Palpares reticulatus, Stitz, 1912

Insom, Emilio & Terzani, Fabio, 2024, Some Neuroptera of the Horn of Africa from the Museum of Zoology of the University of Rome “ La Sapienza ” (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae, Mantispidae, Ascalaphidae, Myrmeleontidae), Fragmenta entomologica 56 (1), pp. 39-52 : 43

Palpares reticulatus : Navás, 1914: 12 (Ct); 1932: 4 (Ct). Trichocercus reticulatus : Insom & Carfì, 1988b: 76 (Tax).

Specimens examined – Ethiopia: 1♀, Harar, 1939, E. Zavattari leg. – Somalia: 1♀, Mogadiscio, IV.1938, S. A. Nicotra leg.

Distribution – Kenya, Somalia, Sudan.

Remarks – Goniocercus reticulatus (Stitz, 1912) was considered synonymous with G. klugi (Kolbe, 1898) by Aspöck et al. (2001: 209), Stange (2004: 39) and Prost (2010: 258), but we disagree with this opinion and consid- er the species to be valid. We re-examined the preparations used for the drawings reported in Insom & Carfì (1988) of Goniocercus reticulatus , G. klugi and G. similis (Stitz, 1912) , and we have included photographs of the gonarcus-parameres complex ( Fig. 2 ). As shown in this figure, the gonarcus-parameres complex of G. klugi differs significantly from that of G. reticulatus and G. similis ; if anything, the latter two are more similar to each other. Moreover, the shape of the ectoprocti also differs in the three species, as can be seen in Insom & Carfì (1988) [see Fig. 10 for G. reticulatus ; Fig. 9 for G. klugi ; and Fig. 11 for G. similis ]. In addition, the wing pattern of G. reticulatus is very different from the illustration of G. klugi in Ábrahám (2012: 88, Fig. 21), which shows Klug’s drawing in Ehrenberg (1834: Tab. XXXV, Fig. 3 as “var. Papilionoides”). Klug’s drawing correspond to the specimen ♂ from Somalia [labelled as: A.O.I. (= Italian East Africa; Migiurtinia), Bender Cassim (actually Bosaso), 30.IV.1938, Mordini leg.] in the MZUF collection, whose terminalia and gonarcus-parameres complex, drawn in Insom & Carfì (1988), are given here in picture (fig. 2). We also consider Palpares extensus Navás, 1912 to be a synonym of G. reticulatus , the latter being considered a synonym by both Banks (1913) and Navás (1914). We disagree with Stange (2004: 40) who, without any explanation, placed P. extensus as a synonym of G. walkeri (McLachlan, 1894) , even though the original descriptions are different for both species.

Figures

Fig. 2 – Gonarcus-parameres complex: A, Goniocercus reticulatus (lateral view), B, id. (caudal view); C, G. similis (lateral view), D. id. (caudal view); E, G. klugi (lateral view), F, id. (caudal view). – [Scale bar: 0.5 mm].

Fig. 3 – Stenares completus Banks, 1915 [♂]: A, Right fore- and hindwing; B, Front; C, Vertex, thorax (dorsal view); D, Ectoproct (lateral view); E, Subgenital plate (ventral view); F, Gonarcus-parameres complex (dorsal view); G, Id. (lateral view); H, Id. (ventral view). – [Scale bars: 10 mm (Fig. A); 5 mm (Figs B-D); 1 mm (Figs E-H)].