Cueta anomala Navás, 1915

Khudhur, Farhad A. & Ábrahám, Levente, 2025, A report on the lacewing fauna of Iraqi Kurdistan (Neuroptera: Mantispidae, Nemopteridae, Myrmeleontidae, Ascalaphidae), Zootaxa 5665 (2), pp. 223-238 : 228-230

* Cueta anomala Navás, 1915

( Fig. 4E )

Material examined: 1♀ IRAQ, Sulaymaniyah, Sharbazher, Gmo Mt. Hazarkanian 35°54’44”N, 45°33’42”E, 26.VIII.2023 leg:FarhadA. Khudhur ; 3♂ 3♀ IRAQ, Sulaymaniyah, Sangaw, Zhallay Darband Village , 35°19’55.6”N, 45°17’44.3”E, 10.IX.2023 leg: Farhad A. Khudhur & Aland Nwab ; 1♂ IRAQ, Sulaymaniyah, Qara Dagh , 4.3km NW Jafaran Village 35°19’55.6”N, 45°17’44.3”E, 12.IX.2023 leg: Farhad A. Khudhur .

Type material: / Typus [red label with Navás’s handwriting] // Cueta / anomala ♀ Nav. / Navás S J. det. [white label with Navás’s handwriting] // Persia / settentr / 1862-63 / Coll. G. Doria [white label, handwritten] // Holotypus [red label in capital letters] / Cueta / anomala / Navás, 1915 // [red label handwritten]//. In Navás (1915): Persia septentrional, 1862-63, Coll. Doria (Mus. de Génova).

Remarks: This taxon has been variously identified as Cueta anomala Navás, 1915 by Navás (1915); as Cueta beieri Hölzel, 1969 by Hölzel (1969); and as Cueta luteola Hölzel, 1972 by Mirmoayedi (2003). Its taxonomic status is described differently in monographs (e.g., Aspöck et al. 2001; Stange 2004; Krivokhatsky 2011) and in the LDL database ( Oswald 2024). Due to these uncertainties, we examined the type specimen in the collection of the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale "Giacomo Doria", Genoa, Italy ( Fig. 4K ) ( Poggi 1993).

" The specimen which has become the holotype of Cueta anomala was sent in study from the Genoa Museum to Navás in 1914; it was described in 1915, but was returned to Genoa by Navás only in 1922, after being badly damaged in Navás' home by the attack of Anthrenus, so that it is in poor condition and important parts of the body no longer exist. This is possibly why the opinions on the species change depending on the Author. " (Poggi (2025) letter of communication).

Upon revising the taxon, we confirmed the taxonomic classification published by Krivokhatsky (2011), which states that Cueta anomala Navás, 1915 is not a synonym of Cueta lineosa (Rambur, 1842) . However, C. anomala is a valid species, and C. beieri Hölzel, 1969 was correctly published as a new synonym. Mirmoayedi (2003) incorrectly identified this species as Cueta luteola Hölzel, 1972 .

The literature annotation and a distribution map for C. anomala are included in Krivokhatsky (2011). Its distribution is documented in Europe: Albania and Greece; in the Caucasus region: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Dagestan, North Ossetia ( Russia), and in Asia: Turkey, Lebanon and Iran. This species is reported here as a new record for Iraq.

The wings have no distinctive markings, except for small dark spots in the reghma area and at the confluence of Cua2 and Cup+A 1 in the forewing ( Fig. 4E ). The venation is predominantly yellow. The pronotum has three light brown bands that are intermittent. The abdomen has no prominent pattern on tergal segments in the lateral view ( Fig. 4G ). Although its distribution overlaps with that of C. lineosa , it can easily be distinguished by the shape and distinctive markings of the forewing, the pattern of the head in the frontal view and the abdomen in the lateral view, and the male genital features ( Hölzel 1969; as C. beieri ). Females of Cueta species are usually slightly larger than males.

Figures

FIGURE 4.A—Habitus of Myrmecaelurus trigrammus, B—Head and pronotum in dorsal view; C—Habitus of Myrmecaelurus solaris, D—Head and pronotum in dorsal view; E—Habitus of Cueta anomala, F—Head in frontal view, G—Tergal segments 2-4 in lateral view; H—Habitus of Cueta lineosa, I—Tergal segments 2-4 in lateral view, J—Head in frontal view; K—Type of Cueta anomala in dorsal view with labels (Photo: Bruno Michel); L—Habitus of Cueta minervae, M—Pronotum pattern in dorsal view. Abbreviations: ra—reghma area, Cua2—Cubitus anterior 2, Cup+A1—Cubitus posterior + Anal vein 1, (Scale bar: 10 mm)