Crambomorphus madagascariensis (van der Weele, 1907 )

Mansell, Mervyn W., 2018, Antlions of southern Africa: genus Crambomorphus McLachlan, 1867, including extra-limital species (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae: Palparinae: Palparini), Zootaxa 4382 (3), pp. 465-500 : 488-492

Crambomorphus madagascariensis (van der Weele, 1907) .

Figs 53–62 , 84 , 90

Stenares madagascariensis van der Weele, 1907: 250 . 406.

Crambomorphus madagascariensis (van der Weele) : Stange 2004: 38. 11168.

Redescription. Habitus ( Figs 53, 54 ). Very large Palparini . Wings heavily marked with brown, lanceolate with acute apices and a narrow sinuate stripe along posterior margin of forewings. Costal area of forewings densely reticulated with irregular bi- or triaereolate or more (up to five) cells. Meso- and metathorax sparsely clothed with white recumbent setae. Differs from other Crambomorphus species by the multi-celled costal area.

Head: wider than prothorax, vertex prominently raised with fine sculpturing, largely devoid of setae, median black stripe extends from vertex broadening posteriorly over pro- and mesothorax; vertex, frons, face below antennae dull white, clypeus, labrum yellow; toruli less than scape diameter apart with shiny black band over antennal bases. Antennae longer than head width, black, covered in short black setae, scape with black setae. Eyes slightly greater than hemispherical. Labial palps ( Fig. 90 ) long, brown, covered with white and black setae, clavate, with short rounded tip, palpimacula slit-shaped extending to, but not over apex, maxillary palps brown.

Thorax: prothorax short, much wider than long, yellowish brown with central black stripe, lateral margins black, anterior margin raised, with dense fringe of black setae, hind margin raised with long black setae. Mesothorax yellowish brown, black stripe medially, lateral black stripes and black marks over wing bases, sclerites bordered with black creating X-shaped mark medially, sparse black setae dorsally, white pubescence laterally; metathorax yellowish brown, broadly black laterally with brown velvet spots medially, black setae dorsally, long white pubescence laterally, metascutum black. Thoracic pleurites and sternites dark brown with long white pubescence.

Wings: lanceolate, with sub-acute apices, marked with dark-brown, ( Figs 53, 54 ), wing veins mainly devoid of setae, except for dense black fringe along C and in hypostigmatic area; hypostigma long; pterostigma not discernible. Forewings: with four highly variable diffuse pale brown markings; basal mark variable, two middle marks distinct, apical mark divided, posterior margin with narrow sinuate brown stripe; crossveins densely reticulate, yellow, but R dark brown, basal costal cells densely and irregularly triaereolate or with up to five cells, lessening to biaereolate distally; Rs and CuA arise on about same level, presectoral veins irregularly bi- or triaereolate; Mp2 arises beyond CuA fork; Hind wings: with four discernible dark brown bands and divided apical mark; costal cells usually uniaereolate, very occasionally biaereolate, slightly sinuate especially distally; Rs and Mp fork arise on about same level; presectoral crossveins biaereolate.

Legs: dark brown with faint orange patches, sparsely covered with black spines and dense short white setae; forelegs with dense setal brush on tibiae, tibiae longer than tarsi in all legs, tibial spurs black, slightly curved, extending to just beyond Ta2; Ta1–Ta4 short, Ta5 long, approximately equal to combined length of Ta1–Ta4; pretarsal claws longer than Ta1–Ta2, black, slightly curved.

Abdomen: shorter than hind wings, dark brown in preserved specimens, sparsely covered with black setae and white setae on terminal segments, with some long white pubescence on T1 and anterior margin of T2. Male ( Figs 55–62 ) with T9 divided, sternite IX ( Figs 56, 59 ) with smooth apex; ectoprocts ( Figs 55–58 ) black, curved, cylindrical, apices incrassate, with short white setae dorsally, long black setae laterally, dense pad of stout curved black spines on inner surfaces and two stout spines basally; gonarcus and parameres ( Figs 60–62 ) fused into a rigid cone-shaped structure, parameres sclerotized, shiny black with medial tuft of sensory setae, gonarcal bulla strongly pronounced ( Figs 62 , 84 ), hypandrium internum lightly sclerotized, keel-shaped. Female (cf. Figs 13–15 ) with rounded ectoprocts bearing stout fossorial spines; lateral gonapohyses fused together forming a triangular shape with stout fossorial spines; anterior gonapophyses rounded with long slender setae; pregenitalae (cf. Fig. 15 ) triangular, sclerotized; spermatheca (cf. Fig. 52 ) slender, coiled, tapering distally.

Larva. Unknown.

Distribution. Endemic to Madagascar and appears to be confined to the arid and semiarid areas of the south western part of the island.

Type material examined. MADAGASCAR: Holotype ♀, Stenares madagascariensis van der Weele, 1907 , Madagascar, no further data ( MNHN) .

Additional material examined. 1 ♂ 1 ♀, Madagascar, no further data, NEUR06038 : 1 ♂ 3 ♀, NEUR05880, Madagascar, Tulear , 23.20S 43.04E, 15.i.1988, A.Peyrieras (all SANC) .

Comments. This species was originally described as Stenares madagascariensis by van der Weele (1907), with Stange (2004) correctly transferring it to Crambomorphus . Crambomorphus madagascariensis differs from Stenares by the irregular costal cells, the shape of the male ectoprocts and the gonarcus/parameres complex, and the palpimacula on the terminal labial palpomere which is slit-like, but not quite reaching apex, whereas in Stenares it extends over the tip of the apex.

Figures

FIGURES 53–54. Crambomorphus madagascariensis: 53, male habitus (Forewing length 68mm); 54, female habitus (forewing length 72 mm).

FIGURES 55–59. Crambomorphus madagascariensis: Male terminalia: 55, lateral; 56, ventral; 57, dorsal; 58, Ectoproct spines profile; 59, Sternite 9 detail.

FIGURES 60–62. Crambomorphus madagascariensis: Male Gonarcus & Parameres complex: 60, dorsal; 61, caudal; 62, lateral.

FIGURES 80–85. Crambomorphus species: comparative Gonarcus & Parameres lateral profiles: 80, C. sinuatus; 81, C. kalaharicus; 82, C. namibicus; 83, C. karrooanus; 84, C. madagascariensis; 85, C.grandidieri.

FIGURES 86–91. Crambomorphus species:comparative Labial palps:86, C. sinuatus; 87, C. karrooanus; 88, C. kalaharicus; 89, C. namibicus; 90, C. madagascariensis; 91, C. grandidieri.

FIGURES 13–15. Crambomorphus sinuatus. Female terminalia: 13, lateral; 14, ventral; 15, Pregenitale ventral. Epr = Ectoproct;Ga = Anterior Gonapophyses, Gl = Lateral Gonapophyses, Prg= Pregenitale, T9 = Tergite 9.

FIGURES 51–52. Crambomorphus karrooanus. Female: 51, Pregenitale and Anterior Gonapophyses ventral; 52, Spermatheca.