Pantaleonius Tauber 2021, New Genus

Pantaleonius Tauber, New Genus (Figs. 1–11)

Type species. Pantaleonius toschiorum Tauber, New Species.

Etymology of the genus name. The genus Pantaleonius is named in honor of Professor Roberto A. Pantaleoni, Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi, via Enrico De Nicola, Sassari SS, Italy. Prof. Pantaleoni is a distinguished researcher, educator, colleague, and enthusiastic student of Neuroptera. Most importantly here, he challenged my earlier erroneous, generic determination for this new species and encouraged me to broaden my outlook. The genus-group name is derived from a Latin-based personal name and has a masculine suffix.

Tribal association. Relatively recent molecular studies of chrysopid genera worldwide indicate that the tribe Belonopterygini is monophyletic (Garzón-Orduña et al. 2019; Winterton et al. 2019, and literature cited therein). Also, the known belonopterygine larvae exhibit a set of synapomorphic character states that are sufficiently distinct so as to typify a monophyletic tribe (Tauber et al. 2014, Tauber & Winterton 2014, Tauber et al 2020). However, to my knowledge, currently no single trait or suite of traits have been proposed to distinguish belonopterygine adults definitively and consistently from those in other Chrysopinae tribes. Although the adults of some species, especially those of the Old World, express features that traditionally have united them as a tribe (see Tjeder 1966, Brooks 1984, Brooks & Barnard 1990, Breitkreuz 2018), many of these features have been shown to be variable among New World members of the tribe [Tauber 2006 (as Berchmansus), 2007; Tauber et al. 2006 (as Berchmansus); Sosa & Tauber 2017]. Thus, to delineate the adult features that unite the tribe, a re-examination that includes all known New World taxa is now necessary (also see Breitkreuz 2018).

As shown on Table 1, Pantaleonius toschiorum n. gen., n. sp. expresses many of the traditional belonopterygine features, most notably: flagellar setae in four rings (Figs 3E–F); mandibles broad; palpomeres round apically; galea broad (Figs 3A–D); pronotum wide, relatively short (Figs 2A–B); forewing with first cubital cell longer than the second cell, which is quadrate with perpendicular angles (Fig. 4A); gonarcus simple, without gonocornua or entoprocesses; mediuncus large; gonosaccus without setae (Fig. 7A–D); female with relatively large spermatheca, velum present, opening directly to bursa copulatrix; praegenitale present (Figs 10A–F, 11A–D). Two features of this species differ from traditional belonopterygine charcteristics: its relatively long flagellomeres and the absence of parameres in the male. Both of these features have been shown to vary among other belonopterygine taxa, especially those from the New World (see Table 1, also Sosa & Tauber 2017).

Generic description and comparison with other New World belonopterygine genera.

Body: Moderate size and form; wing length 12.0– 13.1 mm; males and females of similar appearance. Coloration: Cream to tan with moderately bold black body markings; antennal flagellum dark basally. Wings of regular proportion, not narrowed; ratio of forewing length to width = ~2.5: 1; costal area of forewing without splayed crossveins or dark markings; forewing and hindwing without dark patches; longitudinal veins mostly pale, darkened at intersections with crossveins. Claws with heavy basal dilation. Abdomen: S3–S8 with moderate to sparse covering of moderately long setae; S9 with denser, slightly more robust setae. Male: Dorsal apodeme of T9+e straight, with basal section extending proximally into A8, with ventral spur below callus cerci extending downward below margin of ectoproct. S8+9 fused with prominent suture; microtholi present on S8 and distal region of S7, not dense or widespread. Gonarcus broad, U-shaped, without gonocornu, entoprocessus, or frontal plate; mediuncus with lateral wings, beak, frontal setae. Parameres, gonapsis absent. Female: abdominal tergites without longitudinal mesal suture; dorsum of T9+e without deep mesal invagination; praegenitale present; subgenitale elongate; spermatheca doughnut-shaped with large velum; spermathecal duct elongate, curved.

In summary, among the New World Belonopterygini, Pantaleonius is the only genus to have a yellow to tan body with prominent but not large dark spots, and wings with dark veins but without markings or splayed venation. The male abdomen is also unique in that the dorsal apodeme of S8&9 has a ventral spur that articulates with a robust, somewhat sclerotized membrane extending from the ventral spur of the dorsal apodeme to the dorsum of the mediuncus. In addition, the male has a broad U-shaped gonarcus, winged mediuncus, and no parameres. In the female, a praegenitale is present; the subgenitale is elongate; and the spermatheca is doughnut shaped and bears a large, tubular velum.