Epacanthaclisis alaica Krivokhatsky, 1998

Zheng, Yuchen, Badano, Davide, Aspöck, Ulrike, Aspöck, Horst, Hayashi, Fumio & Liu, Xingyue, 2025, Revision of the antlion genus Epacanthaclisis Okamoto, 1910 (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae: Dendroleontinae), Zootaxa 5657 (1), pp. 1-100 : 11-13

Epacanthaclisis alaica Krivokhatsky, 1998

( Fig. 4 )

Epacanthaclisis alaica Krivokhatsky, 1998: 45 (type locality: Kyrgyzstan: Daraut-Kurghan [72°14′E; 39°35′N] (72°11′E; 39°32′N in the original information), Alay-Kette, 2800 m; holotype in ZISP). Stange, 2004: 88 ( Epacanthaclisis ). Krivokhatsky, 2015: 804 ( Epacanthaclisis ). Akhtar, 2018: 96 (misidentification).

Diagnosis. Adult: Vertex anteriorly with a transversal black marking, posteriorly with a triangular black marking; frons with a pair of black spots. Pronotum pale yellowish-brown, medially with a pair of partially connected longitudinal dark brown stripes, anteriorly wider; laterally with a pair of short discontinuous dark lines; lateral margin black; laterally covered with many long pale setae. Metanotum black with a pair of pale yellowish-brown spots. Wings slightly narrowed, distal margin slightly pointed, forewing longer than hindwing. Forewing rhegma as a long oblique dark brown line; cubital area basally with a short oblique line. Hindwing rhegma as an indistinct short oblique dark line. Female with single pair of short digitiform gonocoxites 8; gonapophyses 8 transversal; goncoxites 9 covered with thin stout setae.

Re-description of the holotype. Head. Vertex anteriorly with a transversal black marking, posteriorly with a triangular black marking. Scape and pedicel pale yellowish-brown; each flagellomeres dark brown basally and pale yellowish-brown distally. Frons pale yellow, with a pair of black spots. Gena pale yellow, internally dark brown. Clypeus pale yellow with a few setae. Labrum brown. Maxillary palpus mostly pale yellow. Labial palpus pale yellowish, distal segment fusiform with a brown marking. Mandibles yellowish-brown with distal half dark reddish brown ( Figs. 4B–C ).

Thorax. Pale yellowish-brown and dark brown. Pronotum pale yellowish-brown, medially with a pair of partially connected longitudinal dark brown stripes, anteriorly wider; laterally with a pair of short discontinuous dark lines; lateral margin black; laterally covered with many long pale setae. Mesoprescutum generally black with a pair of lateral pale yellowish-brown spots; mesonotum pale yellowish-brown and black; mesoscutellum generally black with a pair of pale yellowish-brown spots. Metanotum generally black, posteriorly with a pair of pale yellowish-brown spots; metascutellum black ( Fig. 4B ).

Legs. Covered with many pale and dark setae. Foreleg: Coxa pale yellowish-brown with two dark brown spots; femur generally pale yellowish-brown, dorsally with a dark brown stripe; tibia mostly dark brown, with two pale yellowish-brown spots; tibial spur curved, reaching base of tarsomere 3; tarsomeres 1–2 and 5 pale, distally dark brown, tarsomeres 3–4 generally dark brown; pretarsal claws slightly curved.

Wings. Slightly narrowed, distal margin slightly pointed, mostly hyaline, with some markings. Forewing longer than hindwing. Pterostigma pale. Forewing costal space with a dark brown marking proximad pterostigma; rhegma as a long oblique dark brown line; cubital area basally with a short oblique line; three presectoral crossveins present, distal two crossveins each connected by an oblique vein; RP with 9–11 branches; RP origin basal to MP fork, nearly align at CuA fork. Hindwing generally hyaline, rhegma as an indistinct short oblique dark line; two presectoral crossveins present ( Fig. 4A ).

Abdomen. Female abdomen generally black with many pale setae. Male genitalia. Unknown. Female genitalia (based on Krivokhatsky 1998). Gonocoxites 8 short digitiform, only one pair; gonapophyses 8 transversal, internally constricted. Goncoxites 9 covered with thin stout setae. Ectoproct slightly truncate on distal margin.

Type material. Holotype ♀, KYRGYZSTAN: Daraut-Kurghan [72°14′E; 39°35′N] (72°11′E; 39°32′N in the original information), Alay-Kette, 2800 m, 18.VII.1993, V & A. Lukhtanov ( ZISP).

Distribution. Kyrgyzstan (Osh).

Remarks. This is the only species of Epacanthaclisis with a single pair of gonocoxites 8. Despite the lack of male specimens, we still consider this species a member of the E. continentalis group based on the absence of the anterior Banksian line in the forewing, and the high similarity to E. continentalis in wing shape, markings, and the length of the fore- and hindwings.

Akhtar (2018) provided a new record from Pakistan (Ziarat, Chitral) and identified it as E. alaica . However, based on our comparison between the holotype of E. alaica ( Krivokhatsky 1998) and the description and figure of the specimen from Pakistan ( Akhtar 2018), we noticed remarkable differences in pronotal markings, wing shape and markings. Notably, the female specimen that Akhtar (2018) examined has two pair of gonocoxites 8, but the holotype of E. alaica has only one pair of gonocoxites 8. Moreover, E. alaica is restricted to the Pamir-Alay mountain system, while the Pakistani specimen examined in Akhtar (2018) was found at the northwestern Himalayas. Therefore, we conclude that the Pakistani specimen does not belong to E. alaica and may be an undescribed species.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Epacanthaclisis alaica Krivokhatsky, 1998, holotype female.A. Habitus; B. head and thorax, dorsal view; C. head, frontal view. (Photos by Darya S. Bolshakova)