Megistopus Rambur, 1842

Badano, Davide, Aspoeck, Horst & Aspoeck, Ulrike, 2017, Taxonomy and phylogeny of the genera Gymnocnemia Schneider, 1845, and Megistopus Rambur, 1842, with remarks on the systematization of the tribe Nemoleontini (Neuroptera, Myrmeleontidae), Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 64 (1), pp. 43-60 : 48

Megistopus Rambur, 1842

Megistopus Rambur, 1842: 343. Type species Megistopus bisignatus Rambur, 1842, by monotypy.

Recognition.

Legs long and slender, not abruptly differentiated in size. Tibial spurs as long as the first tarsomere. Tarsomeres 1-3 of prothoracic leg of similar size, tarsomere 4 shorter than the others. Tarsal claws opposable. Male: ectoproct rounded, gonocoxites 11 arch-like, gonocoxites 9 plate-like, converging apically. Female: gonocoxite 7 tooth-like, gonocoxites 8 digitiform, gonocoxites 9 provided with digging setae, ectoproct equipped with digging setae.

Larval diagnosis.

Mandible relatively long, armed with 3 teeth. Ocular tubercle prominent. Mesothoracic spiracle raised on tubercle. Mesothoracic setiferous processes scolus-like, metathoracic processes tubercle-like. Odontoid processes atrophied or absent. Rastra with the internal pair of digging setae less than 1/4 the length of the others ( Steffan 1965, Cesaroni et al. 2010, Badano and Pantaleoni 2014). The larva of Megistopus flavicornis is characterized by prominent abdominal spiracles, while Megistopus lucasi has sessile spiracles ( Badano and Pantaleoni 2014).