Crambomorphus karrooanus Mansell 2018, comb. nov.
Creators: name: Mansell, Mervyn W.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Neuroptera
Myrmeleontidae
Crambomorphus
Crambomorphus karrooanus

description: Crambomorphus karrooanus (Péringuey, 1910) comb. nov.
Figs 40–52, 75, 79, 83, 87, 92
Palpares karrooanus Péringuey, 1910: 435. 5121.
Palpares karroanus: Navás 1934: 499. 953 (Incorrect subsequent spelling of karrooanus). Palpares karooanus: Stange 2004: 55. 11168 (Incorrect subsequent spelling of karrooanus).
Redescription. Habitus (Figs 40, 41). Medium-sized Palparini. Wings heavily marked with brown, lanceolate with acute apices and a narrow sinuate stripe along posterior margin of forewing. Hind wings almost completely iridescent dark brown with a few pale spots. Meso- and metathorax sparsely clothed with white recumbent setae. Differs from other southern African species by the lanceolate wings.
Head: wider than prothorax, vertex prominently raised with sparse short recumbent black setae, median black stripe extends from vertex broadening posteriorly over pro- and mesothorax; vertex, frons, clypeus, labrum all uniformly yellowish brown. Eyes slightly greater than hemispherical. Antennae longer than head width, toruli about scape diameter apart with a black spot medially, scape bears sparse white and black setae black, flagellum densely covered in short black setae. Labial palps (Fig. 87) black, covered with black setae, clavate, with prominent extended tip, palpimacula slit-like extending to, but not over apex, maxillary palps brown.
Thorax: prothorax short, much wider than long, yellowish brown with central black stripe, lateral margins black, anterior margin raised, with dense fringe of long white anteriorly-directed setae and black setae posteriorly, hind margin raised with long white and black setae. Mesothorax yellowish brown, black stripe medially, lateral black stripes and black marks over wing bases, sclerites bordered with black creating X-shaped mark medially, sparse black setae dorsally, white pubescence laterally; metathorax yellowish brown, broadly black laterally with brown velvet spots medially, black setae dorsally, long white pubescence laterally, metascutum black. Thoracic pleurites and sternites dark brown with long white pubescence.
Wings: lanceolate, with acute apices, heavily marked with dark-brown, (Figs 40, 41, 75, 79); crossveins densely reticulate, wing veins mainly devoid of setae, except for dense black fringe along C and in hypostigmatic area; hypostigma long; pterostigma not discernible. Forewings: with four highly variable diffuse brown markings; basal mark elongated, two middle marks occasionally coalesce posteriorly to form diffuse stripe towards apex, apical mark divided, posterior margin with narrow sinuate brown stripe. Costal vein with short dense black setae, some costal cells occasionally biaereolate or bifurcate (0–9) but usually unmodified. Wing veins yellow, but R and CuA fork black, Rs arises slightly beyond CuA fork, presectoral veins irregularly biaereolate; Mp2 arises beyond CuA fork. Hind wings: almost completely iridescent dark brown with pale patches, pale area basally; costal cells usually uniaereolate, very occasionally bifurcate, slightly sinuate especially distally; Rs arises slightly before Mp fork; presectoral crossveins biaereolate.
Legs: dark brown, tarsi black, femora and tibiae with faint orange patches, sparsely covered with black spines and dense short white setae; forelegs with dense setal brush on tibiae, tibiae longer than tarsi in all legs, tibial spurs dark brown, slightly curved, extending to just beyond Ta2; Ta1–Ta4 short, Ta5 long, approximately equal to combined length of Ta1–Ta4; pretarsal claws longer than Ta1–Ta2, dark-brown, slightly curved.
Abdomen: shorter than hind wings, blood-red in living specimens, covered with short white setae, with some long white setae on T1 and anterior margin of T2. Male (Figs 42–50) with T9 divided, sternite IX (Fig. 47) with rounded smooth apex; ectoprocts (Figs 42–46) black, curved, cylindrical, apices incrassate, with short white setae dorsally, long black setae laterally, dense pad of stout curved black spines on inner surfaces and two stout spines basally; gonarcus and parameres (Figs 48–50) fused into a rigid cone-shaped structure, parameres sclerotized, shiny black with medial tuft of sensory setae, gonarcal bulla pronounced (Figs 50, 83), hypandrium internum lightly sclerotized, keel-shaped. Female (cf. Figs 13. 14) with rounded ectoprocts bearing stout fossorial spines; lateral gonapohyses fused together forming a triangular shape with stout fossorial spines; anterior gonapophyses rounded with long slender setae; pregenitalae (Fig. 51) triangular, sclerotized; spermatheca (Fig. 52) slender, coiled, tapering distally.
Larva. Unknown.
Distribution (Fig. 92). This species is centred in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa, Western Cape Province and southern Namibia.
Type material examined. Lectotype ♂, designated here. Labelled: “ Palpares Karrooanus type ♂ Py” (Péringuey’s handwritten label) / “SAM-NEU-A001123” /; Paralectotype ♀, designated here. Labelled: “ Palpares Karrooanus type ♀ Py” (Péringuey’s handwritten label) / “Fraserburg Alston, E.G. 3 85” / “42” / “SAM-NEU- A001126” /. Both SAMC.
Additional material examined. NAMIBIA: 1♂ 1♀, Aar Farm, 26.43.57S 16.28.41E, 1525m, 13.i.1972, British Museum Expedition, BMNH00123; 1♂, Noachabeb Farm, 27.25.58S 18.30.59E, 1487m, 10.xii.1972, same collector, BMNH00124 (all BMNH). SOUTH AFRICA: Western Cape Province: 2♀, Beaufort West, 32.21.00S 22.35.00E, 855m, 10.i.1964, R.B. Copley, TMSA00395 (TMSA); 1♀, Stolshoek, Karoo National Park, 32.19.50S 22.29.23E, 950m, 18.ii.1996, M.W.Mansell, H.&U.Aspöck, NEUR02364. Northern Cape Province: 1♀, Britstown, 30.35.16S 23.30.18E, i.1903, E.Seinund, BMNH00125 (BMNH); 1♀, Driekop Nature Reserve, Kenhardt, 29.24.23S 21.06.18 E, 850m, 24.ii.1996, M.W.Mansell, H.Hölzel, P.Ohm, NEUR02365; 1♀, Jagpan 40 mi W Hopetown, 29.37.09S 23.22.28E, 1074m, 27.i.1930, H.K.Munro, NEUR02361; 1♀, Fraserburg, 31.55.00S 21.30.49E, 1357m, 15.ii.1990, M.de Jager, NEUR01456; 5♀, Ghaamsberg, 29.13.05S 19.59.04E, 906m, 3.ii.2000, M.W.Mansell, L.R.Minter, NEUR03776; 1♀, Groblershoop, 26.53.44S 21.59.04E, 868m, 14.ii.1972, M.W.Mansell, S.J.Blaber, NEUR02360; 1♂ 1♀, 20 km N Kliprand, 30.25.54S 18.46.12E, 900m, 24.i.1995, P. Bayliss, NEUR02010; 1♂, Koms Farm Keimoes, 28.44.08S 20.56.15E, 730m, 6.ii.2014, P.de Vos, NEUR12053; 2♀, Pofadder, 29.06.49 S 19.25.51E, 998m, 26.i.1995, P.Bayliss, NEUR02009; 1♀, same locality, 1.ii.2000, M.W.Mansell, L.R.Minter, NEUR03774; 2♀, same locality, 9.ii.2004, M.W.Mansell, A.K.Brinkman, NEUR09392; 2♀ same data but JBNE00227 (JBBC); 1♀, 8 km NE Pofadder, 29.04.15 S 19.24.38E, 933m, 2.ii.2000, M.W.Mansell, L.R.Minter, NEUR03775; 1♀, Twee Rivieren, Kalahari Gemsbok Park, 26.28.21S 20.36.42E, 870m, 18.xii.1970, H.A.D. van Schalkwyk, NEUR03787; 1♀, same locality, 12.i.1993, S.L.Chown, NEUR02363; 1♀, Prieska, 29.40.12S 22.44.39E, 1050m, 10.ii.1972, P.J.Ashton, S.J.Blaber, NEUR02359; 1♀, same locality, 15.xii.1925, E.S.Bryant, NEUR02362; 3♀, Roodekruis Farm, Fraserburg, 31.47.11S 21.53.21E, 1251m, 10.i.1988, G.Visser, NEUR00871; 1♂ 1♀, Rooiputs, Kalahari Gemsbok Park, 26.19.25S 20.44.13E, 884m, 23.xii.1988, C.H.Scholtz, S.Caveney, NEUR01155.
Comments. The original description of Palpares karrooanus Peringuey (1910) is based on a male and female specimen from Beaufort West and Fraserburg, both labelled as “ type ” by Péringuey (1910) who did not designate a holotype. These two specimens are still in good condition in SAMC where I have examined them and photographs are available. The male, illustrated by Péringuey (1910, Fig. 6) does not bear a locality label but it is safe to assume that this is the specimen from Beaufort West as the female syntype bears the Fraserburg label. Beaufort West, where it has frequently been recorded, is also well within the distribution range for the species. The male illustrated by Péringuey (1910) has been designated as Lectotype despite the lack of an associated locality label as there is no doubt about the identity of this beautiful endemic taxon. A redescription has been provided to include other features not included in the original description, and to bring it in line for direct comparison with its congeners.
description: Published as part of Mansell, Mervyn W., 2018, Antlions of southern Africa: genus Crambomorphus McLachlan, 1867, including extra-limital species (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae: Palparinae: Palparini), pp. 465-500 in Zootaxa 4382 (3) on pages 482-488, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4382.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/1183068