REDIA, I-XXXVIl, 2004· 3-6 ROBERTO A. PANTALEONI (*) - ULRIKE ASPOCK (**) - OMAR V. CAO (***) - HORST ASPOCK (****) SUBILIA PRINCIPIAE N. SP., A NEW SPECTACULAR SNAKEFLY FROM SARDINIA (RAPHIDIOPTERA RAPHIDIIDAE) (*) CNR-ISE Sez. Ecologia applicata e Controllo bioiogico, via Enrico De Nicola, 1- 07100 Sassari SS, e-mail: [email protected]. tH) Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Zweite Zoologische Abteilung (Entom%gie), Burgring 7, A-lOW Wien, e-mail: [email protected]. (" .... ) Dipartimento di Protezione delle Piante sezione di Entomologia agraria, Universitii degli Stud; di Sassari sede staccata di Nuoro, via Martin Luther King 1, 1- 08100 Nuoro NU, e-mail: [email protected]. (*".... ) Abteilung fiir Medizinische Parasitologie, Klint:fChes lnstitut /iir Hygiene und Medizinische Mikrobiologie, Medizinische Universitiit Wien, Kinderspitalgasse 15, A -1095 Wien, e-mail: [email protected]. Pantaleoni R. A., Asp6ck D., Cao O. v., Aspock H. -Subilla principiae n. sp., a new spectacular snakefly from Sardinia (Raphidioptera Raphidiidae). A new species of Raphidioptera Raphidiidae, Subilla principiae n. sp., found near Fonni (western Gennargentu, Sardinia, Italy) is described and illustrated. The habitat of the species seems to be white oak woods, particularly Saniculo-Quercetum pubescentis Camarda and Pignatti, 1998. The systematic position of the new species is rather isolated and it could be of Palaeo-Tyrrhenian origin. KEY WORDS: Neuropterida, Mediterranean, Italia, Gennargentu, white oak woods. INTRODUCTION Cymo-Sardinian white oak woods are found on the granite mountains of central Sardinia, particularly on the slopes of the Goceano and the northwestern side of the Gennargentu. These xerophilous, deciduous oak: woods, formally described as Saniculo-Quercetum pubescent;s Camarda and Pignatti, 1998, stand 900-1400 mt a.s.1., on level ground or not very steep slopes, where the mesodimate is oceanic with damp winds from the sea, heavy dew and frequent morning mist. The most inlportant plant species is Quercus pubescens Willd. and there are a great many lichens and epiphytes. The undergrowth is relatively humid (PIGNATTI, 1998). One of us (R.A.P.) had serendipitously hypothesized, the presence of an endemic species of Raphidioptera in these woods and when an investigation of the Lepidoptera of the Fig. 1-Subilla prindpiae n. sp. - adult female. [Paratype] Fonni woods (western Gennargentu) was begun in spring 2001, he asked the researchers parricularly to look out for these extremely characteristic insects. 2004 (SA04/16), H. Asp6ck leg. (in colI. H. & U. Asp6ck). Nevertheless, the finding (by O.v.e.) of the first female and Paratypes: all from the type locality in an area of about 3000 m2, immediately afterwards of the first male of a new species in an altitude of 1020-1060 m, collected by H. AspOck (2003, belonging to the genus Subilla, at the end of May 2001, came 2004), U. Asp6ck (200}, 2004), 0. V. Cao (2001, 2002), L. Lorn as a great surprise. The presence of the species in the locality (2003), and R A. Pantaleoni (2002, 2003): 1~ (21 May 2001), was confirmed in 2002. Two research trips carried out the two 1d' (25 May 2001), 1 ~ (25 May 2002), 1d' (28 may 2002), 1 ~ following springs (2003/2004) resulted in the collection of (1 Jtme 2002), 1d', 3~~ (22 May 2003), 1d', 2~~ (24 May other specimens and the discovery of preimaginal stages. 2003), 1cf, 8~~ (25 May 2003), 2d'd', 2~~ (30 May 2004), lei" (4 June 2004). Moreover, from larvae collected under bark of Quercus pubescens on 24 May 2003 2~~ were reared which Subilla principiae n. sp. hatched on 5 May 2004, and 3 d'd' reared from eggs laid by one of the females collected on 25 May 2003 hatched on 20-21 April DERIVATIO NOMINIS - The name of this very remarkable new 2005. Paratypes in colI Naturhistorisches Museum Wien (lei", species is a grateful homage to the neuropterologist Maria 1 ~); H. & D. AspOck, Wien Od'd', 11~~); H. & R Rausch, Matilde Principi, emeritus professor at the University of Scheibbs (1cf, 1~); R A. Pantaleoni, Sassari (2d'd', 6~~); Bologna, respectfully admired by all of us, on the occasion of Universita degli Studi di Sassari sede staccata di Nuoro (1 ~). her 90th birthday. DESCRIPTION - A delicate, rather dark species (fig. I), length MATERIAL STUDIED - Holotype: cf, Italia, Sardinia, of forewing of the d' 8,2-9,2 mm, of the ~ 8,5-10,5 mm. Gennargentu, Fonni, 4005,81'N 1 9°15,5'E, 1050 m asl, 4 June Head flat, somewhat notched at the level of the basal ocelli, - Published September, 2005 REDIA, VoL LXXXVlI black \\lIb bro\\"llish p~ltlern, II itb <I rough sC'ldprure-, ('Iype-us identih" this spec'it"s ,I" ,I Illt'lllhef of the group 'with the broll"1l \\"ith \"('lio\\"I,h margin, bbrllli1 broIl I\: b'l,,,d third ot monstrous gellitalia. \\'ithil1 I hi, group only S. Iii/mil and 'lI11t"llil.lt' ~elIO\\'i"h in 0', 'browlli,h in <jl, re"t of J1agdlulTl S /,I'lIIOpl~U' hal"e inconspicuolls ectoprocts, the other three black. PromH11I1l delicate alll! SliOH, black with yellowish and species have their ectoprocts considerabley enlarged. From broll'ni,h margim Lncrallv and in front. Legs with coxae S. /atma as well as from all other species of Subilla, S brown to black. femora brownish, rest of legs dirty yellowish, principiae can easily be differentiated in the male by the \\(!ings (fig. III with hyaline membrane, venation extraordinarily long apices of the gonocoxites IX which are predominantly brown, basal parts of Costa, Radius and crossing each other" This character can even be seen in dried Cubitus yellowish. Plerostilnna smokv ochre, along the first specimens. In the <jl a striking diagnostic character is the prcrostigmal cdL or a little shorter, with 0])'" \'ein crossing. sclerotized bowle,like receptaculum seminis. In all other Basal plllt of i\1",dia anterior ill hind \\'ing as a longitudinal species this stnKture is soft. From the only other Subilla \"ein, Abdomcn with tcrgites and slemires blackish-brownish, specics occurring in Itak S. con/inis, S. principiae may be caud'll margins ~-dlo\\'i~h. sternite VlT of <jl predominantk re.l,!ih distinguished in addition by its dark smoky yellowish. onlY cephally blackish, pt C'J'(hl ignu, \\'herhcr S iJrincipiae is the adelphotaxon of all other spcdes with «Illonstrous genitalia» or only of S, fatma remains open at present. ECOLO(;Y AND BIOLOGY Subilld /,l'lI:ci/,it/(' is markedh' associated with Quel'CII.I pUbe\(I'11S and possibh l'ont"illcd to this oak species ill Sam':lI!o·QlitTCf'filill /,uhnH·;;tis. /\ll11oS1 all adults were swept from 10\\" \"('getalion lInder Q, a few specimens (but also a larva) \\'cr, obtained by fogging or beating Q. /,lIh"\'('('JII <:aI10p\, Sew'ral hll'\'ae 'Illd pupae were found und,r b'lrk of 011. S. principiae"Tl<1s so iar benl found <"elusively near Fonni, Talesso, within an area of ca. 3000 m 2 (fig, TV). The surroundings of the locus typicus are similarly structured and Fig. II - Subilla principiae n. sp, - fot'ewing (distal two thirds), [Female paratype] one may assume that the spedes occurs all over the white oak woods around Fonni and probably also in orlwr p;lrtS of the W-Gennargentu, although our particular efforts to find the spe<:ies in other Saf1iculo-Quercetum pubescC!i!il SLlliollS have d' genital segments (fig. IT [, 1-) with stern ire of segmenr been llIlsllccessful so 1',11'. Tt is very likely th<l! S /,ri!1<'1j'llle is VIII onlv sIighdv shorter than tergite; tergite lX forming a endemic' to Sanlini'l "lrllongh it ,<:rtainly cannot be (',;cluded IhUTOW ring: gonocoxites IX with inconspicuous dorsal parts, that it lI1ight also be found ill Corsi,',m C\TIl{l·Sardillian \I"hite but with excessively domed and protruded ventral parts which oak woods. A held trip to (:orsica urried <'!II III ]O(l-l by terminate in long I(loth like apices crossing each other ventrally; three nfus (RA.P.,H.A., U,A. together \\'ilh LallLII.()l'!Il and styli of the typical SlIbilla-shape with a basal plate and long especially devoted also to the search 01 ,,,LlkeJlil's was, apically curved processus. Sternite IX rather indistinct and howC\"er, unsuccessful. reduced to a small median plate; hypovalva unpaired, with V­ like basal incision, the apical half is covered with little teeth; parameres rod.like, in basal half paired, apically mcmhranoll;;h connected. I hpandrium internwlllarge. ? genital segments (fig, III, 4-6) with caudal margin of Due to its relatively isohlled s\"stem,Hie l'o,;irion Icomp,lred segment VI [ convex, intersegmentale VIINIII deep; tergite to other species of the genlls occurring in til(' Iherian and the VIII cephallv only weakly convex; dorsal part of au'ium bursae Apennines peninsulas and in otber parts 01 \\'estern Furopei in broad connection with sacculus bursae; the latter is short, it is suggested that Subilla principia/1 is a very old Tyrrhenian cephally narrowing into the hose-like ductus receptaculi; faunal dement, At present further substantial biogeographical receptacululll seminis forming a sclerotized bowl, glandulae speculations are not yet feasible. receptdctlli filifornl. ACKNOWLEDGE,,\! E0JTS DIFI'ERE0J'I'lATION "l11e 1\\'0 research trips carried out in Sardinia in 2003 and in From the hitherto described 9 species of the genus - SlIhi/!a Sardini,l and Corsica in 2004 \vould not hllve been possible but (Stephens, 18')6), S" alie,,{/ (Na\'.is. 1(15). S" artt'lJli, for I he helpfulness and extraordinary patience of II great (T 1. Aspt'lck & U. Aspock, 1971), S "\ylidiopbita (H. Aspock & number of people, who gave us their enthusiastic support and U" Asp6ck.