Suarius mongolicus (Tjeder, 1936)

Fig. 3

MATERIAL. Russia (first record): Astrakhan Region (Astrakhanskaya Oblast): lower reaches of the Volga River, right bank, 46°49.817N, 47°34.744E, at light, 1.VI 2019, 1♀ (A. Solodovnikov).

DISTRIBUTION. Europe (Russia), Asia: western Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, China (Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang), Mongolia (Hovd, Govĭ- Altay, Bayanhongor, Övörhangay, Ömnögovĭ) (Tjeder, 1936; Stеinmann, 1965, 1968, 1971; Dorokhova, 1977, 1979; Hölzel, 1967, 1980, 1995; Aspöck et al., 2001; X. Yang et al., 2005).

REMARKS. S. mongolicus was mentioned by X. Yang et al. (2005) as distributed in “ Russia (Siberia)”. But later this record is absent in the Catalogue of Chinese Neuroptera (D. Yang et al., 2018). “ Russia (Siberia)” was probably an erroneous record.

The principal external distinguishing features of the examined specimen are as follows. The head is pale, yellowish with dark maculation; there is a large dark spot between the antennae; the genae and clypeus with smaller spots laterally; and there are two elongated slightly curved very dark brown spots on the vertex. The scapus has two broad longitudinal stripes outside and posteriorly; and the pedicellus is marked posteriorly. The palpi are pale. The pronotum is green-yellowish with an interrupted median brownish line and uncertain maculation laterally. The forewings are 8.7 mm long. The veins are mainly pale with short dark lengths and setae, without maculation.

Hölzel (1967) stated that Suarius mongolicus and S. caviceps (McLachlan, 1898) are indistinguishable externally. S. caviceps is distributed in northern Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan) and Middle East (Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran) (McLachlan, 1898; Navás, 1910, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1932; Esben-Petersen, 1920, 1932; Auber, 1955; Hölzel, 1966, 1967, 1980, 1995; Monserrat et al., 1990; Ohm & Hölzel, 1992; Aspöck et al., 2001; Canbulat, 2007; Ghahari et al., 2010). Hölzel (1967) found some differences in the genitalia of both males and females in these species. According to him, sternite 8+9 of the male in S. mongolius is narrower in lateral view that that of S. caviceps, but the inner genitalia appear nearly identical in both species (see Hölzel, 1967: fig. 69, 70). The subgenitale of the females in these species differs somewhat more (see Hölzel, 1967: fig. 71, 73). However, later Hölzel (1980) noted that some females of S. mongolicus and S. caviceps in Saudi Arabia cannot be distinguished with certainty.

The female from the Astrakhan Region is referred to S. mongolicus because its subgenitale and spermatheca (Fig. 3E–G) are more like those of that species than S. caviceps, as shown by Hölzel (1967: fig. 71, 73).