with white spots, beset with short black setae. Male pilula axillaris present. Forewing membrane mostly hyaline but with numerous irregular brown marks mainly around crossveins, apex, and posterior margin (marks reduced in males); pterostigma white but brown basally; CuA fork located between RP origin and first fork, three presectoral crossveins; subcostal veinlets simple; posterior area slightly narrower than prefork area. Hind wing membrane mostly hyaline except for some irregular brown marks apically and a large brown spot on rhegmal area (marks reduced in males); pterostigma white; MP fork located between RP origin and first fork; veinlets simple; one or two presectoral crossvein.

Legs: ( Fig. 140b ) All pairs of legs, femur elongate (> 3.5x length of coxa); tibia and femur about same size but longer than tarsi; tibial spurs absent; T3 and T4 about same size, T2 slightly longer than T3, T1 longer than T5 and about twice longer than T2; claws about as half of T5 length; coxa, trochanter, and femur set with short white setae; femur, tibia and tarsi set with short black setae, and scattered long black setae. Proleg sense hair absent; tibia without antennal cleaning setae; coxa dark brown, trochanter brown, femur mostly brown with internal surface pale, tibia mostly pale with three brown marks on external surface; all tarsomeres pale basally but brown apically. Mesoleg with colour pattern similar to proleg, except for femur pale with apex dark brown, and tibia dark brown with three pale rings. Metaleg with femur and tibia slightly longer than in other legs; colour pattern similar to mesoleg, except for tibia pale with tip dark brown, and tarsi with pale areas larger.

Abdomen: Mostly dark brown with distal margin pale. Beset with short black setae.

Male Terminalia ( Figs. 141 a–c): Ectoproct posterior margin rounded in lateral view, set with elongate black setae. 9 th sternite short, with posterior margin rounded and set with long black setae, in ventral view. Gonarcus broad and arched; anterior margin thinner and rounded in lateral view; in dorsal view with a medial invagination on anterior margin. Mediuncus absent. Paramere in lateral view short with posterior margin longer than anterior, and with a rounded medial prolongation; prolongations with apex dark and very sclerotized.

Female Terminalia ( Figs. 141 d–e): Ectoproct posterior margin rounded covered with thin elongate setae. Lateral gonapophyses rounded, smaller than ectoproct, set with few cavisetae. 7 th sternite small, with distal margin straight in ventral view; beset with long black setae. Pregenital plate in ventral view a transverse line with a medial knob on posterior margin. Posterior gonapophyses broad, elongate, with tip rounded; covered with long black setae and few cavisetae apically. 9 th tergite with a long membranous digitiform process. Anterior gonapophyses absent. Ventral membrane gonapophyseal plates present.

Distribution ( Fig. 137 ). Australia: SA, VIC, WA. Known from sparse records across far southern mainland Australia.

Adult activity period. Records for November, January, and February.

Biology. Unknown, larva unknown.

Name-bearing type. Austrogymnocnemia pygmaea : Holotype (by original designation), female, SAMA, examined. Type locality: Australia, South Australia, 24 km E Tintinara (town), Jimmy's Well. From original description: “ Holotype, ♀, South Australia, Jimmy's Well, 15 miles E. Tintinara , 3.ii.1965, P. Aitken and Tindale ( SAM)”. Condition: good, with terminalia dissected.

Additional material examined (1♂, 9♀). AUSTRALIA: South Australia: Jimmy's Well : 15 miles E. Tintinara, 3.ii.1965, P. Aitken & Tindale (5♀ PT, SAMA) ; Salt Creek : tourist road, xi.1967 (1♀, SAMA) ; Taratap Station : 23.i.1965, P. Aitken & Tindale, MV light (1♀, SAMA) ; Victoria: Kiata : 12.i.1952, CMC, A.N. Burns (1♂, MVM) ; Little Desert : 5 miles S of Kiata, 12.ii.1956, I.F.B. Common (2♀ PT, ANIC; SAMA) .

Comments. We report here the first male of Minyleon pygmaeus , which is larger (forewing: 20 mm) than all studied females (12–14 mm), and its wing markings are not as prominent. But, the specimen possesses all of the most distinctive characteristics of M. pygmaeus —reduced mandibles, extended genae, long T1, protibia without antennal cleaning setae, similar body colour pattern—so it is clear that the male specimen belongs to M. pygmaeus . The male was also collected from a site (Kiata, Victoria) near the place of origin of two female paratypes. See also Comments for Minyleon .

Figures

FIGURE 137. Distribution of Megagonoleon (part) and Minyleon species.

FIGURE 140. Minyleon pygmaeus: a) head, anterior; b) head and thorax, dorsal; c) wings, dorsal.

FIGURE 141. Minyleon pygmaeus: male: a) terminalia, lateral; b) genitalia, lateral; c) genitalia, dorsal; female: d) terminalia, lateral; e) 7th sternite and pregenital plate, posteroventral. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.