Ogcogaster tessellata ( Westwood, 1847 )

Hassan, Muhammad Asghar & Liu, Xingyue, 2021, Taxonomic notes on owlflies from Pakistan (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae Ascalaphinae), Zootaxa 4970 (3), pp. 401-452 : 428-429

Ogcogaster tessellata ( Westwood, 1847)

Ascalaphus (Ogcogaster) tessellatus Westwood, 1847: 69 . Type locality: Unknown.

Ascalaphus tessellatus Westwood, 1847 . After Walker, 1853: 420.

Ogcogaster tessellatus Westwood, 1847 . After Hagen, 1866: 387.

Helicomitus xaverii Navás, 1930: 34 . Type locality: India (Annand). After Sala de Castellarnau (1946: 120).

Diagnosis. This species is similar to O. ronkayorum in external appearance, but it can be easily distinguished by the presence of distinct dark brown markings at the distal margin on mediocubital area in both wings.

Measurement (♂ n=3, ♀ n=5). Forewing length: ♂ 25.3–28.7 mm, ♀ 28.4–32.3 mm, width ♂ 7.5–8.7 mm, ♀ 8.7–10.0 mm; hind wing length: ♂ 21.0– 24.5 mm, ♀ 24.3–28.3 mm, width ♂ 6.0–7.0 mm, ♀ 7.5–8.5 mm; abdominal length: ♂ 14.0 mm, ♀ 11.5–13.2 mm; body length: ♂ 22.0–35.0 mm, ♀ 18.0– 22.5 mm.

Re-description. Male ( Figs 14A–C ) and female ( Figs 15A–D ). Head ( Fig. 16C ). Postorbital sclerite and occiout yellow. Vertex flat, brownish yellow, with mixed long greyish yellow and brown setae. Lateral plates yellow. Mesal plate brownish yellow. Frons reddish brown, with dark brown or mixed long brownish and greyish yellow setae. Anterior orbital sclerite and lateral margins of paraocular band reddish brown or brownish yellow. Clypeus reddish brown, with greyish yellow setae. Labrum reddish brown, with stiff brownish setae. Mandibles brownish yellow, reddish brown at tip, covered with greyish yellow setae at proximal 1/3. Maxillary and labial palpi brownish yellow, with short black setae. Posterior genal triangle reddish brown. Eyes divided by a transverse furrow. Antennal toruli brownish, arise more or less dorsally from the longitudinal transverse furrows of eyes. Antennae shorter than distance between base of forewing to pterostigma, brownish yellow. Antennae brownish yellow; scape and pedicel brownish, with mixed dark brown and greyish yellow setae; flagellomeres brownish yellow; club pyriform, dark, with verticils.

Thorax ( Fig. 16A ). Dorsal cervical plates yellow, with long greyish yellow setae; cervical sclerite yellow. Pronotum narrow, broader than long, dark brown, anterior and posterior margins yellow and flexed upward, covered with long setae, black at lateral margins, medially with greyish setae. Mesonotum dark brown, with a median longitudinal yellow marking; prescutum dark, a distinctive yellow heart-shaped marking in the middle, covered with long brownish setae; scutum dark with a pair of median yellow triangular markings, an indistinct brownish yellow marking above wing base, with brownish setae; scutellum yellow, except proximal 1/3 and anterolateral margins dark, a narrow median yellow transverse stripe, with brownish setae. Metanotum dark brown, with a distinct median yellow stripe, narrow at middle, covered with brownish setae. Pleuron with distinctly longitudinal dark brown and yellow markings, covered with mixed brownish and greyish setae ( Fig. 16B ).

Legs dark brown ( Fig. 16B ). Foreleg. Coxae with mixed brownish and greyish yellow setae. Trochanter with short black setae. Femur and tibia with short and long black setae, except short black setae on dorsal margin; tibial spurs equal to length of Ta1–Ta2. Tarsomeres with short black setae; Ta1–Ta4 subequal in length; Ta5 equal to combined length of Ta1–Ta4. Mid leg. Coxae with brown and greyish yellow setae. Trochanter with short black setae. Femur and tibia mixed with short and long black setae; tibial spurs and tarsomere similar to foreleg. Hind leg. Similar to mid leg, except tibial spurs equal to length of Ta1. Ta1 slightly longer than Ta2; Ta2–Ta4 equal in length; Ta5 shorter than combined length of Ta1–Ta4.

Wings ( Figs 14A–C , 15A–D ). Membrane transparent but with light brown shades in some specimens. Crossveins with brownish speckled on proximal 1/3. Proximal to hind margin in both male and female with distinct brownish markings at distal margin on mediocubital area. Hind wing in female with distinct brownish marking at distal margin on radial area but absent in male, and also in some female specimens. Veins brownish, with sparse short black setae. Pterostigma wider than long, sub-rhomboid, highly variable in coloration, brownish to dark brown, with 3–5 crossveins; apical area beyond Sc+R with two rows of cells. Forewing longer than hind wing. Presectoral area with five crossveins. Rs with five major forks. Hind wing. Presectoral area with three crossveins. Rs with five major forks.

Abdomen shorter than hind wing. Tergum dark brown, with rounded markings in male, while rounded and rhombus in female. Male ( Figs 17A–B ). Tergum. T1 brownish or yellow, split dorsally, lateral margins brownish, with long pale brownish setae. Acrotergite brownish. T2 yellow, posterolateral margins dark, hind margin with narrow yellow stripe, with long pale yellow or brownish setae. T3–T5 with rounded brownish yellow or yellowish orange marking, well separated at both ends or diffused at margins, hind margin with narrow greyish stripe, with short black setae. Lateral margins of T2–T4 yellow, except dark brown at distal 1/4 of T3; T4–T8 brownish with indistinct median brownish yellow markings. Sternum yellow. S1, S2 and proximal 1/3 of S3 with long white setae; S3 posterolaterally, and S4–S8 with hind margins dark; S4–S8 with short black setae. Female ( Fig. 17C ). Tergum. T1 yellow, split dorsally, lateral margins dark brown, with long greyish yellow setae. Acrotergite brownish. T2 yellow, posterolateral margins dark, hind margin with a narrow yellow stripe, with long pale yellow setae. T3 with rounded yellow marking. T4 with rounded or rhombus marking. T5–T8 with rounded or rhombus marking, rounded markings confluent at anterior margin. Posterior margin of T2–T8 with a narrow greyish yellow stripes; lateral margins of T1, T2 and proximal 1/2 of T3 yellowish; T6–T8 yellow at lateral margins except dark stripe on hind margin of T7. Sternum dark brown, except S1, S2, S3, proximal 1/5 of S4–S5 and S8 yellow; S1, S2 and proximal 1/3 of S3 with long white setae; S3–S8 with short black setae.

Male genitalia ( Figs 18C–G ). Brownish yellow. Tergum 9 (T9) quadrate; sternum 9 (S9) subquadrate, obtusely angled at apex, distal margin with short black setae; ectoprocts (epr) long, cylindrical, rounded at apex, with short black setae; gonarcus (gs) medially notched, slightly divergent at lateral margins, lunate at base, a pair of lateral projection below pulvini; parameres (pa) unevenly rounded in lateral view; pulvini (pv) yellow, with long yellow gonosetae.

Female genitalia ( Figs 18A–B ). Brownish, covered with black setae. Tergum 8 (T8) subquadrate; tergum 9 (T9) quadrate; ectoprocts (epr) rounded; anterior gonapophyses (ga) long, slightly wide at apex, thumb-liked; lateral gonapophyses (gl) rounded in lateral view, brownish yellow; linguella lightly chitinized and with short brown setae.

Material examined. PAKISTAN. Islamabad Capital Territory: 2♂, 1♀, Check Shehzad , [33°39’50.2194”N, 73°9’9.8994”E], 446 m, 10.viii.2019, leg. M.A. Hassan ( NIM) , 1♂, 1♀, Ali Pur , [33°39’5.256”N, 73°14’2.8674”E], 476 m, 11.viii.2019, leg. M.A. Hassan ( CAU) ; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province: 1♀, District Mansehra, Sarai Saleh , [33°59’58.1994”N, 72°58’38.5314”E], 535 m, 15.viii.2019, leg. M.A. Hassan ( NIM) , 1♀, District Swabi, Dagai [33°9’49.0674”N, 72°18’31.7514”E], 287 m, 25.viii.2019, leg. M.A. Hassan ( CAU) , 1♀, District Swat , [34°49’18.9984”N, 72°29’20.0004”E], 760 m, 22.viii.2019, leg. Fazullah ( PMNH) .

Distribution. Pakistan (Punjab province: Rawalpindi); India (Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu) ( Sziráki 1998; Ghosh 1988, 2000; Whittington 2002; Tauber et al. 2019; Oswald 2020).

Figures

FIGURE 14. Ogcogaster tessellata (Westwood). Male. A–C. Dorsal habitus. Scale bar: 5.0 mm.

FIGURE 15. Ogcogaster tessellata (Westwood). Female. A–D. Dorsal habitus. Scale bar: 5.0 mm.

FIGURE 16. Ogcogaster tessellata (Westwood). Male. A. Head and thorax, dorsal view; B. Lateral view; C. Head, anterior view; D. Antenna. Scale bars: 5.0 mm (B); 2.0 mm (A); 1.0 mm (C).

FIGURE 17. Ogcogaster tessellata (Westwood). Dorsal view of abdomen.A–B. Male; C. Same, female. Scale bar: 5.0 mm.

FIGURE 18. Ogcogaster tessellata (Westwood). A. Female genitalia, lateral view; B. Same, ventral view; C. Male genitalia, lateral view; D. Same, ventral view; E–G. Gonarcus, parameres and pulvinus: E. Dorsal view; F. Same, ventral view; G. Same, lateral view. Scale bar: 0.5 mm.