Dominikon aspoecki Dobosz, Abraham & Krivokhatsky 2022, sp. nov.

Dominikon aspoecki Dobosz, Ábrahám & Krivokhatsky sp. nov.

Nedroledon striatus: Krivokhatsky 1998:33 (Fig. 8) misidentified and drawn as Nedroledon striatus

Material examined: Holotype (Fig. 12): 1♂, // Iran prov. Semnan / 36°0′4″N, 56°0′8″E / Qalebâlâ, Sahrud region / at light in hotel / 27.05.2018 1250 m / leg. Lech Kruszelnicki // USMB 5858 /23180/ coll. Upper Silesian Museum / (USMB) Bytom, Poland // [red label] // Holotype / Dominikon aspoecki sp. n. / det. R. Dobosz, L. Ábrahám & V. Krivokhatsky 2022 //.

Paratypes: DBRC: 1♀, // IRAN, KHORASAN prov. / Mts. KUH-e ZORGH [33°42‘10.75“N 59°12‘40.22“E] / alt 2000 m, 21–22.V.2013 / E. Rutjan leg. //.

HNHM: 1 ♀, // Turkmenistan, Kopet-Dagh Mts / 800–1500 m, valley of the rivers Ipay-Kala and Polni-Kala / 38°13′15″N 59°54′57″E / 30.06– 04.07.1992 No. L 63 / leg. Gy. Fábián, B. Herczig, A. Podlussány and Z. Varga // (misidentified as Nedroledon striatus det. Krivokhatsky 2000).

NHMW: 1♀, // Iran Khoresan NP / Golestan Dasht / 37.18N / 55.56E / 1232 m, 21–22.05.01 / Ch. Wieser leg. //.

SCM: 1♂, // Iran, prov. Sistan & Baluchestan / Karevandar 1260 m / N 27°50′06″, E 60°49′29″ / 2016.03.03 / leg. Ilniczky S. & Petrányi G. //; 1♀, // Iran, prov. Sistan & Baluchestan / Karevandar 1260 m / N 27°50′06″, E 60°49′29″ / 2016.03.03 / leg. Ilniczky S. & Petrányi G. //.

USMB: 1♀, // Iran Kuusha—Larumba / Bampur; SE Persia / [N.] Zarudn [yi] 6–10V 1901 //(USMB 5858 /21989); 1♀, // Iran prov. Semnan / 36°0′4″N, 56°0′9″E / Qalebâlâ Sahrud region / at light env. of village / 28.05.2018 1250 m / leg. R. Dobosz // (USMB 5858 /25064).

ZIN: 1♂ (abdomen lost), // Iran Kuusha—Sargad, Bampur / SE Persia / [N.] Zarudn [yi] 3–5 V 1901 // (misidentified as Nedroledon striatus (Krivokhatsky 1998);: 1♀, // Turkmenistan 30 VI–4 VII 1992 / Kopet–Dagh Mts. 800–1500 m / valley of the rivers Ipay-Kala and Point-Kala / 38°13.15′N 59°54.57′E / leg. Gy. Fábián, B. Herczig, A. Podlussány, Z. Varga // No L 63 //

Additional material examined: Iran: 1♀, 25 Apr 2016, Khar Turan National Park ranger’s house 35º57′59,6″N 56º04′03,2″E,close to the village of Givar, at light ca. 8 p. m., Photo by Segerer Benoit(France) taken in nature (Fig.17).

Diagnosis: The species is characterized by conspicuous markings on the forewing (Figs. 16a–d). These spots and stripes occur with varying intensity but are much darker and more intense than in D. iranensis (Figs. 11, 18 a–d, 20b) or D. lagopus (Figs. 9, 19a–d, 20c). The membrane between MP1 and CuA1 is marked with a continuous pale brown stripe, as in D. lagopus, but these markings are much more intense. In D. aspoecki, the brown line on Sc+R only extends beyond the pterostigma in the forewing. In D. lagopus, this line may be less marked, but it always occurs in the distal part of the forewing along Rs1+Ma before the pterostigma. The larva is unknown.

Description: Measurements: Holotype (♂), forewing: 22 mm, hindwing: 20 mm, abdomen: 26 mm. Paratypes: (2♂), forewing: 23 mm, hindwing: 21 mm, abdomen (1 ♂): 26 mm. (The end of the abdomen is missing in the second specimen.), (4♀) forewing: 22.5–24 mm, hindwing: 21–22 mm, abdomen: 19–20 mm.

Habitus (Fig. 12): Distinctly brown and yellow–brown, small to medium–sized antlion with long clavate antenna. Pronotum elongate, yellow with four longitudinal brown bands. Meso- and metathorax with distinct longitudinal brown marks. Wings quite narrow, with subacute apex and with very characteristic brown markings on membrane. Legs long and slender, predominantly brown in colour. Tibial spurs slightly curved at distal ends, as long as tarsal segments 1. Abdomen generally brown with indistinct yellow spots in the lateral view.

Head: Vertex curved, yellow with distinct brown spots and line in two rows on top, irregular light brown spots on both sides of epicranial suture and two transverse brown lines laterally in first row, two slightly curved spots in second row. Continuous dull dark brown stripe above antenna. Small triangular spot extending along both margins of epicranial suture on back of head (Fig. 14a, b). Hairs on vertex short, sparse, appressed, black and white. Frons, gena, clypeus and labrum yellow, hairless. Mandible yellow, with brown inner margin and tip. Maxillary and labial palps yellow with very short pale hairs; last segment of labial palp asymmetrical, spindle-shaped, palpimacula round. Eye fairly large. Antenna 5.2 mm long, clavate. Scape yellow, with very short black setae; basal part of pedicel brown, distal part yellow, also with short black setae. Flagellar segments and club predominantly dark brown with narrow yellow distal rings and with short black setae.

Thorax: Pronotum 1.5x longer than wide, yellow, with four distinct brown bands, the outermost ones narrower. Brown dorsal bands widen towards the rear. Pronotal hairs predominantly short, white, a few dark brown. (Figs. 14a, 15a). Mesonotum—Prescutum predominantly yellow, with distinct dark brown frontal and lateral edges and two dark brown spots at rear. Mesoscutum yellow, with wide shiny brown lateral bands and with indistinct short, narrow line reaching rear edge. Mesoscutellum yellow with two wide dark brown stripes. Conspicuous sparse white bristles on prescutum, otherwise hairless. Metanotum—metaprescutum brown with irregularly shaped yellow central spot. Metascutum predominantly brown with two oval, pale reddish, lateral spots. Metascutellum yellow with two widening, brown lines. Metanotum bare. Sides predominantly brown with yellow edges at intersegmental membrane, and with sparse, short, white hairs.

Legs: Long and slender (Fig. 14c). Fore femur brown dorsally, yellow ventrally with long and short white bristles. Long black femoral sensory hair extending inwards at base of fore femur. Mid femur yellow with brown dots at origin of white bristles, brown dots merge in distal part. Long black sensory hair at base. Hind femur predominantly yellow, with longitudinal brown lateral stripes without sensory hairs. Fore femur slightly shorter than fore tibia. Mid and hind femora as long as mid and hind tibiae. Fore and mid tibiae yellow, dotted brown. Partially brown rings on basi-dorsal sides, brown part next to distal joints on all legs. Mid femur with two rows of stiff black and white dorsal bristles, fore and hind femora with only two rows of stiff black dorsal bristles. Tibial spurs slender, slightly curved at distal ends (Fig. 15d), as long as tarsal segments 1. Tarsal segments yellow basally, dark brown distally. Segment 1 as long as segment 5. Segment 2–4 of equal length, together slightly longer than segment 1 or 5. Claws straight, opposable, somewhat shorter than tibial spurs.

Wings: Forewing (Figs. 12, 17, 20a) with subacute apex and obtuse anal area. Membrane transparent, with larger and smaller, dark brown to brown shading and dots. C yellow with appressed, short dark and pale hairs. Sc yellow, interrupted with brown dashes at costal cross-veins anteriorly, predominantly yellow without brown dashes distally. In costal area, cross-veins simple, some with brown pigmentation at both ends. Cross-veins bifurcate over pterostigma. Pterostigma brown basally, white distally with 5–6 bifurcate cross-veins. R yellow basally, then interrupted with brown dashes at costal cross-veins, thereafter also yellow; final section (in apical part of radial sector) interrupted with brown dashes. 6–7 radial cross-veins before origin of Rs1. Number of radial veins 8–9, veins yellow with brown dashes. Membrane along Sc+R with characteristic longitudinal and dark brown shading. Membrane on both sides of basal cross-vein of hypostigmatic cell with slightly brown pigmentation. Membrane beyond pterostigma with brown pigmentation on both sides of cross-veins. In radial area membrane along gradate veins with dark brown stripe. Mp1 yellow. Base of CuA yellow, then dark brown pigmentation between Mp and CuA. In cubital area, longitudinal veins with yellow with brown dashes. Characteristic dark brown stripe bending to row of gradate veins of Rs. Cup long and yellow. Cup+A1 yellow basally and yellow with brown dashes at intersection of cross-veins distally. A2 and A3 simple (in holotype), yellow with brown distal ends. Ambient veins yellow with medium long fine pale hairs.

Hindwing membrane completely transparent but a little shading beneath junction of Sc+R and in rhegma area. C wholly yellow, Sc yellow and interrupted with brown dashes at costal cross-veins. Pterostigma inconspicuous, white distally with four bifurcate cross-veins.

Markings on R similar to Sc but with more intense brownish coloration. One radial cross-vein before origin of Rs1. Mp1 yellow. Longitudinal veins in radial and cubital area yellow and interrupted with brown dashes at costal cross-veins.

Abdomen: longer than wings at rest. Tergites dark brown with narrow yellow distal ring and with dense covering of short hairs. Indistinct longitudinal and yellow pattern on each tergite segment. Sternites dark brown, with pubescence similar to that on tergites.

Genitalia: Male (Fig. 13a, b) In lateral view, tergite 9 oval, dark brown, with medium long white hairs. Ectoproct elongate, oval with postventral processus of same length as longitudinal diameter of ectoproct plate and with strong black bristles bending inwards and upwards in lateral view. Sternite 9 brown, with dense covering of white bristles in ventral view. Gonarcus wide, arched, with 7–8 rigid black gonasetae, lateral margin strongly curved in ventral view. Tip of mediuncus and parameres obtuse, strongly chitinized in ventral view.

Paratype: Female (Fig. 13c). In lateral view, tergite 9 rhomboid, brown with medium-length white hairs on dorsal side and rather short white ones on lateral side. Sternite 7 brown with rather long white hairs on caudal edge. Ectoproct triangular with small postventral processus and stiff black bristles. Lateral gonapophysis not prominent with stout black setae. Posterior gonapophysis strongly extended with long black hairs. In ventral view, anterior gonapophysis small, densely covered with black hairs.

Distribution: Iran, Turkmenistan.Irano-Turanian species, eastern relative of D.lagopus and D. iranensis (Fig. 6). Etymology: This new species is named in honour of Ulrike and Horst Aspöck, who made significant contributions to Neuropterology in the last sixty years.