Cymothales bouvieri van der Weele, 1907

Zheng, Yuchen, Aspöck, Ulrike, Aspöck, Horst & Liu, Xingyue, 2025, Cymothales manselli sp. nov.: an unexpected new antlion species widely distributed in the Afrotropics (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae: Dendroleontinae), Zootaxa 5642 (4), pp. 301-316 : 302-305

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5642.4.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E6253F87-9132-4317-B88F-B71C9320585A
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15563872
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/039987FF-D924-7D22-FF2B-F896FD3AF815
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Cymothales bouvieri van der Weele, 1907
status

Treatment

Cymothales bouvieri van der Weele, 1907 View in CoL

( Figs. 1A View FIGURE 1 , 2A View FIGURE 2 , 3 View FIGURE 3 , 5D–L View FIGURE 5 , 6D–I View FIGURE 6 , 7D–L View FIGURE 7 , 8C–F View FIGURE 8 )

Cymothales bouvieri van der Weele, 1907: 267 View in CoL (type locality: Madagascar, “Cote Est”; holotype in MNHN). Banks, 1913: 155 ( Cymothales View in CoL ). Navás, 1919a: 304 (record of Comoro Islands). Navás, 1919b: 304 (misidentification of C. manselli sp. nov.). Fraser, 1951: 21 ( Cymothales View in CoL , catalog). Markl, 1954: 199 ( Cymothales View in CoL ). Mansell, 1987: 192 (including some specimens of C. manselli sp. nov.). Mansell, 2000: 174 (misidentification of C. manselli sp. nov.). Penny, 2004: 666 ( Cymothales View in CoL ). Stange, 2004: 81 ( Cymothales View in CoL ). Prost, 2015: 351 (misidentification of C. manselli sp. nov.). Badano, 2020: 194 ( Cymothales View in CoL , distribution). Nicolas, 2022: 159 (record of Mayotte, Comoro Islands).

Diagnosis. Body dark brown with some pale stripes. Vertex as wide rectangular in frontal view; posterior side of vertical ridge with a transversal pale band, a pair of longitudinal short pale stripes, and some pale dots. Clypeus brown with a pair of large dark brown spots. Forewing with long oblique dark brown bands on basal 1/4 and half parts, the band on half part wider; short band on distal radial area wide; posterior margin truncate distally. Hindwing rhegma as a dark brown arched marking; poststigmal area triangular, slightly longer than the width of the base. Male gonocoxites 9 as a pair of kidney structures, rounded; gonostyli 11 broad, equal to the total width of the gonocoxites 9 in ventral view.

Re-description of adult. Size. Head width: 3.22–3.64 mm; forewing length: 33.58–41.32 mm; hindwing length: 38.01–44.27 mm.

Head. Vertex prominently raised, compressed into a transverse ridge, the part of ridge with many short dark setae; wide rectangular in frontal view; anterior side of vertical ridge with two transversal pale bands ( Figs. 3B View FIGURE 3 , 5D–L View FIGURE 5 ); posterior side of vertical ridge with a transversal pale band, a pair of longitudinal short pale stripes, and some pale dots ( Figs. 3C View FIGURE 3 , 6D–I View FIGURE 6 ). Scape and pedicel generally dark brown; flagellum basally dark brown, medially and distally pale yellow. Frons generally dark brown. Clypeus brown with a pair of large dark brown spots, with some pale setae ( Figs. 3B View FIGURE 3 , 5D–L View FIGURE 5 ). Labrum yellowish-brown. Maxillary palpus dark brown on basal segment, other segments pale. Labial palpus generally pale, distal segment fusiform. Mandibles pale yellow with distal half dark reddish brown.

Thorax. Dark brown with some pale stripes. Pronotum nearly 1.5 times as long as wide, laterally with a pair of longitudinal stripes and a pair of short slender stripes, lateral margin pale; covered with some dark and pale setae. Mesonotum with a pair of longitudinal long stripes extend across mesoprescutum and meso scutellum, and a pair of short stripes. Metanotum with a pair of longitudinal stripes; metascutellum dark brown, laterally pale. Pleurae dark brown with some pale stripes ( Fig. 3C View FIGURE 3 ).

Legs. Covered with many dark setae. All coxae dark brown with a few pale yellowish markings; tibiae pale, distally brown; tibial spurs slender and slightly curved; tarsi generally pale brown; pretarsal claws slightly curved. Foreleg: femur dark brown; tibial spur reaching base of tarsomere 3. Midleg: femur brown; tibial spur reaching base of tarsomere 3. Hind leg: femur brown; tibial spur reaching tip of tarsomere 2; tarsomere 1 longer than that of fore- and midleg ( Fig. 3A View FIGURE 3 ).

Wings. Nearly falcated, with intricate patterns. Hindwing longer than forewing. Pterostigma pale brown. Forewing with long oblique dark brown bands on basal 1/4 and half parts, the band on half part wider; some short dark brown bands suffused on crossveins on basal part; distal forewing mostly brown; short band on distal radial area wide; posterior margin distally truncate; costal crossveins mostly simple; three to four presectoral crossveins present, then presectoral area with many biarolate cells before RP origin; RP with 9 to 11 branches; RP origin distantly proximad MP fork; prefork area long triangular. Hindwing hyaline on basal half, distal part with some irregular dark brown markings; subcostal area with some discontinuous brownish dots; rhegma as a dark brown arched marking; poststigmal area triangular, slightly longer than the width of the base ( Figs. 1A View FIGURE 1 , 2A View FIGURE 2 , 3A View FIGURE 3 , 7D–L View FIGURE 7 ).

Abdomen. Dark brown, terga 1–8 each with a pair of pale yellowish stripes. Male genitalia. Sternum 9 short, nearly as wide as ectoproct, distal part with an arched dark brown marking ( Figs. 3D–E View FIGURE 3 ). Gonocoxites 9 as a pair of kidney-shaped structures, rounded, distally with a small projection. Gonocoxites 11 wide arched; gonostyli 11 strongly sclerotized, narrow, narrower than the total width of the gonocoxites 9 ( Figs. 3H–L View FIGURE 3 , 8C–F View FIGURE 8 ). Ectoproct rounded on distal margin, covered with many setae ( Fig. 3D View FIGURE 3 ). Female genitalia. Pregenital plate coniform; anterior branches of gonocoxites 8 tuberculated, with some short setae; posterior branches of gonocoxites 8 small digitiform, with some long setae. Gonocoxites 9 with many slender short acicular setae. Ectoproct truncate on distal margin, with some slender setae, ventral part with some short acicular setae ( Figs. 3F–G View FIGURE 3 ).

Type material. Holotype ♀, MADAGASCAR: “Cote Est // Grandidier 1309-71” ( MNHN).

Additional material examined. 1♀, Comoros: “Grande Comore (Legros Levassor) E. Bouvier 1912” ( MNHN) . 1♂, MADAGASCAR: Bekily , XII.1933, A. Seyrig ( MNHN) . 7♂ 4♀, same locality as above, V.1936, A. Seyrig ( MNHN) .

Distribution. Comoros; France ( Mayotte); Madagascar (Androy).

Remarks. Based on our examination and comparison with the description in Mansell (1987), we have confirmed that C. bouvieri is distributed only in Madagascar and its adjacent islands ( Comoro Islands) ( Fig. 10 View FIGURE 10 ). The records of this species from the African continent (Navás 1921; Mansell 1987, 2000; Prost 2015) are actually due to misidentification and represent a new species described in this study, i.e., C. manselli sp. nov. In addition to geographic isolation, C. bouvieri and C. manselli sp. nov. have stable differences. In C. bouvieri , the vertex is widely rectangular in frontal view ( Figs. 3B View FIGURE 3 , 5D–L View FIGURE 5 ), the posterior side of vertical ridge has a transversal pale band and a pair of longitudinal short pale stripes ( Figs. 3C View FIGURE 3 , 6D–I View FIGURE 6 ), the clypeus is brown with a pair of large dark brown spots ( Figs. 3B View FIGURE 3 , 5D–L View FIGURE 5 ), the short stripe on distal radial area of forewing is wider, the forewing posterior margin is truncate distally, the hindwing poststigmal area is triangular and slightly longer than the width of the base ( Figs. 1A View FIGURE 1 , 2A View FIGURE 2 , 3A View FIGURE 3 , 7D–L View FIGURE 7 ), the male gonocoxites 9 are kidney-shaped and rounded, and the male gonostyli 11 are broad, equal to the total width of the gonocoxites 9 ( Figs. 3H–L View FIGURE 3 , 8C–F View FIGURE 8 ), and the male gonostyli 11 are narrow, narrower than the total width of the gonocoxites 9 ( Figs. 4H–L View FIGURE 4 , 8A–B View FIGURE 8 ). However, in C. manselli sp. nov., the vertex is wide and inverse trapezoid in frontal view ( Figs. 4B View FIGURE 4 , 5A–C View FIGURE 5 ), the posterior side of vertical ridge has a transversal pale band and a few indistinct lateral markings ( Figs. 4C View FIGURE 4 , 6A–C View FIGURE 6 ), the clypeus is generally dark brown ( Figs. 4B View FIGURE 4 , 5A–C View FIGURE 5 ), the short band on distal radial area of forewing is slender, the forewing posterior margin is concaved distally, the hindwing poststigmal area is slender and nearly twice as long as width of the base ( Figs. 1A View FIGURE 1 , 2B View FIGURE 2 , 4A View FIGURE 4 , 7A–C View FIGURE 7 ), and the male gonocoxites 9 are longitudinal trapeziform.