Afroptera exigua Abdalla & Mansell & Sole 2019, comb. nov.
Creators: name: Abdalla, Ishtiag H.
name: Mansell, Mervyn W.
name: Sole, Catherine L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Neuroptera
Nemopteridae
Afroptera
Afroptera exigua

description: Afroptera exigua (Tjeder, 1967) comb. nov.
(Figs 75, 101, 130, 134, 155)
Synonymy
Nemopterella exigua Tjeder, 1967: 493.
Etymology. Unknown, probably from the Latin word exigua (small) for its small size.
Type locality: SOUTH AFRICA, Western Cape Province. Klaarstroom, 33°19’51’’S 22°32’05’’E.
Type depository. SAMC.
Diagnosis. Afroptera exigua is very similar in appearance to A. parva and A. koranna sp. nov., due to its small size, rounded apex of the forewings (Fig. 134), short antennae and black hairs on prescutum. It can however, be easily distinguished from the former species by the unstriped pronotum (Fig. 101), short apical antennal segment (Fig. 75) and darkened tips of femurs, and from the latter by having a different shape to the apical antennal segment and by the white pubescence on the mesoscutum and mesoscutellum instead of the black hairs that are present in A. koranna sp. nov.
Size (mm). Male: body length 7.7 (7–8.3); forewing 20 (17.5–22.5); hind wing 39.8 (35–44.6); antenna 13.5 (11–15.9). (N = 2).
Type material examined. SOUTH AFRICA, Western Cape Province. Holotype ♂ (Fig. 130), SAM–NEU– A001251 / Klaarstroom, Prince Albert District, [33°20’S 22°32’E], Mus Expd, Oct 1952 (white printed label) / Holotypus Nemopterella exigua Tjeder 1966 (red handwritten label). (SAMC).
Other material examined. SOUTH AFRICA, Western Cape Province. 1♂, NEUR12588, Middeldrif Farm, Laingsburg District, 33°03’13’’S 21°16’14’’E, 708m, at light, 18.x.2009, A.P.Marais; 1♀, NEUR12589, Wamaker- skraal Farm, Laingsburg Dist., 33°01’24’’S 21°36’43’’E, 550m, 11.x.2008, J.B.Ball, A.P.Marais (SANC).
Distribution and habitat. Afroptera exigua has a limited distribution restricted to the Western Cape Province, South Africa (Fig. 155). The collection localities fall within the Rainshadow Valley and Lower Karoo Bioregions in the Succulent and Nama Karoo Biomes respectively (Mucina & Rutherford 2006). The habitat in the former bioregion is mostly flat to undulating land with Heuweltjies (small hills) formations and series of hills, dominated mostly by succulent shrubs, herbs and low shrubs. The area is characterised by low MAP (165 mm) because of the rainshadow of the Swartberg Mountains. While in the latter bioregion the species seems to be associated with dry habitats of undulating lands of mud and sandstone soils, mostly dominated by a Gamka Karoo vegetation type where the main components are dwarf spiny shrubs, Karoo shrubs and sparse low trees. The area receives autumn and summer rains with an average of 100–250 mm per year (Mucina & Rutherford 2006).
description: Published as part of Abdalla, Ishtiag H., Mansell, Mervyn W. & Sole, Catherine L., 2019, Revision of the southern African genera Nemopterella Banks and Nemia Navás (Neuroptera: Nemopteridae: Nemopterinae), with descriptions of new genera and species, pp. 1-89 in Zootaxa 4635 (1) on page 40, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4635.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3335102