Maracandula Currie 1901

Miller, Robert B. & Stange, Lionel A., 2009, A revision of the genus Maracandula Currie (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae), Insecta Mundi 2009 (101), pp. 1-10 : 2-3

Maracandula Currie 1901

Maracandula Currie 1901: 436 . Type species: Myrmeleon pygmaeus Hagen , by original designation.

= Microleon Banks 1901: 365 . Preoccupied by Microleon Butler 1885 (Lepidoptera) . Type species: Microleon apicalis Banks , by original designation.

= Mimoleon Banks 1913: 229 . New name for Microleon Banks 1901 .

Further description. Stange 1970: 152; 1994: 91.

Key to species. Stange 1970: 153.

Distribution. Mexico.

Description. Antenna with flagellomeres II-IV longer than wide; legs moderately long and slender, fore femur more than 1.5 times longer than fore coxa; hind basitarsus shorter or longer than distal tarsomere; femoral sense hair hardly distinguishable from surrounding bristles, one each on fore leg and mid leg; pretarsal claws weakly developed; tibial spurs absent; wings with banksian lines absent, hypostigmatic cell short, less than six times longer than high; posterior area of hind wing narrow, CuA bends to hind margin near medial fork; pilula axillaris well developed with setae covering most of dorsal surface of knob; male genitalia with rather simple gonarcus, free parameres; mesal margin of male ectoproct with short, rather truncate process near origin of weakly developed postventral lobe, somewhat produced ventrally; female terminalia with posterior gonapophysis extremely enlarged and swollen; lateral gonapophyses fused; pregenital plate pale narrow with median tooth; gonapophyseal plate expansive.

Discussion. This genus is found only in Mexico. There are five known species that belong to two distinct species groups. The two species of the colima group are more similar to species of Menkeleon than are the three species of the pygmaeus group because they have the fore leg and mid leg basitarsus very elongate, the hypostigmatic cell longer and the eye larger. However, significant morphological differences between Maracandula and Menkeleon are found in the female terminalia (posterior gonapophysis much more inflated, lateral gonapophyses fused in Maracandula ), base of fore wing emarginate and antenna modified (flagellomere I longer than wide). Miller and Stange (unpublished field notes) found four species flying in the afternoon. The habitat was invariably one with abundant rocks and usually grasses. Maracandula apicalis (Banks) was found commonly flying around red top grasses in central Mexico, mostly in sunken areas. The female terminalia suggest that the eggs are laid on rocks but the larvae are unknown. The short hypostigmatic cell is an uncommon character in the family. The female terminalia of Menkeleon differ from those of Tyttholeon Adams in the small pregenital plate and from Maracandula Currie by the separated lateral gonapophyses and the smaller posterior gonapophysis. Menkeleon differs from Maracandula by the less modified eyes, and lack of prominent subbasal emargination of the fore wing. The afternoon flying habits of Maracandula are very unusual since nearly all species of antlions are active at night. Afternoon flying is also documented in the South African genera Pamares Mansell and Pamexis Hagen. The species of Maracandula have reduced eyes and antennal flagellomeres that are probably correlated to their diurnal activity.