Gymnocnemia Schneider, 1845

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 : 47

Gymnocnemia Schneider, 1845

Gymnocnemia Schneider, 1845: 343. Type species Megistopus variegatus Schneider, 1845.

Aplectrocnemus Costa, 1855: 18. Type species Aplectrocnemus multipunctatus Costa, 1855 (Syn).

Comprised species.

Gymnocnemia variegata , Gymnocnemia editaerevayae , and Gymnocnemia mirabilis .

Recognition.

Thorax covered with robust, outstanding setae. Legs extremely long and thin. Prothoracic leg much longer and slender than meso- and metathoracic legs. Femora differing in pattern: prothoracic femur with small dark dots, mesothoracic femur with two parallel dark stripes, metathoracic femur with an apical dark marking. Tibial spurs absent ( Gymnocnemia variegata , Gymnocnemia editaerevayae ) or present ( Gymnocnemia mirabilis ). Tarsomeres 1-4 of prothoracic leg differentiated in size, with the first (basal) tarsomere at least as long as one and a half times the second tarsomere. Tarsal claws opposable, closing against a brush of thickened setae on the fifth tarsomere. Male (based on Gymnocnemia variegata and Gymnocnemia editaerevayae ): ectoproct rounded, gonocoxites 11 arch-like, gonocoxites 9 partly encircling gonocoxites, 11 plate-like in shape. Female: gonocoxite 7 tooth-like, gonocoxites 8 digitiform, gonocoxites 9 covered with digging setae, ectoproct provided with digging setae.

Larval morphology (based on Gymnocnemia variegata ). Mandible long and slender, provided with 3 teeth of which the apical and median are subequal in size. Ocular tubercle prominent. Mesothoracic spiracle raised on tubercle. Meso- and metathoracic setiferous processes scolus-like. Odontoid processes atrophied. Rastra with the internal pair of digging setae smaller than the others ( Cesaroni et al. 2010, Badano and Pantaleoni 2014).