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| Rhachiella malawica
Aspöck, Aspöck, Johnson, Donga & Duelli, 2020
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Abstract
A new species and a new genus of Rhachiberothidae, Rhachiella malawica gen. nov., spec. nov., are described from Malawi. The new species is characterized by a flat vertex, a long penisfilum in the male, and by a bifurcate pseudohypocauda in the female. This combination of characters requires the description of a new genus, which is the sister taxon of Mucroberotha Tjeder, 1959. This is the first record of Rhachiberothidae in Malawi.
The distributions of all 14 species of Rhachiberothidae so far known are shown in three maps.
Keywords: Neuroptera, Neuropterida, Thorny Lacewings, taxonomy, distribution
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| Rhachiella malawica spec. nov., paratype, female, habitus - Length of forewing 7 mm.
(photo: Thomas Reich, WSL Birmensdorf, Switzerland).
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Genus Rhachiella gen. nov.
Rhachiella malawica spec. nov.
Etymology: Rhachiella is derived from Rhachiberotha. It has feminine gender; malawica is an adjective derived from the country where the species has been discovered.
Ulrike Aspöck, Horst Aspöck, James B. Johnson, Trust Kasambala Donga and Peter Duelli. 2020. Rhachiella malawica gen. nov., spec. nov. from Malawi— Another Beauty of the Afrotropics (Neuroptera: Rhachiberothidae). Zootaxa. 4808(1); 131–140. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4808.1.7