Apertochrysa prasina ( Burmeister, 1839 )

Duelli, Peter & Henry, Charles S., 2022, The Apertochrysa prasina group (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), with a key to the European species, Zootaxa 5134 (1), pp. 61-91 : 78

Apertochrysa prasina ( Burmeister, 1839)

Chrysopa prasina Burmeister, 1839 : original description

Chrysopa coerulea Brauer, 1850 : Brauer, 1856

Chrysopa mariana Navás, 1905 : original description

Anisochrysa prasina ( Burmeister, 1839) : Ressl, 1971

Anisochrysa mariana ( Navás, 1905) : Hölzel, 1973b

Mallada prasinus ( Burmeister, 1839) : Monserrat, 1985

Mallada marianus ( Navás, 1905) : Pantaleoni, 1988

Dichochrysa prasina ( Burmeister, 1839) : Aspöck et al., 2001

Dichochrysa mariana ( Navás, 1905) : Canard et al., 2007

Pseudomallada prasinus ( Burmeister, 1839) : Monserrat et al., 2014

Pseudomallada marianus ( Navás, 1905) : Monserrat, 2016

Apertochrysa prasina ( Burmeister, 1839) : Breitkreuz et al., 2021

Diagnosis: In Europe, A. prasina is the largest species in the prasina group ( Table 1a ). Female wing length can reach 17.5 mm and was never less than 15.5 mm. Wings of males can reach 16 mm and were never less than 13.5 mm. This alone excludes most specimens of the other species in the prasina group. Moreover, A. prasina is the only species in the group depositing bundled eggs. The costal crossveins are more than half green ( Fig. 12 ). The dark portion of the im cell veins is very small, and often the three veins are all pale. All gradate crossveins are usually pale, which otherwise is the case only in furwing males of Ap2.

Species redescription: Available live-colored material: 31♀, 24♂ ( Switzerland, Germany)

Large lacewing species with grass-green or sometimes bluish-green body coloration. Tips of palps dark brown. Frons, scape and clypeus green. Subantennal sutures always unpigmented. The interantennal spot is roundish or pear-shaped. Black caudal scape dots were found in about 20% of specimens. 22% of specimens exhibited a pair of brown or black dots on vertex. Female forewings 15.5–17.5 mm, male forewings 13.5–16.0 mm. Costal crossveins less than 50% dark. All males with furwings, which helps to distinguish them from Ap 3 males of similarly large size. The im cell is formed by veins that are less than 12% dark; in 38% they were entirely pale. All gradate crossveins are usually as light as the longitudinal wing veins.

Two pairs of reddish or brown spots (often black in dried specimens) on prothorax. Lateral prothoracic spots mostly brown or black. Dorsal abdomen mostly unmarked, but in 25% of cases there were small reddish-brown or dark brown spots on some of the segments. Most abdominal segments with lateral marks. Ventral side of abdomen pale in females, mostly green in males, with pale setae. Eggs deposited in bundles. About half of the larvae enter an obligatory diapause as second instars, even under long-day conditions. The best way to find A. prasina is to sweep Corylus avellana (common hazel).

Distribution: Europe, but the recognition of large size and bundled eggs may extend its known range into Asia. In Europe, A. prasina s.s. is more common in northern countries than in the south.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Apertochrysa prasina s.s. with less than 40% dark ccv, green face and vertex, and no dorsal marks on the abdomen (female from Agarone, Ticino, Switzerland).