Layahima weiweii, Zheng & Liu, 2021

Zheng, Yuchen & Liu, Xingyue, 2021, A spectacular new antlion species of the subfamily Dendroleontinae (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae) from Malaysia, Zoological Systematics 46 (4), pp. 289-299 : 291-292

Layahima weiweii sp. nov. ( Figs 1 , 2A , 3A–B , 4A, C, E, G, I, K )

Diagnosis. Body largely yellow. Antennae nearly four times as long as pronotum; vertex with a black transverse band anteriorly, and with a pair of dark brown spots and indistinct transverse dark brown lines medially; frons with a nearly rhombic black marking. Pronotum with some indistinct brown markings; anterolateral mesonotum with a pair of tufts consisted of long black setae, and with a pair of long triangular dark brown stripes laterally. Tibial spurs long, barely curved. Abdominal terga 3–8 yellow alternating with dark brown. Male sternum 9 pentagonal; median part of gonocoxites 11 prominent in ventral view, protruding backward in lateral view.

Description. Size. Head width 2.47–2.64 mm, forewing length 22.20–23.86 mm, hind wing length 22.12–23.93 mm.

Head. Vertex raised, covered with some short setae, a black transverse band present anteriorly, a pair of dark brown spots and indistinct transverse dark brown lines present medially, and a pair of dark brown markings present posterolaterally ( Fig. 3A ). Antennae nearly four times as long as pronotum; scape and pedicel generally yellow, covered with some short setae; flagellomeres generally yellow, each segment with a circular brown marking. Frons with a nearly rhombic black marking ( Fig. 3B ). Clypeus yellow with a few setae. Labrum brown. Maxillary palpus generally pale yellow, but brown distally. Labial palpus pale brown, apical segment fusiform, with a brown marking. Mandibles yellowish brown with distal half dark brown.

Thorax ( Fig. 3A ). Yellow, with dark markings. Pronotum longer than wide, covered with some long black setae; three indistinct brown markings present anteriorly, a pair of longitudinal black stripes present laterally, and an indistinct brown marking present medially. Mesonotum covered with a pair of tufts consisted of long black setae anterolaterally; anterior part generally dark brown, laterally with a pair of long triangular dark brown stripes and a pair of small spots; mesoscutellum with a pair of black marking posteriorly. Metanotum generally dark brown. Pleurae with three black stripes.

Legs. Short, pale yellow, with dark markings. All femora covered with many short black setae; all tibiae covered with some long black setae; tibial spurs brown, elongate and barely curved; tarsomeres 1–4 generally brown; tarsomeres 5 brown, with distal half dark brown, and with a few short tapered setae ventrally. Foreleg: Coxa brown, with a dark brown spot; femur generally yellow, dark brown dorsally; tibia generally pale yellow, an irregular brown marking present basally, distal part dark brown; tibial spurs reaching base of tarsomere 5. Midleg: Coxa with basal half black and distal half yellow; femur generally yellow, dark brown distally; tibia generally pale yellow, with some brown dots, basal 1/3 with a dark brown spot, distal part dark brown; tibial spurs reaching base of tarsomere 5. Hind leg: Coxa with basal half black and distal half yellow; femur generally yellow, dark brown distally; tibia generally pale yellow, basal 1/3 with a dark brown spot, distal part dark brown; tibial spurs reaching tip of tarsomere 4; tarsomere 1 longer than that of fore- and midleg.

Wings ( Fig. 2A ). Long, distally rounded. Banksian lines absent. Male pilula axillaris absent. Pterostigma pale. Forewing slightly longer than hindwing. Veins dark brown alternating with pale stripes. Forewing subcostal area with a series of discontinuous dark brown markings and dots; mediocubital area with some indistinct brown marking; rhegma present as two indistinct brown markings; base of cubital area with a brown spot; crossvein on posterior costal space mostly branched; RP origin with CuA fork alignment; presectoral area with five crossveins; RP with eight branches. Hindwing generally transparent; subcostal area with some brown dots; presectoral area with one crossvein; RP origin basal to MP fork.

Abdomen. Tergum 1 generally pale yellow, dark brown basally; tergum 2 generally dark brown; Yellow alternating with dark brown on terga 3–8. Male genitalia: Tergum 8 subrectanglar in lateral view. Sternum 9 covered with some long setae, pentagonal ( Fig. 4A ). Gonocoxites 9 medially curved internally; posterior part present as a pair of elongate plates, apex strongly sclerotized and scaly ( Fig. 4E ). Gonocoxites 11 arrow-shaped, median part prominent in ventral view; protruding backward in lateral view ( Fig. 4E, G ). Gonapophyses 11 weakly developed. Ectoproct covered with long setae ( Fig. 4C ). Female genitalia unknown.

Type material. Holotype. ♂, Malaysia: Sabah, Mt. Trusmadi, Borneo Jungle Girl Camp (1200 m), 30 April 2018, Zhuo Chen leg. ( CAU) . Paratypes. 1♂, same locality as holotype, 27 September 2015, Chao Wu leg. ( CAU) ; 1♂, same locality as holotype, 1–7 May 2017, Chao Wu leg. ( CAU) ; 3♂, same locality as holotype, 27 April 2016, Hu Li leg. ( CAU) ; 2♂, same locality as holotype, 29 April 2016, Xiumei Lu leg. ( CAU) ; 1♂, same locality as holotype, 5 May 2019, Guanyuan Cao leg. ( CAU) .

Distribution. Malaysia (Sabah).

Etymology. The new species is dedicated to the entomologist, science writer and amber collector Weiwei Zhang (Chongqing), who kindly helped us to obtain these important specimens.

Remarks. This species is very similar to L. wuzhishana , but can be distinguished from the latter by its yellow body, the vertex with a pair of dark brown spots and indistinct transverse dark brown lines, the pronotum with indistinct brown markings anteriorly and medially, the mesonotum with a pair of long triangular dark brown stripes laterally, the median part of male gonocoxites 11 narrower in ventral view, and the anterior gonocoxites 11 protruding backward in lateral view. L. wuzhishana can be distinguished from L. weiweii sp. nov. by the following characters: the body pale yellow, the vertex with a pair of large dark brown markings medially and then extending to lateral part, the pronotum with a pair of curved dark brown stripes medially, the mesonotum with a pair of long trapezoid dark brown stripes laterally, the abdominal terga 3–8 each with an arrow-shaped pale yellowish marking, the median part of male gonocoxites 11 prominent and wide in ventral view, and the anterior gonocoxites 11 not protruding in lateral view.

Figures

Figure 1. Layahima weiweii sp. nov., male holotype, habitus. Scale bar=10.0mm.

Figure 2. The Layahima wuzhishana species group, wings. A. L. weiweii sp. nov., male holotype. B. L. wuzhishana (Yang, 2002), male. Abbreviations: C—costa; Sc—subcosta; RA—radius anterior; RP—radius posterior; MA—media anterior; MP—media posterior; CuA—cubitus anterior; CuP—cubitus posterior; A—anal veins. Scale bars=10.0mm.

Figure 3. The Layahima wuzhishana species group. A. L. weiweii sp. nov., male holotype, head and thorax, dorsal view. B. L. weiweii sp. nov., male holotype, frons. C. L. wuzhishana (Yang, 2002), male, head and thorax, dorsal view. D. L. wuzhishana, male, frons. Red arrow indicates the tuft of long black setae on mesonotum. Scale bars=1.0mm.

Figure 4. The Layahima wuzhishana species group, male terminalia and genitalia. A, C, E, G, I, K. L. weiweii sp. nov. B, D, F, H, J, L. L. wuzhishana (Yang, 2002). A–B. Terminalia, ventral view. C–D. Terminalia, lateral view. E–F. Genitalia, ventral view. G–H. Genitalia, lateral view. I–J. Dorsal view. K–L. Genitalia, caudal view. Abbreviations: ect—ectoproct; gx—gonocoxites; gp—gonapophyses; S9—sternum 9. Scale bars=1.0mm.