Chapter XIII Neuroptera-Planipennia The Lace-wings of Southern Africa 6. Family Nemopteridae By Bo TJEDER This paper forms the sixth report on the Neuroptera-Planipennia of Southern Africa, a study supported by grants from the Swedish Natural Science Research Council. The first, second, third, fourth and fifth reports were published in the 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 12th volumes of this series respectively. They contain introductio~iand monographs of the families Coniopterygidae, Sisyridae and Osmylidae (vol. 4, chapter 111, 1957), Berothidae (vol. 6, chapter XV, 1959), Psychopsidae (vol. 7, chapter X, 1960), Hemerobiidae (vol. 8, chapter V, 1961) and Chrysopidae (vol. 12, chapter IT, 1966). FAMILYNemopteridae (BURMEISTER,1839) Spoon-winged Lace-wings and Thread-winged Lace-wings SYNONYMY Nematopteridae BURMEISTER,1839, p. 984. NemoptCrides RAMBUR,1842, p. 332. Nemoptcridae BRAUER,1852, p. 75 et pl. ii (ct auctores). Type genus: Nemoptera LATREILLE,1802. The presence of a long rostrum in the type genus, suggestive of Panorpa caused earlier authors: LINNAEUS,FORSKAL, GMELIN, ILLIGER and FABRICIUSto deal with species of Ne- lnopterids as belonging to the genus Panorpa (Mekoptera). But very few species were avai- lable to them, all with a long rostrum. LATREILLE(1802) also considered the group, described by him as the genus Nemoptera to be allied to Panorpa and arranged the genus in the family Panorpatae together with Panorpa and Bittacus. KLUG (1836) felt dubious about this arrangement and was of opinion that Nemoptera "eigentlich in der Fainilie Hemerobiini ihren Platz finden". It may be of interest to note that also the long hilidwings have led to a peculiar opinion of the systenlatic position of these lace-wings. LINNL'Spupil HASSELQUIST(1757) regarded thus the Greek Nemoptera coa L. as an Ephemera, apparently mistaking the narrow hind- wings as homologous with the caudal filaments of Ephemera. Nemoptera species have in still more ancient times been dealt with as Libella (PETIVER:Gazophylacii naturae et artis decades 10; dec. vi, tab. 73, f. 11,1702-171 1) and even as Papilio, by RUYSCH,who in Thesau- rus animalium primus (1710) has given a fine picture of Nemoptera coa L. under the name of Papilio Turcicus. BURMEISTER(1839) was the first to establish a special family for these insects, Nematop- teridae, basing the name 011 his genus Nematoptera. This genus is, however, synonymous with Nemoptera LATREILLE(1 802), and the family name was therefore changed by BRAUER (1 852) to Neinopteridae, which name still is in use. TILLYARD(1926) who divided the Neu- roptera-Planipennia into a number of superfamilies, erected the Nemopteroidea for this family. The family has been the object for several monographs and synopses, by KLUG(1836), WESTWOOD(1841, 1842), HACEN(1886), KIRBY(1900) and NAV~(1910, 1912). Figures of the mouthparts of a European Nemoptera species were given by KLUG(1836), and HOYT (1952) studied and figured the mouthparts of the Chilean Stenorrhachus walkeri Mc LACHLAN,a species with short rostrum. ACKER(1958) has published a fine study of the comparative morphology of the mentioned species from Chile and of a Nemia species from Southern Africa. The head structures of Dielocroce baudii (GRIFFINI)from Cyprus have been described by the present author (1958). The internal morphology of the imagines seems never to have been studied. Fine papers on the life histories of Indian and North African species of the subfamily Crocinae have been published by IMMS(191 l), WITHYCOM- BE (1923 and 1924), PIERRE(1952) and HAFEZand EL-MOURSY(1965). DESCRIPTION The family comprises lace-wings of extraordinary appearance, easily distinguished by remarkably specialized hindwings which are longer than the forewings, ribbon-like, with or without apical dilation or even thread-like, and by very short metathorax. The family has been divided into two subfamilies, the Nemopterinae, in which the hind- wings are ribbon-like with or without dilation, and the Crocinae which have thread-like hindwings. The adults are medium-sized to large insects with a length of the forewing of 7-35 mm, of the hindwing 19-90 mm, in the South African species 10-35 and 19-77 mm respectively. Head medium-sized, either without rostrum (Derhynchia n.g., fig. 1881) or prolonged into a rostrum, which inay be very short (Stenorrhachus MCLACHLAN,fig. 1887, Savignyella KIRBY,fig. 1889, Semirhynchia n.g. $, fig. 1891), of medium length (Semirhynchia n.g. Q, fig. 1897, Josandreva NAVAS)or long to very long (most genera). Only a few sutures are usually distinct: the epicranial suture, a pair of frontal sutures, the suture between clypeus and labruin (a wide membranous conjunctivum) and, on the ventral side, the occipital suture. The postfrontal suture may be distinct as are also the clypeo-genal sutures while the epistomal suture may be distinct laterally, usually only faintly indicated medially. Anterior tentorial pits wide, posterior pits small and narrow fissures. Teiltorium in the form of a pair of strong bars which on the inner side usually are widened into a more or less broad plate-like structure; close to the occipital foramen the two bars are united by a narrow tentorial bridge which may have a median prolongation directed forwards (Deuhynchin B. TJEDER Figs. 1881-1886. Derhynchia vansonin.sp. (paratype 8).- 1881. Head, frontal. - 1882. Head and pronoturn, dorsal. - 1883. Head, ventral. - 1884. Base of antenna. - 1885. Middle and apical parts of ditto (20th-33rd flagellar segments). - 1886. Tip of ditto, more enlarged. Abbreviations: atp = anterior tentorial pit; cl = clypeus; cls = clypeo-labral suture; co = cardo; dcs = dorsal cervical sclerite; eps = epicranial suture; ept - epistomal suture; fo = foramen orbitale; fs = frontal suturc; g = gena; hyp = hypopharynx; Ibr = labrum; Ip = labial palpus; m = mentum; md = mandible; mp = maxillary palpus; ptp = posterior tentorial pit; sm = submenturn; stp - stipe; t = tentorium; tb = tentorial bridge. Figs. 1887-1888. Stenovrhachus walkeri (MCLACHLAN)$. - 1887. Head from front. - 1888. Ditto caudal. (After ACKW, 1958). Figs. 1889-1890. Savignyella costata (KLUG)$. - 1889. Head, frontal. - 1890. Ditto, caudal. Abbreviations as in figs. 1881-1886 and: fgs - fronto-genal suture; ga = galca; gp = gular plate; lc = laci- nia; lg - ligula; os = occipital suture; pfs = postfrontal suture. n.g., f. 1883). Compound eyes usually large to very large, small in the South African Halterina NAVASand Palmipennu n.g. Ocelli absent.1 The antennae are multi-segmented and usually filiform, in the Crocinae commonly a little thickened towards the apex. Tn the Nemopterin genus Derhynchia n.g. they are obviously thicltened towards the apex, Myrme- leontid-like (fig. 1885). In the Australian genus Chasmoptera KIRBYthey are of another type, fusiform, increasing in width from the base, the proximal flagellar segments being much wider than the pedicellum, and again tapering towards the tip. Their length varies from very short (Derhynchia 11.g.) to long, in a few cases even longer tlzan the forewing. They are usually clothed with minute setae, in some genera arranged in concentric rings, but in 1 TILLYARD(1925) says in the description of the West Australian Chasnioptera superba "eyes grey; ocelli promincnt;". Dr. L. E. KOCH,Perth, has, however, at my request examined the type specimen of the men- tioned species and informs me that it has no ocelli. 294 B. TJEDER Figs. 1891-1896. Semirhynchia dunbrodiana (P~RINCUEY)8 (Port Elizabeth). - 1891. Hcad, frontal. - 1892. Head, lateral. - 1893. Left maxilla, ventral. - 1894. Labium, ventral. - 1895. Left mandible, ventral. - 1896. Tentoriurn and gular plate, caudal. - Fig. 1897. Semirhynchia brincki n.sp. (holotype 9). Head, frontal. Abbreviations as infigs. 1881-1886 and: bga = basigalea; dga = distigalea; gp = gular plate; Ic - lacinia; Ig = ligula; pf = palpifer; pg = palpiger. some genera some proximal segments carry long, sometimes bristle-like hairs. The segments of the flagellum are usually elongate but species with short segments occur, the shortest seem to be those of the $ of the Australian Chasmoptera Izutti WESTWOODin which the proximal segments are more than twice as wide as long. The antennae are usually very stiff, the basal segments being very close together with extremely short interseginental n~embra~lousparts. The maxillae vary in length, mainly in correspondence with the length of the rostrum. Extremely long maxillae are present in the Crocinae, in which the maxillae extend to the level of the upper (proximal) part of the eye (fig. 1906); in the Nemopteri- nae they usually extend to the level of the lower (distal) margin of the eye. Thcy normally consist of a large cardo, which is almost at right angles to the ventral surface of the head, a NEUROPTERA-PLANIPENNIA Figs. 1898-1904. Nernoptevella aequabilis n.sp. (holotype 8).- 1898. Head, frontal. - 1899. Head, lateral, - 1900. Right maxilla, ventral. - 1901. Labium, ventral. - 1902. Labium, lateral. - 1903. Right mandible. ventral. - 1904. Base of antenna. long stipe, a long setose lacinia and a simple (in Crocinae) or two-segmented (in Neinop- terinae) galea, a more or less long palpifer and a palpus which usually is 4-segmented. In the Nemopterinae the palpus may be considered as 5-segmented but the 1st segment is, though segment-like, immovably fused to the stipe and the base of the galea and functions apparently only as a palpifer, while the 4 following segments are movable and function as a palpus. Taking into consideration the still more specialized shape of the 1st segment in the Crocinae (fig. 1907) 1 prefer to regard only the 4 apical segments as consituting the actual palpus. In the Crocinae the palpifer is much longer than the segments of the actual palpus and is tubular, functioning also as a tube through which the telescopic galea runs. The galea, when two-segmented, has the proximal segment (basigalea) much longer than the distal segment (distigalea). The extremely specialized condition of the Crocin maxilla is more closely described below under Lauvhervasia (p.