Dicromantispa gracilis (Rambur)

Pires Machado, Renato Jose, Li, Hongyu & Ohl, Michael, 2025, Solving taxonomic and nomenclatural problems among the Neotropical species of the family Mantispidae (Insecta, Neuroptera), Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 72 (1), pp. 57-83 : 57-83

Dicromantispa gracilis (Rambur)

Fig. 10

Mantispa gracilis Rambur, 1842: 433. Lectotype: female ( ISNB) (here designated). Type locality: Colombia: Santa Fé de Bogotá.

Notes.

This species has a problematic taxonomic history. Its original description by Rambur (1842) is not clear about the number of specimens on which the description was based, nor where they were deposited. No other information about the type specimens were mentioned until the world catalogue of Mantispidae by Ohl (2004), who was also not sure about the type number and status (“ holotype (or syntypes), sex unknown ”). Tauber et al. (2019) presented one female syntype deposited at OUM. Herein, we had access to two apparent syntypes, a female from ISNB (Fig. 10 A – C ) and the female at OUM (Fig. 10 D – H ). They are indeed conspecific, and their labels suggest that they were both part of the original type series. Furthermore, one of the labels on the ISNB specimen mentions “ type n ° = 3 ” (Fig. 10 C ), suggesting the possibility of more than two syntypes, but the true number of syntypes cannot be confirmed based on the original description ( Rambur 1842). In this sense, in order to avoid any other future taxonomic problem, we are herein designating the female specimen from ISNB as the lectotype, because it is in better condition than the specimen from OUM.

Another problem with this species is that the name Mantispa gracilis Rambur, 1842 is a junior primary homonym of Mantispa gracilis Erichson, 1839 , as firstly noted by Hagen (1861), but in more details discussed by Ohl (2004). Remarkably, our analysis of the syntypes of M. gracilis Rambur clearly indicate that this species is, in fact, a synonym of M. gracilis Erichson. The species published by Rambur (1842) presents all the major diagnostic characters of the species described by Erichson (1839), which by its turn is today considered a valid species, Dicromantispa gracilis (Erichson) . See the discussion for Mantispa iridipennis Guérin-Méneville below for more details.

Figures

Figure 10. Mantispa gracilis Rambur 1842, type material, female. A – C. Lectotype: A, B. Habitus photo, dorsal and lateral views; C. Labels; D – H. Paralectotype: D. Habitus photo, dorsal view; E. Head and thorax, lateral view; F. Head, frontal view; G. Foreleg, outer surface; H. Right forewing; I. Left wings; J. Labels. Scale bars: 10.0 mm (A, B).