Brevistoma sp.

Zheng, Yuchen, Ni, Ziyang, Aspöck, Ulrike, Aspöck, Horst, Badano, Davide, Nel, André & Liu, Xingyue, 2025, A hidden treasure along Silk Roads: An unexpected new species of spoon-winged lacewings from Xinjiang, China, and a revision of the genus Brevistoma Tjeder, 1967 (Neuroptera: Nemopteridae), Zootaxa 5566 (1), pp. 97-118 : 112-115

Brevistoma sp.

( Figs 2C ; 10 ; 11I )

Diagnosis. Vertex barely raised. Female antenna nearly 1/3 length of forewing. Maxillary palpus columniform. Pronotum with a pair of indistinct curved brown stripes. Mesoprescutum brown anteriorly; mesonotum laterally with a pair of indistinct brown stripes; mesoscutellum pale yellow without marking. Forewing generally hyaline. Hind wing mostly hyaline, distal part of hind wing with one large brown marking. Abdomen laterally with a pair of dark brown stripes.

Description. Size. Head width, 2.52 mm; forewing length, 19.19 mm; hind wing length, 42.11 mm.

Head. Vertex barely raised, brown without marking. Female antenna nearly 1/3 length of forewing. Scape and pedicel brown. Frons brown, nearly as wider than long in female ( Fig. 11I ). Female clypeus as long as wide. Labrum truncated on distal margin. Maxillary palpus columniform. Labial palpus slender. Cardo and stipe pale yellow. Mandible pale yellow, elongate. Rostrum nearly as long as half of head width ( Fig. 10D–E ).

Thorax. Mostly pale yellow. Pronotum pale yellow, with a pair of indistinct curved brown stripes, covered with some short pale setae. Mesoprescutum brown anteriorly; mesonotum laterally with a pair of indistinct brown stripes; mesoscutellum pale yellow without marking. Metanotum extremely short. Meso- and metapleurae generally pale yellow ( Fig. 10D ).

Legs. Slender, generally pale yellow. Tibial spur weakly developed. Tarsomeres 2–4 with some stout setae ventrally; pretarsal claws dark reddish brown, slightly curved ( Fig. 10C ).

Wings. Forewing generally hyaline, apex rounded; subcostal area and pterostigma pale yellow; costal crossvein not forked; 12 presectoral crossveins present; RP with four branches; 3A closed to forewing margin. Hind wing slender, ribbon-like, nearly twice as long as forewing, mostly hyaline; distal part of hind wing with one large brown marking; pterostigma pale ( Figs 2C ; 10A–B ).

Abdomen. Pale yellow, laterally with a pair of dark brown stripes. Male genitalia. Unknown. Female genitalia. Gonocoxites 9 long ovoid, covered with some short setae. Ectoproct rounded on distal margin, covered with some short setae ( Figs 10F–E ).

Material examined. 1♀, SUDAN: Northern Province , Hudeiba, 380 m, 4.IV.1962, Wüstenrand, Nil-Ufer ( NHMW) .

Distribution. Sudan (Northern Province).

Remarks. This female specimen from Sudan is unique, as the dilated part of hindwing has only one marking ( Fig. 10B ), unlike the other species that have two markings. However, its body coloration is extremely similar to B. bardii . Considering that we have only a single female specimen, we cannot exclude that this difference is due to variability of the hindwing pattern. Here we treat it as an unidentified species, providing morphological description and distribution information.

Key to known species of Brevistoma

1. Vertex slightly raised; maxillary palpus plate-like; forewing basal mediocubital crossveins each suffused an indistinct brown spot; hind wing basal half of c-sc and m-av crossveins each suffused an indistinct brown spot.............................................................................................. B. raksasiae Zheng, Ni & Liu sp. nov.

- Vertex barely raised; maxillary palpus columniform; wings mostly hyaline, crossveins without markings................ 2

2. Thorax and abdomen greyish; male posterior gonocoxites 9 slender in lateral view............... B. hackeri Hölzel, 1999

- Thorax and abdomen brown or yellowish brown; male posterior gonocoxites 9 wide in lateral view.................... 3

3. Mesoscutellum without marking; male posterior gonocoxites 9 widely hook-like in lateral view..... B. bardii ( Navás, 1914)

- Mesoscutellum with an indistinct marking; male posterior gonocoxites 9 swollen in lateral view....................... 5

5. Head generally brown; pronotum medially with a slender grey brown stripe, laterally with a pair of greyish brown markings; mesoprescutum greyish brown, laterally yellowish brown; mesoscutellum yellowish brown, medially with a greyish brown marking; forewing subcostal area hyaline............................................. B. gallagheri Hölzel, 1999

- Anterior vertex, frons and gena pale; pronotum with a pair of curved dark brown stripes; mesoprescutum anteriorly dark brown, posteriorly yellowish brown; mesoscutellum with a reverse T-shaped dark brown marking; forewing subcostal area pale yellow......................................................................... B. bourboni ( Navás, 1931)

Figures

FIGURE 2. Habitus and wings abbreviation of Brevistoma spp. A: B. bardii (Navás, 1914), male, from Ouarzazate (Morocco). B: B. bardii (Navás, 1914), female, from Errachidia (Morocco). C: Brevistoma sp., female, from Sudan. D: B. bardii, forewing. E: B. bardii, distal hind wing.

FIGURE 10. Brevistoma sp., female, from Sudan. A: Part of habitus. B: Distal hind wing. C: head and thorax, lateral view. D: head and thorax, dorsal view. E: Head, frontal view. Female terminalia: J. Lateral view. K. Ventral view.

FIGURE 11. Antennae of Brevistoma spp.A. B. bardii (Navás, 1914), male, from Ghardaia (Algeria). B. B. bardii, female, from Tunisia. C. B. bourboni (Navás, 1931) stat. rev., male, lectotype. D. B. gallagheri Hölzel, 1999, male, holotype. E. B. hackeri Hölzel, 1999, male, holotype. F: B. hackeri, female, paratype. G. B. raksasiae Zheng, Ni & Liu sp. nov., holotype, male. H. B. raksasiae sp. nov., paratype, female. I. Brevistoma sp., female, from Sudan.