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| Euclimacia radioquaesentis Ehlers, Li, Kirschey & Ohl, 2024 |
Abstract
A new species of the family Mantispidae (Neuroptera) from Vietnam is described. Euclimacia radioquaesentis sp. nov. shows a unique colour pattern, which is distinctive within the genus. The colouration and morphology of both sexes of the new species are described in detail and illustrated. The naming of the new species is linked to a popular citizen-science event in choosing the name for this species (and three other species from different undescribed species by taxonomists of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin).
Key Words: Adaption, lacewings, mimicry, new species, parasitoid, polymorphism, sexual dimorphism, Southeast Asia, wasp mimic
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| Euclimacia radioquaesentis sp. nov. male holotype and female paratype with distribution map. A. Habitus dorsal holotype male. Insert shows asymmetrical bifurcation between left and right costal area of fore-wings. Antecostal sutures (acs) and glabrous marks (gm) visible. The two black lines on the margin of the wing apex of the right fore-wing indicate the width of the oblique apical dark band; B. Localities (red rhombus) in Vietnam of the radioquaesentis type series. The number in the rhombus symbol indicates the count of specimens in this locality; C. Female paratype radioquaesentis dorsal view. The two black lines on the margin of the wing apex of the right fore-wing indicate the width of the oblique apical dark band. Scale bars: 5 mm (A, B). |
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| Euclimacia radioquaesentis male. A. Head frontal view. The subantennal suture (sas) is curved outwards; B. Head and thorax in dorsal view. The epicranial sutures are comprised by the frontal sutures (fs) and the coronal suture (cs). A black transversal band runs along the pronatal groove over the maculae (mc) and the pronatal humps (ph). The horizontal dashed lines indicate the three areas of the prothorax, the prozona (p1), the metazona (p2) and the pronatal base (p3); C. Lateral view on head, thorax and forelegs. Scale bars: 1 mm (A); 2 mm (B, C). |
Class Insecta Linnaeus, 1758
Order Neuroptera Linnaeus, 1758
Family Mantispidae Leach, 1815
Subfamily Mantispinae Leach, 1815
Genus Euclimacia Enderlein, 1910
Type species: Euclimacia partita Enderlein, 1910: 366, by original designation.
Euclimacia radioquaesentis sp. nov.
Diagnosis: The combination of colour characters in the new species is unique within Euclimacia. The contrast between the head and prothorax and the rest of the thorax and abdomen is striking. The prothorax and head have a distinct yellow colour, the remaining thorax is almost uniformly black. The abdomen of the male is also almost completely black with only a few brown markings. The female has a brownish abdomen with a black base. The wing colour is also unique in combination with the body colouration. The wings of E. radioquaesentis have the prominent feature of differently-coloured pterostigmata in fore and hind wing. Whereas the fore-wing pterostigma is yellow, the hind-wing pterostigma is brown. There are currently six species in Euclimacia with this diagnostic character, but these species differ distinctly in body colouration. Whereas in E. radioquaesentis sp. nov., the head and the prothorax are markedly yellow, in the other six species both parts are either ferruginous (E. rhombica Navás, 1914), reddish-brown (E. morosa (Gerstäcker, 1893); E. zonalis Navás, 1914; E. regina Esben-Petersen, 1917; E. rufocincta Handschin, 1961) or completely black (E. gerstaeckeri Banks, 1920).
Etymology: The species epithet is made up of two words ‘radio’ and ‘quaesentis’. The latter derives from Latin and means ‘searched for’. The name was chosen as part of a radio show. Citizens were invited to submit name suggestions. The most suitable was radioquaesentis – searched for on the radio.
Sarah Ehlers, Hongyu Li, Lukas Kirschey and Michael Ohl. 2024. A New Species of the Mantidfly Genus Euclimacia from Vietnam (Neuroptera, Mantispidae). Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift. 71(2): 255-264. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/dez.71.123553
Researchgate.net/publication/385126981_A_new_species_of_Euclimacia_from_Vietnam
