Zootaxa 4802 (2): 374–382 ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) https://www.mapress.com/j/zt/ Article ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2020 Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4802.2.10 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3B340088-6420-40CE-8740-9E9239B8B206 The spongillafly genus Sisyra Burmeister, 1839 (Neuroptera: Sisyridae) from Brazil: Distributional, taxonomical and bionomical notes ALICE CARVALHO ASSMAR1* & ADOLFO RICARDO CALOR1,2 1PPG Biodiversidade e Evolução, Laboratório de Entomologia Aquática—LEAq, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal da Ba- hia, Rua Barão de Jeremoabo, 147, campus Ondina, Ondina, CEP 40170-115 Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. 2 �[email protected]; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3975-3176 *Corresponding author. �[email protected]; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3007-3679 Abstract Sisyridae is a small family of aquatic insects, with 73 extant species described worldwide. In Brazil, 17 species of two genera, Climacia McLachlan, 1869 and Sisyra Burmeister, 1839, have been reported. In this paper, the family is recorded from the Caatinga biome (semiarid region), Northeastern Brazil, for the first time, including a record of the genus Sisyra from Ceará State. Additional distributional data are presented for both S. apicalis Banks, 1908 and S. panama Parfin & Gurney, 1956. Sisyra ariasi Penny, 1981 is here synonymized with S. panama, NEW SYNONYMY. Illustrations of the male genitalia of S. minuta Esben-Petersen, 1935, and bionomic notes for S. panama are provided. Key words: aquatic insects, checklist, Neotropical region, new synonymy Resumo Sisyridae é uma pequena família de insetos aquáticos, com 73 espécies existentes descritas no mundo. No Brasil, 17 espécies de dois gêneros, Climacia McLachlan, 1869 e Sisyra Burmeister, 1839, são registradas. Neste artigo, a família é registrada para o bioma Caatinga (região semiárida), nordeste do Brasil, pela primeira vez, incluindo um registro do gênero Sisyra para o Ceará. Dados distributivos adicionais são apresentados para S. apicalis Banks, 1908 e S. panama Parfin & Gurney, 1956. Sisyra ariasi Penny, 1981 é aqui sinonimizada com S. panama, NOVA SINONÍMIA. Ilustrações do macho de S. minuta Esben-Petersen, 1935, e comentários sobre o comportamento de S. panama, são providenciados. Palavras-chave: insetos aquáticos, lista de espécies, nova sinonímia, região Neotropical Introduction Sisyridae (spongillaflies) is an aquatic family of Neuroptera (Insecta: Neuropterida) occurring worldwide. These neuropterans are commonly known by the association of their aquatic larval stages with freshwater sponges (Po- rifera: Spongillidae), which are their main feeding source (Brown 1952; Parfin & Gurney 1956; Penny & Rafael 1982). The larvae of Sisyridae have their mandibles and maxillae modified into sucking tubes, which they insert into the hosts and drain cellular content (Brown 1952; Parfin & Gurney 1956). The diet of the adults is based on honey- dew, pollen and small invertebrates, such as mites and aphids (Pupedis 1987). The courtship is through vibratiory emissions sent through the substrate or wings movements (Brown 1952; Rupprecht 1995; Henry 2005). The imma- tures stages of the species of Sisyridae are poorly known. Hamada et al. (2014) recently provided bionomic notes on the larvae of Sisyra panama Parfin & Gurney, 1956, which, along with Sisyra apicalis Banks, 1908 (Bowles 2006), are the only Neotropical species with known larvae. Currently, the family has 73 valid extant species in four genera, Climacia McLachlan, 1869, Sisyrina Banks, 1939, Sisyborina Monserrat, 1981 and Sisyra Burmeister, 1839 (Forteath et al. 2015; Oswald & Machado 2018; Oswald 2019). The latter is the most species rich genus of Sisyridae, with 48 valid species (Forteath et al. 2015; 374 Accepted by D. Bowles: 28 May 2020; published: 23 Jun. 2020 Oswald 2019). The genus Sisyra has a cosmopolitan distribution, excluding Antarctica, and it is most represented in the Palearctic region, with 16 species recorded (Oswald 2019). In the Neotropics, six species of Sisyra have been recorded, all of them have been reported from Brazil (Bowles 2015; Assmar & Salles 2017). Despite recent papers on adults sisyrids (Monserrat 2005; Flint 2006; Hamada et al. 2014; Bowles 2015; Ardila- Camacho & Martins 2017; Assmar & Salles 2017), the distribution of Neotropical species of Sisyra is still poorly known (Hamada et al. 2014; Bowles 2015). Among the Brazilian biomes, Sisyra previously has been recorded from the Atlantic Rainforest (S. apicalis, S. elongata Penny & Rafael, 1982 and S. panama), and the Amazon Forest (all six species), where two species occur only there, S. ariasi Penny, 1981 and S. minuta Esben-Petersen, 1935 (Assmar & Salles 2017; Machado & Martins 2019). Only one specimen of S. ariasi was ever collected, the male holotype (Penny 1981). Since its description, no other collection records of S. ariasi have been reported. The illustration of the male genitalia provided by Penny (1981) lacks important details and the description of the species is similar to that for S. panama. Recently, fieldwork conducted in the Northeast Region of Brazil resulted in the collection of several specimens of Sisyra. Due to scarce knowledge of Neotropical Sisyra, the present study aims to provide new distributional data for S. apicalis and S. panama, including the first record of the family from the Caatinga biome (semiarid region). Furthermore, S. ariasi is proposed as a junior SYNONYMY of S. panama, after comparison of the holotypes, and to present bionomical notes of S. panama adults. Finally, the male genitalia of S. minuta are here illustrated in order to complement previous illustrations. Material and methods Specimens analyzed are from the Museu de História Natural da Bahia (UFBA), Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. In addition, specimens were collected during field trips in Bahia state, using white and UV lights, between 2014 and 2019, in the cities of Salvador, Jandaira and Palmeiras. The altitude in the area of the col- lections ranges from 0 to 870 m. Wings were removed, dehydrated and preserved on a slide in order to analyze venation and color pattern. The genitalia were cleared using a 10% KOH solution (Blahnik & Holzenthal 2004), heated for approximately one hour, dehydrated with 80% and 100% ethanol series, and stored in micro vials with glycerin. The specimens are preserved in 80% ethanol, except the adults observed alive, which are pinned. While alive, the specimens were kept in plastic cages and set free in closed rooms for observation. All specimens are deposited at UFBA. Photographs were taken using software Nikon NIS-Elements, attached to a Photomicroscope Nikon SMZ1500 and edited at Adobe Photoshop CC 2018. The illustrations of the dissected parts were drawn using a camera lucida attached to an optical microscope Leica DM500. Digital illustrations were vectorized in the software Adobe Illus- trator CC 2017. The photograph of the wings of Sisyra panama holotype (Fig. 15) presented a shadow underneath the wings, what resulted in a “lighter streak” in the posterior margin of the wings. Therefore, the photographs were edited in the Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 in order to smooth the shadow effects and avoid misinterpretation. Maps were drawn using the free software QGIS Desktop 3.10 (Figs 1–7). Terminology follows Aspöck & Aspöck (2008) and Breitkreuz et al. (2017) for genitalia and wings, respec- tively. The numbers attributed to the RP branches are merely to aid in identification. Sisyra apicalis Banks, 1908 (Figs 1, 3, 5–7) Sisyra apicalis Banks, 1908:261 [description]; Parfin & Gurney 1956:471 [revision]; Penny 1981:163 [record]; Maes & Flint 1994:4 [record]; Oswald et al. 2002:581 [checklist]; Monserrat 2005:10 [record]; Bowles 2006:13 [record, larval informa- tion]; Flint 2006:280 [record]; Bowles 2015:3 [record]; Assmar & Salles 2017:86 [record]. Sisyra nocturna Navás 1932:155 [description]; 1935:67 [revision]; Monserrat 2005:10 [junior synonym of S. apicalis] Remarks. This species is widely distributed, being recorded from the southern United States to Brazil (Oswald 2019). In Brazil, this is the first record of S. apicalis from Bahia and Pernambuco states, in the Northeast Region of the country (Figs 1, 3, 5–7). This also constitutes the first record of Sisyridae to Pernambuco state. SISYRA BURMEISTER (NEUROPTERA: SISYRIDAE) FROM BRAZIL Zootaxa 4802 (2) © 2020 Magnolia Press · 375 The remarkable characteristic of S. apicalis is the straight distally projected male gonocoxite 9, with rounded apex and curving internally in dorsal view (Assmar & Salles 2017). Material examined. BRAZIL: Bahia, Jandaira, Reserva Copern, 11°36’51.9” S 37°38’46.9” W, 22 m a.s.l., 11.x.2016, light pan trap (UV and white light), Kiszewiski; Silva, F.; Dias, E. & Campos, R., 1 male (UFBA, N0035); Salvador, Parque São Bartolomeu, 12°53’45.6” S 38°28’11.31” W, 22.x.2019, light pan trap, Miranda, M. & Pereira, R., 1 male (UFBA, N0052). Minas Gerais: Aimorés, AE UNE Elieser Batista [Aimorés hydroelectric power plant, Eliezer Batista], Pedra Lorena, 19°26’44” S 53°06’21” W, 15.i.2011, CDU trap, França, D., 1 fe- male (UFBA, N0039). Pernambuco: Tamandaré, REBIO Saltinho, riacho Saltinho, 8°43’47.5” S 35°10’31.4” W, 20.iv.2018, white light pan trap, Pereira-Silva, R., Lima, R.P. & Gomes, D.W.S., 1 male (UFBA, N0034); same data, except 19.iv.2018, 3 m.a.s.l, 2 males (UFBA, N0036, N0042); Cabo Santo Agostinho, Refúgio de Vida Silvestre Gurjaú, Sede, waterfall, 8°21’30” S 34°56’30” W, 01–02.x.2019, white and UV light pan trap, Pereira-Silva, R., 1 male (UFBA, N0081). Sisyra minuta Esben-Petersen, 1935 (Figs 1–2, 8–11) Sisyra minuta Esben-Petersen, 1935:152 [description]; Parfin & Gurney 1956:478 [revision]; Penny 1981:164 [record]; Flint 2006:281 [record]. Remarks. Esben-Petersen (1935) described this species based on a male specimen from “Taderinha”, Brazil, which according to Parfin & Gurney (1956) is a misspelling to “Taperinha” (Amazonas, Brazil). Later, Penny (1981) and Flint (2006) recorded S. minuta from Manaus city, Amazonas state, Brazil, with specimens from Adolpho Ducke Reserve (Fig.