Solter dogon Michel

Michel, Bruno, 2014, A revision of the genus Solter Navás, 1912 for Maghreb and West Africa with descriptions of five new species (Neuroptera, Myrmeleontidae), Zootaxa 3887 (5), pp. 529-554 : 532-533

2. Solter dogon Michel nov. sp.

Figs 6–10 , 62, 63 , 78 .

Diagnosis. Large species ( Fig. 6 ). Forewing 42 mm, hind wing 40 mm. Body dorsal coloration dark brown with pale markings; ventral coloration pale. Mesonotum unspotted ( Fig. 7 ). Tarsomeres 3, 4 and apices of 5 black. Tibial spurs stout, longer than tarsomeres 1+2 ( Fig. 10 ). Hind wings with 3 presectoral crossveins.

Description (Based on 1 male). Head ( Fig. 8 ). Labrum, clypeus and frons pale yellow. Tentorial pit small and narrow. Vertex moderately raised, with black marking above antennae and an interrupted brown transverse line. Inner surface of scape with a longitudinal black line. Flagellomeres darker basally. Vertex covered with minute spine-like black setae. Last segment of labial palp oval-shaped with an ovoid palpimacula narrowing basally ( Fig. 9 ).

Thorax ( Fig. 7 ). Notum dark brown with pale markings, the posterior longitudinal marking stout not divided by median pale line. Mesonotum unspotted. Pale areas of pro and mesonotum scattered with minute black points corresponding to the insertions of minute black setae that are stouter in anterior and posterior margins of pronotum and anterior margin of mesoprescutum. Posterior surface of mesoscutum with long slender white setae. Lateral surface with dark markings. Ventral surface pale.

Legs. Pale. Foreleg outer surface of coxae with a conspicuous black spot; femora with two large middle and apical black markings; tibiae with three black markings proximally, medially and apically; tarsomeres 3, 4 and apices of 5 black; tibial spurs stout, curved apically, as long as tarsomeres 1–3. Mid legs coxae pale; femora with anterior surface speckled apically with small dark dots at base of each white erect seta; tibiae, tibial spurs and tarsi like in fore legs. Hind legs tibiae with thin proximally and medially dark markings, black apically; base of each white erect seta with a small but conspicuous dark dot; tibial spurs slightly shorter than tarsomeres 1–3 ( Fig. 10 ).

Wings. Apices sub-acute. Forewings main longitudinal veins with alternating bands of pale and dark brown; five presectoral crossveins; membrane hyaline with a row of four smoked dots along CuA1 and smoked markings at cubital and rhegma areas. Hind wings with 3 presectoral crossveins.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 pale with irregular dark dorsal markings, bearing long lateral white setae; posterior margin yellow medially. Tergite 2 light and dark brown, yellow along anterior margin. Remainder of abdomen with alternating light and dark brown bands; each band with dark or pale irregular markings.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 62, 63 ). Gonarcus thick, moderately arched with stout median triangular process. Parameres convex with inner edge of basal half raised forward. Hypandrium internum process slender ( Fig. 78 ).

Material examined. Holotype ♂, MALI Sanga [14.05496–5.48297], larva collected on 20.vii.1997 under dry leaves at the entrance of a cave; adult emerged on 02.vi.1998, V. Monserrat leg. (Facultad de Biología, Madrid).

Etymology. Dogon , a noun in apposition, is the name of the ethnic group inhabiting the central region of Mali where the specimen was collected.

Distribution ( Fig. 86 ). Known only from the type locality in the principal Dogon area bisected by the Bandiagara escarpment that rises 100–300 m above the lower sandy flats and has a length of approximately 150 km. The cliffs harbor troglodyte caverns and natural cavities where the larva was found.

Remarks. S. dogon resembles S. virgilii . Both species are large-sized and have three presectoral crossveins in hind wings. However, the general coloration of S. virgillii is yellow, the hind femora lack black dots at base of setae, mid and hind tibiae are uniformly yellow, the legs are more slender and the posterior longitudinal marking of pronotum is represented by two divergent lines which form a V when they are entire, in holotype the lines are reduced to two short segments corresponding to the extremities of the branches of the V. In male of both species the gonarcus has a stout triangular median process but the shape of the parameres is different.

Figures

FIGURE 86. Distribution of the Solter species represented in the area covered by the study.

FIGURES 6 – 10. Solter dogon. 6 — Habitus of holotype ♂ (Universidad Complutense, Madrid). 7 — Head and thorax, dorsal view. 8 — Face. 9 — Last segment of labial palp. 10 — Hind tarsus. (Legend as in fig. 5).

FIGURES 61 – 67. Male genitalia of Solter spp. 61 — S. bouyeri, caudal view. 62 — S. dogon, gonarcus, dorsal view. 63 — idem, parameres, caudal view. 64 — S. francoisi, caudal view. 65 — idem, lateral view. 66 — S. leopardalis, caudal view. 67 — idem, caudo-lateral view. (ap = anterior projection of parameres; g = gonarcus; lp = left parameres).

FIGURES 74 – 80. 74 – 76. Male genitalia of Solter spp. 74 — S. neglectus, fronto-lateral view. 75 — S. rothschildi, caudal view. 76 — idem, lateral view. 77 – 80. Hypandrium internum. 77 — S. bouyeri. 78 — S. dogon. 79 — S. francoisi. 80 — S. liber. (Legend as in figures 61 – 67).