Climacia californica Chandler, 1953

Assmar, Alice Carvalho, Pires Machado, Renato José & Calor, Adolfo Ricardo, 2022, Taxonomic revision and first phylogeny of Climacia McLachlan, 1869 (Neuroptera: Sisyridae), with new species and identification key, Zoologischer Anzeiger (Zool. Anz.) 299 (2022), pp. 128-175 : 149-151

Climacia californica Chandler, 1953 .

( Fig. 17A–G )

Climacia californica Chandler, 1953: 182 [description]; Carpenter, 1942: 50 (as C. areolaris ) [record]; Parfin & Gurney, 1956: 491 [review]; Clark, 1985: 391 [record]; Penny et al., 1997: 88 [checklist]; Whaley et al., 2004 [record]; Bowles, 2006: 8 [record]; Flint, 2006: 285 [checklist]; Fisher et al., 2019: 317 [larvae and adult ecology].

4.55. Type material

Neotype. Male from Clear Lake , Lake County, California, 19.v.1949, 1318 feet, H. P. Chandler (CAS) . Holotype, allotype and few paratypes from CAS collection were lost in their way to Brazil in 2017 .

Paratypes. Twenty-seven specimens (11 females, 16 males), plus several in alcohol, same data as neotype (CAS, USNM; MCZ; Harley P. Brown collection; California Insect Survey collection) .

4.56. Material

Mexico: Sonora: Alamos (CAS 2817074, photograph). USA:

Arizona: Alpine (CAS 2817075, photograph). California: America R. (USNMENT 1447973); Lake (CAS, CASENT 8144787), (CAS, CASENT 8144776; 8144777; 8144778; 8144779; 8144780; 8144781; 8144786; 8144788), (USNMENT 1447970, 1447971, 1447972), (MCZ); Sonoma (CAS, CASENT 8144789); Contra Costa (CAS photographs, CASENT 8144796, 8144797, 8144650, 8144651, 8144652, 8144653, 8144654, 8144798, 8144799). Oregon: Lane (USNMENT 1476795, 1476790).

4.57. Distribution

Mexico (Durango, Michoacan, Sonora, Tamaulipas), USA (California,

Idaho, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington) ( Fig. 17A ).

4.58. Diagnosis

Climacia californica differs from its congeners by the closeness of second and third r crossveins, which is anterior to RA junction in pterostigma, also the second and third rp-ma crossveins are in close.

Neotype description.

Adult. Body color generally dark brown, with long yellow setae throughout. Head. Dark brown, with maxillary and labial palp brown. Antennae dark brown to black. Thorax. Dark brown with medial portion pale. Pronotum broader than long, no streak.

Forewing ( Fig. 17B ). 3.75 mm long, 1.3 mm wide at pterostigma. Subcostal veinlets 17. Only one bifurcation of RP anterior to pterostigma, with two crossveins between RP1+3 and RP4. Third r positioned anterior to Sc + RA junction, close to 2nd r. Third rp-ma close to 2nd rp-ma. Radiomedial streak starting from Sc at wing base, limited basely by MA vein. Antepterostigmal streak at C extending obliquely to MA. Pterostigma hyaline. Postpterostigma streak starts at C and covers the posterior area of the wing and CuA veins. No spots on longitudinal veins. Crossveins darkened. Maculae present in the membrane between longitudinal veins in radial sector. Anal area darkened. Number of branches after forks near posterior margin in RP1+3 is four, RP4 is four, MA is four, with third fork vein originating nearer fourth than second, MP is two, CuA is four, CuP, A1 and A2 not forked.

Hind wing ( Fig. 17C ). 3.35 mm long. Subcostal veinlets 14. Antepterostigma and postpterostigma with streak, pterostigma hyaline, similar to forewing. Number of forks near posterior margin in RP1+2 vein is two, RP3 is two, RP4 is two, MA is three, MP is two, CuA with three, CuP, A1 and A2 not forked.

Legs. Yellow to light brown.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 17D–F ). Presence of a cavity between segments 7 and 8, with a setae-like process. Tergite 9 with uniform width, acute prolongation from ventral margin. Sternite 9 small, located under tergite 9. Ectoproct with two halves nearly uniform width which, when viewed posteriorly, resembles an inverted V. Dorsal margin slightly quadrate, narrowly divided dorsally, no antero-dorsal acute projection. Gonocoxite 9 joined at an acute angle to inner edge of posterior margin of gonocoxite 11 ( Chandler 1953). Gonocoxite 9 apex not projected, slightly bend posteriad, covered by dentigerous-based setae. Gonocoxite 10 diamond shaped, anterior margin with an invagination medially in dorsal view. Gonostyle 10 small and closer to each other, tip pointed dorsad in lateral view and mesad in dorsal view.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 17G ). Tergite 8 large. Ectoproct oval, joined to segment 8 antero-dorsally. Tergite 9 long, anterior portion larger than posterior. Gonocoxite 9 smaller than tergite with apex bent posteriad.

Immature. Description available in Chandler (1953). Third instar morphology is similar to the C. areolaris described by Brown (1952). Except for the antennae with 14 flagellomeres and, the third flagellomere is longer than the others ( Chandler 1953). Fisher et al. (2019) found the larvae of C. californica associated with the sponge Ephydatia fluviatilis (Linnaeus, 1758) .

4.59. Remarks

Holotype, allotype and few paratypes from CAS collection were lost during their shipment from CAS collection to UFBA, in October 2017. For this reason, a neotype is here designated, following Article n ◦ 75 of the International Code for Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN 1999); a male from Clear Lake , Lake County, California, and it is deposited in CAS collection. The Neotype was not labelled as a paratype from the original description, but the specimen has the label data as the holotype, except for the date, which is 19.May. 1949 in the holotype and 16–9.May. 1949 in the neotype. The collection date on label is probably incorrect because it should not be 16–9.May.1949, but 9–16.May.1949 or 16–19. May.1949. Furthermore, in the database of CAS collection, this specimen is a paratype of C. californica , thus the paratype label was probably lost. The specimen was checked and compared to other paratypes and with the original description. All other paratypes examined from CAS, MCZ and USNM collections have the same label data as the neotype. Also, Chandler (1953) indicated the holotype, allotype and paratypes have the same label data and were collected on 19th. Therefore, the label is probably incorrect and the date for the series is 19.May.1949 .

The specimens examined showed variation in forewing size from 3.6 to 5 mm in length, and 1.1–1.7 mm wide at pterostigma (n = 11). Subcostal veinlets varied from 16 to 24. The number of branches after forks near posterior margin in RP1+3 varied from four to nine, RP4 from four to five, MA from three to five, MP from two to three, CuA from four to five. The hind wing varied from 3.2 to 4.3 mm in length (n = 9). Subcostal veinlets varied from 14 to 21. The number of branches after forks near posterior margin in RP1 from two to three, RP2 from two to four, RP4 from two to three, MA from three to four, the MP usually not forked and CuA from three to four. One paratype specimen from USNM is missing, the pin is in the box with the label, but the specimen is not there.

All the phylogenetic analyses recovered C. californica close to C. tenebra . These are very similar species and perhaps they are synonyms, however, in the absence of a male specimen of C. tenebra to compare, we decided to be conservative and keep both species valid. Climacia californica is also similar to C. areolaris , but they can be easily distinguished by the position of the third r crossveins in forewing, which in C. areolaris is after the junction of Sc and RA. In addition, the third rp-ma is oblique in C. areolaris , but vertical in C. californica , and the hyaline area of the pterostigma is smaller in the last species than in C. areolaris .

4.60. Etymology

The name is in honor to the place where the type series was collected:

California, USA. Climacia carpenteri Parfin & Gurney, 1956 . ( Fig. 18A–G ) Climacia carpenteri Parfin & Gurney, 1956: 511 [description]; Flint,

1998: 109 [male genitalia description]; Flint, 2006: 284 [record];

Bowles, 2015: 2 [record].

4.61. Type material

Figures

Fig. 17. A–G. Climacia californica Chandler, 1953: A, Distribution map. B, Neotype forewing, and C, hind wing. D, Male genitalia, lateral view. E, 10th gonocoxite complex, dorsal view. F, Same, but lateral view. G, Female genitalia, lateral view (Red stars = new records). (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)

Fig. 18. A–G. Climacia carpenteri Parfin & Gurney, 1956: A, Distribution map. B, Holotype forewing, and C, hind wing. D, Male genitalia, lateral view. E, 10th gonocoxite complex, dorsal view. F, Same, but lateral view. G, Female genitalia, lateral view (Red stars = new records). Photograph by Harald Bruckner (NHMW). (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)