Deleproctophylla dusmeti Navás, 1914

Badano, Davide & Pantaleoni, Roberto Antonio, 2014, The Larvae of European Ascalaphidae (Neuroptera), Zootaxa 3796 (2), pp. 287-319 : 301

Deleproctophylla dusmeti Navás, 1914

( Fig. 9 )

Navás (1915) attributed a freshly hatched larva, a not diagnostic instar, to this species. Few years later, Escribano (1921) described and illustrated the larva and life-history of this ascalaphid.

Examined specimens. France. Hérault , 1 L3 laboratory-reared from a female collected at Saint Paul et Valmalle, VII.2011 (D. Badano). Alpes Maritimes, 3 L3 laboratory-reared from a female collected at Villeneuve Loubet, VII.2011 (D. Badano) .

Description of 3 rd instar larva. Size (based on 4 specimens): BL 10.42 mm; HL 2.52 mm (2.44–2.68), HW 2.83 mm (2.44–2.94), ML 3.16 mm (2.96–3.34), HW/HL 1.12, ML/HL 1.25. General colouring pale brown with darker shades, ventral side whitish with dark brown markings; head capsule dark brown, dorsal side of the head with paler markings, ventral side dark brown with paler posterior stripes, mandibles brown; legs brown; setae of the body black. Head slightly longer than wide ( Fig. 9b ); mandibles longer than the head capsule ( Fig. 9a ); interdental spiniform setae: (~5)(2–3)(1–0); external margin of the mandible covered by short setae. Pronotum brown with a pale median stripe; first pair of mesothoracic scolus-like processes with a dark spot at the base ( Fig. 9c ). Abdominal spiracles brown; VIII sternite with a pair of lateral brown spots ( Fig. 9d ).

Bio-ecology. Ecology of this species is similar to the congener D. australis , living in open arid Mediterranean environments with herbaceous vegetation.

Distribution. D. dusmeti is reported from the Iberian Peninsula and southern France.

Remarks. See D. australis .

Figures

FIGURE 9. Deleproctophylla dusmeti Navás, 1914, 3rd instar larva (France: Alpes Maritimes, Villeneuve Loubet). Dorsal (above), ventral (middle) and lateral (below) view; a–d: diagnostic characters, see species description.