Glyptobasis dentifera ( Westwood, 1847 )

Suryanarayanan, Thangalazhi Balakrishnan, Ábrahám, Levente & Bijoy, Chenthamarakshan, 2024, Taxonomic revision of the owlfly genus Glyptobasis McLachlan, 1873 (Neuroptera: Ascalaphidae) from India and its adjacent countries, Zootaxa 5486 (3), pp. 388-418 : 392-400

Glyptobasis dentifera ( Westwood, 1847)

( Figs. 4–9 )

Ascalaphus (Ogcogaster) dentifer Westwood, 1847: 69 .

Ascalaphus dentifer — Walker 1853: 421.

Ogcogaster dentifera — Hagen 1866: 454.

Glyptobasis dentifera — McLachlan 1873a: 268; Needham 1909: 198; van der Weele 1909a: 241; Navás 1912: 107; Fraser 1922: 516; Navás 1928 ( 1929): 182; 1929: 43; 1931 (1932): 14; Sala de Castellarnau 1946: 120; Kimmins 1949: 19; Ghosh & Sen 1977: 321; Ghosh 1983: 297; 1988: 182; 1998: 144; Sziráki 1998: 62; Bhattacharya & Dey 2000: 50; Whittington 2002: 377; Chandra & Thilak 2009: 72; Chandra & Sharma 2009: 5; Chandra et al. 2011: 163; Sharma & Chandra 2012: 485; 2013: 164; Tauber et al. 2019: 19; Hassan & Liu 2021: 416 ; Suryanarayanan & Bijoy 2021: 58.

Type locality: India (uncertain).

Type material examined. Two female syntypes, preserved in the OUMNH and in the NHMUK, were examined .

In coll. OUMNH: / W[underline] / Indies / Hearsey // Type / Westwood / Cab. Or. Ent. / p. 69 / Coll. Hope Oxon. // Ascalaphus / ( Ogcogaster ?) / dentifer Westwood / Cab. Or. Ent. // Type Neur: No 49 / Ascalaphus / dentifer West. / Hope Dept. Oxford /.

Lectotype ♀ Glyptobasis dentifera ( Westwood, 1847) designated Ábrahám 2023 (present designation) ( Figs. 4A–C ). In coll. NHMUK: / N Indies // 48 / 52 // Ascalaphus / dentifer / Westw. / Cab. Orient. Ent. // NHMUK 010212096 /.

Paralectotype ♀ Glyptobasis dentifera ( Westwood, 1847) designated Ábrahám 2023 (present designation). ( Figs. 5A–C ). In Westwood (1847): „ Ascalaphus ( Ogcogaster ?) dentifer, Westw. Inhabits the East Indies. Col. Hearsey”

Additional material examined. in coll. SERL: 4♀ INDIA, Kerala State, Palakkad Dist. [rict], Pudunagaram , 104 m, (coordinates: 10°41’07.08”N, 76°41’08.88”E), 24.X.2020, 07.XI.2020, 30.X.2022, leg. Bijoy. C, SERLNR092 , SERLNR093 , SERLNR095 , SERLNR334 . 2♀ INDIA, Kerala State, Thrissur Dist. [rict], Ramavarmapuram , 57 m, (coordinates: 10°33’45.47”N, 76°14’09.51”E), 14.XI.2020, leg. Suryanarayanan.T.B., SERLNR100 , SERLNR101 . 3♂, 3♀ INDIA, Kerala State, Malappuram Dist. [rict], Vazhayur , 120 m, (coordinates: 11°12’21.94”N, 75°54’52.01”E), 24.X.2021, 14.XI.2021, leg. Suryanarayanan. T. B., SERLNR213 , SERLNR214 , SERLNR215 , SERLNR216 , SERLNR234 , SERLNR235 . 1♀ INDIA, Kerala State, Kannur Dist. [rict], Pallikkunnu , 44 m, (coordinates: 11°53’22.18”N, 75°21’57.21”E), 30.IX.2023, leg. Suryanarayanan. T. B., SERLNR449 . 1♂ , INDIA, Kerala State, Idukki Dist. [rict], Chinnar WLS [Wildlife Sanctuary], 614 m, (coordinates: 10°18’24.47”N, 77°12’21.69”E), 09.X.2023, leg. Aneesh & Suryanarayanan. T. B., SERLNR450 .

Diagnostic characters. Vertex, frons and thorax with sparse hairs. Frons reddish brown with two indistinct lateral yellowish spots. Clypeus yellowish-brown. Labrum brownish - black. In males, proximal 2–10 flagellar segments are slightly curved and with moderately long spines. Antenna do not reach the apices of the forewing. In lateral view, mesothorax with distinct yellow band, and metathorax with yellow band including oblong black mark. Apices of wings are acutely rounded. Pterostigma dark-brown. Legs reddish brown. Terminalia and genitalia as in Kimmins (1949: figs. 8–9) as well as in Figs. 8A–F . See the key at the end of this chapter for separating the species.

Redescription.

Measurements. Male (n=4): body length: 25–26 mm; forewing length: 30–31 mm, width 9 mm; hindwing: length 27–28 mm, width 6 mm. Female (n=10): body length: 22–23 mm; forewing length: 32–33 mm, width: 9 mm; hindwing length: 28–29 mm, width: 7 mm ( Figs. 6A–B ).

Head ( Fig. 7A ). Vertex narrow; frontal and dorsal parts yellow, covered with long black hairs. Frons reddish-brown with two yellowish spots below scape, mixed with long dense soft, greyish-yellow and black hairs. Long, dense tuft of white hairs intermingled with some black ones between scapes. Gena brown with black hairs on inner margins. Clypeus dark-brown with greyish-yellow and black hairs, labrum dark-brown with ochreous setae directed to mouthparts. Mandible dark-brown, apices and on inner margin, with dark brown to black hairs. Maxillary and labial palpi brown, with short black setae at joints. Eyes divided by a transverse furrow, nearly as wide as half of head width. Antennal scape and pedicel dark-brown, covered with long soft white hairs intermingled with some black ones; basal flagellomeres (2–10 segments) dark-brown, with distinct lateral spines; club subglobular - shaped with flattened apex, dark-brown, with black verticils.

Thorax ( Fig. 7B ). Pronotum narrow, both margins dull-black, and with transverse yellow stripe, posterior margin with long, soft black hairs. Mesonotum and metanotum generally black, covered with long sparse black setae. Mesonotum medially with a broad yellow stripe.

Wings ( Fig. 7C ). Forewing longer than hindwing. Membrane completely transparent, veins brown with sparse short black setae. Wing tips acutely rounded; wing strongly tapering basally; anal area with distinct triangular projection. Pterostigma 1.5x longer than wide, rhomboid-shaped, brown to dark-brown, with 5–6 crossveins; apical area beyond Sc+R with three rows of cells. Rs with 7 branches. In front of origin of Rs with 7–10 cross-veins.. Hindwing membrane almost transparent, usually with brown shaded cross-veins. Pterostigma 1.5x longer than wide, rhomboid-shaped, brown to dark-brown, with 5–6 crossveins; apical area beyond Sc+R with three rows of cells. In front of origin of Rs with 6–7 cross-veins; Rs with 6 branches.

Legs ( Figs. 7D–E ). Short, reddish-brown. Coxae brown with long brown and black hairs. Femora slightly shorter than tibiae, with mixed short and long black hairs. Tibiae dark-brown with short and long black hairs. Foreleg with tibial spurs as long as t1–t2; tarsomeres with short black setae; t1–t4 subequal in length; t5 as long as t1–t4 combined. Hindleg with tibial spurs equal to length of t1. Tarsomeres with short black setae; t1 longer than t2; t2–t4 subequal in length; t5 shorter than combined length of t1–t4.

Abdomen. Shorter than wings. Tergites dark-brown with alternating rounded, yellowish orange spots, covered with short black setae; sternites dark-brown with yellowish marks, covered with short black hairs.

Male terminalia and genitalia ( Figs. 8A–D ). Tergite 9 somewhat quadrate, brown with black hairs, ectoproct brown and sparsely covered with short black hairs. Ectoproct processus finger - like and directed ventrally with stout apices covered with long stiff bristles. Gonocoxite 9 with a pair of strongly curved extensions widening medially in ventral view ( Fig. 8D ).

Female terminalia ( Figs. 8E–F ). T9 nearly quadrate, dominantly brown with dark-brown markings, ventrocaudally covered evenly with short black hairs. Ectoproct with brown oval plate, covered with dense black hairs caudally and ventrally. Gonocoxite 8 finger-like brown with black hairs, gonocoxite 9 small, hemispherical and with black hairs in lateral view. Gonocoxite 7 slightly chitinized in ventral view.

Distribution. India (Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal) ( Fig. 20 ).

Flight period and habitat of adults in India. During the day, adults perch on blades of grass ( Figs. 9A–B ) growing in lateritic soils and also in village households (surrounded by dense vegetation). At dusk, they take flight ( Sala de Castellarnau 1946). They are attracted by artificial lights at night and some of the specimens collected from village households are obtained by this method. The adult flight period in Kerala is mainly observed during the months of September, October and November. The same pattern of flight period of this genus was observed from Kerala by Suryanarayanan & Bijoy (2024). Most of the flight activity data were documented in August, September, October and November, but there are data in Chandra et al. (2011) where it was from January and July in the northern state Madhya Pradesh of India ( Fig. 22 ).

Remarks. Westwood’s collection is kept in OUMNH, Oxford, so the lectotype specimen was also selected from this collection. The East Indies were designated as the type locality by Westwood (1847). The area where this species is known to occur was colonized by the East India Company ( Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar). In Westwood’s (1847) paper, East Indies is probably not a correct geographical designation for this species, and it most certainly was referencing the East India Company.

Based on the literature, G. dentifera seems to be the most common and widely distributed among the known species of the genus. However, the high degree of morphological similarity between the species and the fact that this is the oldest described and known species name in the genus may lead to uncertainties in determination. It is therefore necessary to re-check all faunal data against the published key for the species.

Fraser (1922) provides the description and a figure of the 3rd instar Glyptobasis larva. He assumed that the larva belonged to the species Glyptobasis because Glyptobasis imagos were common in the locality where the larva was collected. Fraser’s (1922) description of the larva may be correct but should be verified by rearing the larvae to the adult stage.

Figures

FIGURES 4A–C. Lectotype female of Glyptobasis dentifera (Westwood, 1847) preserved in the OUMNH, A—Habitus, B— Head in frontal view; C—Thorax and legs in lateral view, Photo: Oxford University Museum of Natural History©.

FIGURES 5A–C. Paralectotype female of Glyptobasis dentifera (Westwood, 1847) preserved in the NHMUK, A—Habitus, B—Head in frontal view; C—Thorax and legs in lateral view.

FIGURES 6A–B. Glyptobasis dentifera (Westwood, 1847). A—Male habitus; B—Female habitus. Scale: 10 mm.

FIGURES 7A–E. Glyptobasis dentifera (Westwood, 1847).A—Head in frontal view; B—Head and thorax in ventral view, C— Male wing venation, D—Foreleg; E—Hindleg in lateral view. Abbreviations. C—Costa, Sc—Subcosta, R—Radius, Sc+R— Subcosta + Radius, oRs—origin of radial sector, rs—radial sector, tp—triangular process, ps—pterostigma, msb—mesothoracic band, mtb—metathoracic band, t1–t5—tarsomeres 1–5, ts—tibial spurs, tc—tarsal claws.

FIGURES 8A–F. Glyptobasis dentifera (Westwood, 1847). A—Male terminalia, in dorsal view; B—The same, in ventral view; C:—The same, in lateral view; D—Male genitalia, inventral view; E—Female terminalia, inlateral view; F—The same, in ventral view. Abbreviations. gx8; gx9; gx11; gx9+11, gx—gonocoxites; gx9+11e—gonocoxites 9+11 extension; gx9+11p—gonocoxites 9+11 processus; T9—tergite 9; S8 and S9—sternite 8 and 9; ep—ectoproct; epp—cauda-ventral ectoproct process.

FIGURES 9A–B. Glyptobasis dentifera (Westwood, 1847). A—Adult female in natural habitat (photo: Mohammed Ramees K.); B—Habitat of species in Vazhayur, Kerala.

FIGURE 20. Distribution map of Glyptobasis dentifera (Westwood, 1847) from India.

FIGURE 22. Flight period of Glyptobasis species from India and surrounding countries.