Baliga kashmirensis Hassan & Zheng & Liu 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Hassan, Muhammad Asghar
name: Zheng, Yuchen
name: Liu, Xingyue
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Neuroptera
Myrmeleontidae
Baliga
Baliga kashmirensis

description: Baliga kashmirensis sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 50FFB0E4-1CC4-40DC-B088-D29329F0A1CF
Figs 1–5, 20
Diagnosis
Larger-sized species (forewing length: 34.5–44.8 mm), superficially resembling to Baliga sagax (Walker, 1853) based on similar yellow markings on vertex but can be distinguished by the yellow pronotum, with a pair of well separated median longitudinal dark brown stripes and frons mostly shining black, but medially with a narrow longitudinal yellow marking and a narrow median U-shaped yellow marking at ventral corner (Fig. 3B–D).
Etymology
The new species is named after its type locality, i.e., Azad Kashmir, Pakistan.
Type material
Holotype PAKISTAN • ♂; Azad Kashmir, District Poonch, Rawalakot Valley, Khai Gala; 33°51′4.3194″ N, 73°49′46.3434″ E; 1802 m a.s.l.; 4 Jun. 2019, Hassan M.A. leg.; CAU.
Paratypes PAKISTAN • 7♂♂, 7♀♀; Azad Kashmir, District Poonch, Rawalakot Valley, Khai Gala; 33°51′4.3194″ N, 73°49′46.3434″ E; 1802 m a.s.l.; 4 Jun.–19 Aug.–3 Sep. 2019 • 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, District Mansehra, Bajna; 34°27′45.036″ N, 73°15′26.028″ E; 1000 m a.s.l; 19 Jul. 2019; Hassan M.A. leg.; CAU.
Description
MEASUREMENTS (♂ n =5, ♀ n = 6). Forewing: length ♂ 34.5–38.5 mm, ♀ 37.7–44.8 mm; width ♂ 9.0– 10.6 mm, ♀ 10.0–12.0 mm. Hind wing: length ♂ 36.0–39.0 mm, ♀ 39.0–46.0 mm; width ♂ 7.8–8.6 mm, ♀ 10.0 mm. Body length: ♂ 32.0– 35.2 mm, ♀ 34.0– 39.5 mm.
HEAD (Fig. 3A–D). Vertex moderately raised, dark brown with yellow markings; in frontal view dark brown, dorsally with a pair of C-shaped yellow markings, which are connected to ocular rim; in dorsal view dark brown but medially yellow, with a rounded dark brown marking at middle; epicranial area black, with longitudinal transverse grooves, covered with short brownish pubescence. Frons shining black, but medially with a narrow longitudinal yellow marking and a narrow median U-shaped yellow marking at ventral corner, covered with short brownish pubescence. Occiput and postorbital sclerites yellow. Clypeus pale yellow (Fig. 3B) or medially with two small rounded dark brown spots in some specimens (Fig. 3C), and with four median long brown setae. Labrum brownish yellow, with erected brownish setae at proximal margin. Genae pale yellow. Maxillary and labial palps pale yellow, with terminal labial palpomere spindleshaped, palpimacula brownish, small and circular, with short pale yellow setae. Antennae black, covered with short black setae, dorsal ring of scape and pedicel yellowish brown, flagellum black with several distal flagellomeres widened and moderately flattened. Antennal sclerite yellow (Fig. 3B).
THORAX (Fig. 3A). Pronotum slightly wider than long, yellow, with two median longitudinal dark brown stripes; lateral margins narrowly dark brown after anterior transverse furrow in lateral view; covered with long sparse black setae, but anterolateral margins with short, black and pale yellow setae. Mesonotum yellow with a median and lateral dark brown stripe; prescutum laterally with a pair of rounded yellow spots, covered with long sparse black setae; mesoscutum with a median and lateral dark brown stripe, lateral stripes limited to proximal ⅔, covered with short yellow setae; metascutellum yellow with a broad median longitudinal dark brown stripe, covered with long sparse yellow setae. Metanotum yellow with a median and lateral dark brown stripe, lateral stripes limited to proximal half of metascutum, covered with short yellow setae. Pleuron yellow, with a median longitudinal dark brown stripe, covered with short sparse yellow setae (Fig. 3F).
LEGS (Fig. 3F). Foreleg: coxa and trochanter yellow, covered with short yellow setae. Femur yellow, covered with short, black and brownish yellow setae, proximal half with a few long black setae; femoral sense hair as long as proximal ½ of profemora. Tibia yellow, with mixed, short and thick black setae, antennal cleaning setae yellow; tibial spurs brownish, straight, as long as Ta1. Tarsomeres yellow, covered with short black setae; Ta1 equal to combined length of Ta2–Ta3; Ta2, Ta3 and Ta4 nearly equal in size; Ta5 equal to combined length of Ta1–Ta4. Pretarsal claws brownish, curved. Mid leg similar to foreleg. Hind leg similar to mid leg, but femoral sense hair absent.
WINGS (Fig. 2). Forewing: relatively broad, subacute at apex; membrane hyaline; longitudinal veins dark brown, except Sc with alternate dark brown and yellow patches, covered with sparse short black setae; costal area with interconnected crossveins proximal to pterostigma for at least ⅓ of forewing length; seven to nine presectoral crossveins; initial branching point of CuA at same level to Rs origin; Rs with 12–16 branches; pterostigma milky white; anterior Banksian line absent; posterior Banksian line present. Hind wing: slightly longer than forewing, acutely pointed at apex; membrane hyaline; longitudinal veins dark brown, except Sc with alternate dark brown and yellow patches, covered with sparse short black setae; costal veinlets simple, except a few marginally forked crossveins around poststigmal area; five presectoral crossveins; median fork proximal to Rs origin; Rs with 14–18 branches; pterostigma milky white, relatively smaller than that on forewing; anterior Banksian line absent; posterior Banksian line present; pilula axillaris with rounded knob, covered with dense brown setae.
ABDOMEN (Fig. 1). Tergites brownish, covered with short brownish yellow setae. Sterites brownish yellow, covered with short brownish yellow setae.
MALE GENITALIA (Fig. 4C–G). Tergum 9 trapezoidal, with anterior margin slightly prominent in lateral view. Sternum 9 slenderly triangular in ventral view, covered with long black setae at distal half. Ectoproct nearly rectangular in lateral view, posterodorsal margin rounded, covered with yellow setae, posteroventral corner slightly prominent, covered with long thick black setae. Gonocoxites 11 highly sclerotized, lateral arms straight, apex curved ventrad in dorsal view. Gonostylus 11 slightly prominent in ventral view. Gonocoxites 9 broad and elongate, curved with pointed apex in lateral view.
FEMALE GENITALIA (Fig. 4A–B). Tergum 9 quadrate in lateral view, with short black setae. Ectoproct subquadrate, posterodorsal margin rounded, with short yellow setae, but proximal ⅓ with robust digging setae. Anterior gonocoxites 8 short, as long as wide, with thick long black setae. Posterior gonocoxites 8 long, digitiform, with long black setae. Gonocoxites 9 broad and rounded, with robust digging setae, anterolaterally with a bunch of erected short black setae at proximal ⅓.
Distribution
Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa).
description: Published as part of Hassan, Muhammad Asghar, Zheng, Yuchen & Liu, Xingyue, 2022, Taxonomic notes on the antlion tribe Myrmeleontini Latreille (Neuroptera, Myrmeleontidae, Myrmeleontinae) from Pakistan, with description of a new species, pp. 1-44 in European Journal of Taxonomy 831 on pages 6-12, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2022.831.1867, http://zenodo.org/record/6862200