Ot!nisia 13 117.09.2004 1201-208 Antlions of southern Africa: Annulares nov. gen. (Neuroptera, Myrmeleontidae, Palparini) including two new species, with comments on the tribe Palparini' M.W. MAN SEll Absu acl: A new genus and two new species of Patparini arc described from routhcrn Africa. - ll1rce endemic SJl'l'c1CS comprise the !tenus. They extend (rom western Namibi~ across the southern Kat~hnri region of Namibia, Bouwana and South Africa, eastwards into the sandy areas of the northern Kruger National Park of South Afric~. A fivc-toOlhcd larva is known for one of the species, ~nd the genus is further characteri zed by a prominent black stri­ pe across the head and thorax, uniformly dark legs. cla"3te labial p.llpi with ~ sli t.shapt.'() se nsory organ and a pro· minent gon.1Tca l bull~ in the males. Key words: Myrmeleontidae. Palparini. new genus, new specit'S, larvae, 50IJ thern Africa. Introduction ca. The central area of this distribution, the Kalahari sa­ vannah of Namibia, South Africa and Botswana is inha­ Southern Africa harbours the world's richest fauna of bited by P. annll/atUS, while the other two species occupy Palparin; (Neuroptera; Myrmeleontidae), with at least the western and eastern extremes of the distribution rnn­ 43 species in 8 ge nera , as well as severnl new and end­ ge of the genus. The larva of P. annulatus is known, and emic taxa. The generic pl[tCement of most Afwuopical is described here. species is largely unresolved, as the largest genus, Palpa­ The contribution is concluded with a consideration res RAMBUR 1842, comprises a polyphyletic assemblage of of the tribe Palparini, and an evaluation of the status of t ~x~ (M ANSELL 1992a). A revision of the tribe is conse­ the Palparinae. quently in prOb'fe5S, and this paper highlightS an enigma­ tic new ge nus comprising three species from the subre­ Material examined is in the foHowing institutions: gion. South African National Collection of Insects, ARC­ Plant Protection Research Institute, Pretoria (SANe), MANSEll. (1992a) identifit!d key characters for the accession code NEURj Transva~1 Museum, Pretoria phylogeny and c1llSsification of the Palparini, and divi­ (TMSA), accession code NEUT; Zoological Institute, ded the tribe into species-groups according to these cha­ Lund Univcrsit)" Sweden (ZILS), accession code ZILS; racters. The groups were intendl'<l as tentative ge nera ai­ Zoological Museum, Humboldt Universi ty, Berlin, Ger­ med at resolving the confusion surrounding the genus many (ZMHB). Palpare5. Subsequent research has confirmed the generic status of these species-groups, and duee, Pamare-s MAN­ Abbreviations: T • tergite, Ta • rarsomercs. SEll, Pamexis H .... GEN and Fa/pare-llus NAVAs (n)'assanus­ group sensu MANSEll 19923) havt! been revised (MAN­ SELL 1990, 1992b, 1996). The current paper (rears the I This ~f ~It an "f'(IO<tunlfy to P"y t,ibute 10 Univ.·P,of. Or. species in the anm,/atus-group, as delimited by MANSEll Horst Asp<lc\:., UnI"eDlty riVomna, on tM ocasioo dhlS 6S"'blnhday. (l992a). Ptol. A5f'l\Ck has made an OUf$l~nd "'tt oonmbuuoo 10 Neuropcerology, and can jUMifoably be ~3rd«t as ooe d ,he _ ~.. "nent ~uropceri>u The new genus, described below, comprises three spe­ 01 all "me. He Iw abo advan<:w tM exploration and dooJmmUllion 01 the rich "",rhem Af,ica fauna IhrQUgh colilbonition, publicalioN and cies, Palpara annu/alus Srrn 1912, and two new taxa. joim upe•• hlioos with Ptof. Or. Ulrike AS(lOck. Ptol. Herbett HiII:e1. The three species occur where deep sandy areas are pre­ pro(. Or. Peler o....:lI i, the laIC 0... Peter Ohm Bnd the p'~nt autoo... va lent and extend from the Namib Desert of western Na­ This paper ~ nd a " ' iking new palparine species a' e ~.,.ntly e<;on:Ii­ ally ok<!iQted to r,oI. Honl AspOck in recognition 01 his personal ami mibia, through the southern Kalahari and into the sand­ ",ic .. tifoe ""hievementi. and for 111..0 ins.pinl.linn he hM provided over rna· veld of the northern Kruger National Pa rk of South Afri- ny~l"> . 20 1 Fig. 2: Annulor~saspo~c:ki. holotype (forewing length 45 mmJ. Genus Annulares nov. gen. Fig. 1: Annu/or~s onnu/o/us (Twee Rivieren) (forewing length 45 mmJ. Type spc<: ics: P,,/parlS (I11,uliams SnrL 1912; 108. hcrehl dcsi­ gn,Hed. Etymology: A cOInbinanon of the ~pcclflc epi rhet tlnmllows, the mmle of rhe type species. :md P(llpares. Gender: m<lsculilll.'. Diagnosis: Medium·si:ed noctuTl1:11 P:'llparini wid, robust heads and smallish eyes. Terminal lahi:ll ralpome· r('s c!;wat('. with :I short sht.shapt.'d opening to the sense organ. Bod~t yel low an,1 black with prominent mcdi:!n suipe across head nnd thomx. Legs uniformly Ullrk·brOll'n to black. Wing. n:uro\\'; thomx with sparse pilosit~" The known hlrvae ha\'e fi\'{'·toOfhed m'lIIdibles. This IS a group of dosely related species that IIIhabil sandy :lTCaS of 1)0tS\\'[1n:l. N::lInibia and South Africa. Description: Si:..: (mm). Body length m:lle 48.0-70.0, female 36.0·47.0; forewing length male 34.0·47.0, fern:!· Fig . 3: Annulor~s lonnu, paratype female (forewing length 52 mm). Ie 42.0·50.0; hmd wing length male 39.0·45.0, f('male 41.0·47.0; lm tenna 5.0·8.0. I·kld: Vertex inn'lIed; )'ellolI' wnh black 1II('(II;ln stri· pe o\'cr VC rtcx and OCci plII; frons billek, clypcus find la­ bnnn yellow. pailli yel low .md hrown [0 black; terminal labial palpi clavat..: with short tip and slit.shapc<.1 ope· ning [Q sensory organ, amcnnrl{' unifomlly dark-brown to blm:k. Thomx: Prono[um yellow with broad mcdiml black stripe. latcrnl mll rgins black; lonl: while s.::tae present on anterlor margm. hlack lliong posterior II1Ml:in and la· [erall y. Mesothor.lx yellow with hroad bllick median mi· pe; pleuritcs :md stcmi[cs uniformly black; soft whitc se· lac present dorsally and ventrnlly. Metathorax colollr si· milnr ro mcsothorax. scutellum yel low with vel')' broad Fig. 4: larva of Annular~s annulatus (Twee Rivieren) (length 25 mm). black mcdian mark. 202 ' 10 l" •. ;,>. ..- ,:::.< Fig. 5· 10: Annu/afrs onnulotus. 5, malt! tl!rminalia, lateral; 6, same ventral: 7, gonarcus and p<lrameres, dorsal, 8. same caudal, 9, same latcral; l a, Idt labial pil ip. Scale bars _, mm (Fig . 5, 6). 0.5 mm (Fig. 7·10). Wings: Long, narrow, hyaline with blackish-brown nareal bulla is more prominently developed than in Pal­ markings. Forewings with fou r diffuse transverse bands, pareUus. penultimall! apical band hook-shaped. Hind wings with fou r bands or spots, a large basal spot sitwued close to Te­ Annulares annulatus (Smz) nov. comb. (Fig . currcm vein. 1,4,5-lO,23) Palpares mmuIo.n.<s STITZ 1912: 108. Legs: Uniformly dark-brown to blac k, stender. lon­ Diagnosis: A distincdy ye ll owish species. wi th pro­ gish. extending almost to posterior ma rgi n of TJ, spurs minent brown markings on [he winl,'5 and body. Wing and claws dark reddish· brown, TaS approximately same veins mainly yellow. Penuliimate band in forewings dis­ length ofTal -Ta4 combined. tincdy hook-shaped. l<lbial palpi short, slender with Alxlomen: Black laTerally and vemrally, broadly yel­ short sli t-shaped sensory opening. Larva with five man­ low along dorsal midline. Male abdomen long, longer dibular teeth. than wings, ectoprOCtS yellow to black, gonarcal bulla Redescription: Size (mm). Le ngth of body male 51.6 large, rounded, paromeres prominent, shiny-blade (48.0-58.0), female 41.7 (36.0-48.0); forewing length Larva~: Known larvae with five mandibular teeth. male 43.7 (41.0-46.0), female 47.7 (44.0·55.0); hind wing length male 41.3 (37.0·44.0), female 46.6 (43.0- Remarks: Anmdares is most similar to Pa/paTeUus NA­ 53.0); antenna 6.6 (5.0·8.0) (n • 20 ). vAS, but is dearly distinguished by the median black stri­ pe over the head and thorax, the prominently inflated Head: Vertex inflated, yellow with black median stri­ vertex and smaller eyes than PalpareUus. The labial palpi pe over vertex and occiput; frons black, clypeus and la­ h:I\'e a slit-lil e sensory opening on the palpimaeula and brum yellow, palpi ye llow venrrally, brown dorsally, ter­ the palpi are clavate with shon acute tip (spindle-shaped minallabial palpi (Fig. 10) short, davate with short tip in Palpm-ellus with round Of oval sense organ). The male and small slit·shaped opening lO sensory organ; amennae abdomen is relatively long in Annu/ares, while the go- uniformly black. 203 Fig. 11 -1 6: Annulores ospoecld. II, male term inaha, lateral; 12, same ventral; 13, gonarcus and parameres, dorsal, 14, sam~ caudal, 15, sam~ latNal; 16,Id t labial pa lp. Scal~ bars . 1 mm (Fig. II, 12),0.5 mm [Fig. 13-16). Thorax: Pronotum yellow with broad median black Distrihution: Endemic to rhe Kalahari s:lvannah of stripe, lateral margins black; long white setae present on N:lmibia. Botswana and South Africa, extending from anterior margin, black along posterior margin and 1a· southeastern Namibia. across southern Botswana :'Ind terally. Mesothorax ye llow with broad black median stri· northern South Africa to LanSJan Nature Reserve in pe, pleurites and sternites uniformly black; sparse long Limpopo Province. It is common in the Kalahari Oems· whitt: setae present dorsally and ventrally. Metathorax si· bek National Park.