Phymatosmylus Adams, 1969

Winterton, Shaun L., Martins, Caleb Califre, Makarkin, Vladimir, Ardila-Camacho, Adrian & Wang, Yongjie, 2019, Lance lacewings of the world (Neuroptera: Archeosmylidae, Osmylidae, Saucrosmylidae): review of living and fossil genera, Zootaxa 4581 (1), pp. 1-99 : 75-76

Phymatosmylus Adams, 1969

( Figs 54–56 )

Type species. Phymatosmylus caprorum Adams, 1969: 5 (by original designation).

Diagnosis. Female forecoxa with anterior patch of pedicellate setae; wings elongate and falcate with acute apex, highly variably in colour and extent of markings; female with FW CuP and 1A veins incrassate, male with all FW veins generally thicker than in HW; costal area relatively narrow; FW stem of RP short, RP originating close to wing base, RP1 originating close to origin of RP; RP branches strongly sinuous distally in both wings; endtwigging irregular and intermittent along posterior margin of wing; FW M forked midway along wing, both MA and MP dichotomously branched; CuA and CuP only slightly arched towards posterior wing margin beyond of M fork; FW 2A terminates in wing margin at level of origin of first branch of RP; male tergite 8 partially fused to tergite 9, and in turn tergite 9 partially fused to ectoproct; ectoproct without angular process; gonarcus rounded, anterior apodeme present, narrow; entoprocesses curved and apically rounded; female sternite 8 concave with posterolateral setose process; gonapophysis 9 short, bilobed; spermatheca spherical.

Comments. A highly variable monotypic genus likely closely related to Isostenosmylus ; while the large falcate wings with dense venation show a superficial similarity to Kempynus , Phymatosmylus is clearly placed in Stenosmylinae . Adams (1969) suggested that this genus displayed an intermediate position in Stenosmylinae , exhibiting a series of ‘generalised’ features, including the more proximal fork of the forewing medial vein and only partial fusion of the male abdominal tergites 8 and 9. Individuals examined by Adams (1969) and in this study exhibit tremendous variation not only in pigmentation, but also vein branching, notably in the position of the medial fork, presence or absence of forking in various RP branches and partial fusion of MP branches with CuA. The latter vein fusion is rare and when present it not symmetrical in individuals. See Cousin & Béthoux (2015) for discussion of this phenomenon in other Stenosmylinae .

Included species.

P. caprorum Adams, 1969 ( Argentina, Chile)

Figures

FIGURE 54. Stenosmylinae. Phymatosmylus caprorum Adams (photo: Steve Marshall).

FIGURE 55. Stenosmylinae. Phymatosmylus caprorum Adams.

FIGURE 56. Stenosmylinae. Phymatosmylus caprorum Adams, wing venation (trichosors and vestiture omitted).