Xantholeon montanus, New, 1985

Miller, Robert B. & Stange, Lionel A., 2012, The cave mouth antlions of Australia (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae), Insecta Mundi 2012 (250), pp. 1-65 : 33-34

Xantholeon montanus New

( Figures 51, 52, 53, 89, 90)

Xantholeon montanus New 1985c: 13 , figures 1121-1125. Holotype female, Mt. Bruce , Western Australia, 15.V.1980, T. Houston, in cave (WAMP).

Description. Adult: length of body 24 mm, forewing 27 mm, hindwing 26 mm. Coloration: yellowish brown; labrum, clypeus, genae and palpi pale yellow; frons dark brown below antennae, paler dorsally; vertex with traces of two darker brown transverse bands and three brown posterior spots and with small median and larger lateral brown areas; antenna yellowish brown, club dark brown to black externally; pronotum mostly dark brown, lateral margins pale yellow along anterior one-half; mesopleuron darker than metapleuron, without dark brown anteriorly; legs pale yellowish brown, apex of femur, tibia and tarsomeres light brown; abdomen tawny, anterior part of tergite I and II nearly black; tergites III and beyond with central short black streak on anterior half and paired lateral posterior streaks almost fusing anteriorly; ectoproct pale; abdominal sternites mostly pale brown except sternite I mostly dark brown; wing venation with pale longitudinal veins, mostly black at intersections with crossveins; costal crossveins pale except posterior ones in forewing; forewing with dark mark at fusion of CuA2 and CuP + lA extending along 3 or more cross veins; forewing without extended cubital mark; central abdominal tergites with small median dark brown mark clearly anterior to lateral marks. Chaetotaxy: femur with mostly pale bristles, tibia with more numerous black bristles; female ectoproct with about 6 thickened short, ventral setae; lateral gonapophysis with about 12 similar setae, ventral region of tergite IX with 5 or 6 setae. Structure: vertex domed, scarcely raised; antenna slender, club well defined but narrow over last 10 segments; pronotum a little longer than wide; legs long and slender, tarsus shorter than tibia; basal tarsomere about three times longer than middle diameter, about equal to tarsomeres II and III together; distal tarsomere longer than basitarsus which is longer than tarsomere II which is longer than tarsomeres III and IV; hindtibial spurs slender, straight, extending to beyond apex of tarsomere 2; pretarsal claws slender; female posterior gonapophysis long, slender, tapered; pregenital plate triangular.

New records. AUSTRALIA. Western Australia: 126 km. north Nanutarra Roadhouse, S 21 o, 35', 36.4", E 115 o, 56', 33", 26. II.1994, Miller & Stange (1m, 1f, FSCA) ; 37 km. east Pt. Hedland , S20 o 23' 34.6", E118 o 54' 27.5", 1. III.1994, Miller & Stange (A71) (1f, FSCA) ; Rio Tinto Gorge, S 22 o,14',7", E 117 o, 57', 55.5", 5. II.1994, Miller & Stange (2m, FSCA) ; Witternoom, 4. III.1994, R. Miller & L. Stange (reared) (3m, 4 f, FSCA; TAMU; USMB) .

Discussion. This West Australian species has the forewing with dark mark at fusion of CuA2 and CuP + lA extending along 3 or more cross veins ( Figure 52) similar to X. lineatus . However, X. montanus has the abdominal tergites paler than X. lineatus and the sternites are mostly pale brown. The larvae differs from X. cavernicolus and X. kakadu . by having the mesothoracic spiracle not borne on long stalk ( Figure 89). These three species have the ventral surface of the head capsule with extensive dark brown markings.