Navasoleon tarsalis Miller 2018, new species
Creators: name: Stange, Lionel A.
name: Miller, Robert B.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Neuroptera
Myrmeleontidae
Navasoleon
Navasoleon tarsalis

description: Navasoleon tarsalis Miller, new species
Figures 8, 17, 26, 34, 45, 62, 63
Type locality. San Juan de los Morros, Venezuela.
Description. Foreleg tarsomere 1 about twice as long as distal tarsomere, 2 longer than distal tarsomere; hindleg distal tarsomere about equal in length to tarsomeres 3 and 4 and nearly twice as long as pretarsal claws (Fig. 26); midtibia swollen; lateral gonapophysis of female with additional gonapophysislike structure.
Holotype female. Length of body 18 mm., forewing length 25.5 mm., width 6.5 mm., hindwing length 25 mm., width 4.5 mm; wing span 53 mm. Coloration: Face (Fig. 8) pale brown with small dark brown median area below level of antennal sockets which extends dorsally to united with broad dark brown band which extends between ocular rims; supra-antennal dark brown area extending laterally nearly to ocular rim and ventrally onto frons; labial palpi mostly pale brown except dark brown distally, closely approximate with numerous short, non-digging setae dorsally; vertex pale brown with submedial dark brown areas at middle; pronotum nearly all pale brown with dark brown laterally; nota predominately dark brown laterally, pale brown medially; metascutellum all pale brown; pterothoracic pleura mostly pale brown with extensive dark brown areas as in (Fig. 26); legs pale brown, femora and tibia with numerous dark brown spots except hindtibia mostly pale brown with dark brown basally and apically. Chaetotaxy: Pronotum with several long setae, longer than those on clypeus; pteronota with few setae on prescutum, scutella and elsewhere; forefemoral sense hair about 2 times as long as femoral diameter, midfemoral sense hair not distinguishable; Structure: Distal palpomere of labium weakly swollen, palpimacula distad to middle; pronotum (Fig. 17) longer than wide; forecoxa about 4 times longer than middle diameter; midtibia swollen (Fig. 26); foreleg basitarsus about as long as tarsomeres 2–4, about 3 times longer than distal tarsomere which is slightly bent subapically; basitarsus of hindleg about equal in length to tarsomeres 3 and 4 and nearly three times longer than pretarsal claws; forewing (Fig. 45) with costal cells wider than long basally, higher than long somewhat before origin of radial sector, 7 presectoral crossveins; forewing radial sector arises well beyond cubital fork; posterior fork of CuP+1A reaches hind margin at about level of origin of radial sector. Female terminalia (Fig. 62, 63): With posterior gonapophysis moderately swollen, about 4 times longer than middle diameter, only apical setae about as long as gonapophyseal width; lateral gonapophyses elongate, separate, about 3.5 times longer than wide, with short, stout scraping setae anteriorly and more elongate, fine setae anteriorly; unknown process (Fig. 62) about 6 times longer than wide extending ventrally from the lateral gonapophysis to below vulva; ectoproct with short scraping setae ventrally; pregenital plate small, transverse, with medial tooth; spermatheca (Fig. 63) weakly sinuate elongate tube, about 15 times longer than greatest diameter, strongly curved and narrowed distally.
Distribution. Guyana and Venezuela.
Collection times. October to November.
Material studied. Holotype female and 1 paratype female.
VENEZUELA. Guarico: San Juan de los Morros, 23.XI.1955, O. Fernandez Y. (1f, FSCA). GUAYANA. Potero-Siparuni: Kaieteur (falls), X.1937 (1f, FSCA).
Discussion. There is an un-identified gonapophysis-like process extending ventrally from the lateral gonapophysis to below the vulva (Fig. 62) which is unique in the tribe. Also, the swollen midtibia and flattened tarsomeres of the midleg and hindleg set it apart from the other species.
Etymology. Named for the unusual tarsi which have tarsomeres I–IV of midleg and hindleg weakly flattened ventrally.
description: Published as part of Stange, Lionel A. & Miller, Robert B., 2018, A revision of the genus Navasoleon Banks (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae: Nemoleontini), pp. 1-25 in Insecta Mundi 619 on pages 8-9, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3699409