Review of Subfamily Palparinae ( Neuroptera : Myrmeleontidae ) from Egypt

Citation: Egypt. Acad. J. Biolog. Sci. (A. Entomology) Vol. 12(2) pp: 8597 (2019) Egyptian Academic Journal of Biological Sciences is the official English language journal of the Egyptian Society for Biological Sciences, Department of Entomology, Faculty of Sciences Ain Shams University. Entomology Journal publishes original research papers and reviews from any entomological discipline or from directly allied fields in ecology, behavioral biology, physiology, biochemistry, development, genetics, systematics, morphology, evolution, control of insects, arachnids, and general entomology. www.eajbs.eg.net Provided for non-commercial research and education use. Not for reproduction, distribution or commercial use.


INTRODUCTION
Family Myrmeleontidae (antlions) are the most species-rich family of the order Neuroptera, including 2000 species distributed in all tropical and temperate regions of the world (Oswald, 2018).In the Palaearctic region, 213 species are recorded (Aspöck et al. 2001).This group comprises small to large, slender and soft-bodied insects having variable wing patterns (Chandra et al., 2014).
Family Myrmeleontidae suffered from many taxonomic changes since 1899.As a final point Michel et al. (2017) classified this family into four subfamilies: Acanthaclisinae, Myrmeleoninae, Palparinae and Stelpopteryginae according to a molecular dataset based on seven mitochondrial and nuclear gene markers.The first three subfamilies are represented in the Egyptian fauna.
The subfamily Palparinae constitutes the largest and most decorative species with darkly spotted wings.This subfamily is characterized by the following characters: fore wing with long posterior cubital vein reach to the margin of the wing and branched, 1 st anal vein and posterior cubital vein not connected; hind wing with three anal veins and pronotum shorter than wide apart from some exceptions (Ábrahám, 2012).
From the above, it is clear that the taxonomic position of subfamily Palparinae in Egypt has not been revised since Navás (1926).So the present work intended to revise and elucidate the taxonomic status of subfamily Palparinae in the Egyptian fauna.
-Hind wing with median band reached near the inner margin; abdomen without dark stripes (Fig. 3i Length: ♂ body 43 mm.♀ body 50 mm.Fore wing 44-46 mm.Hind wing 43-45 mm.Antennal base provided with long and heavily black and white bristles; wings broad with distinct and yellowish pterostigma, fore wing with numerous small brown spots distributed in all wing, bands in fore wing not reached the margin; hind wing with small band on the cubital fork, median and stigmal bands separated, median band not reached the inner margin of the wing; the 2 nd anal vein in hind wing simple, not branched, with slightly oblique cross vein reached to 1 st one; fore tibial spurs as long as the two basal tarsal segments and shorter than the two basal tarsal segments in hind leg; abdomen brown in color, shorter than each wing, the 1 st three abdominal segments clothed by long whitish bristles and hairs; male ectoproct short 4 mm long.

Diagnosis:
The 3 rd anal vein of fore wing with 3 branches and 4 cross veins; hind wing moderately narrow , with 4 spots along costal margin and two spots on submarginal area, apex of it with small band, 2 nd anal vein of hind wing provided with one oblique cross vein reached to 1 st one and two cross veins to 3 rd anal vein, stigmal and median band of hind wing separated, median band of it reached near the inner margin, with large band on the cubital fork; all legs black in color; Abdomen dark in color.
Local distribution: unknown World Distribution: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria.Remarks: the status of this species in Egypt is unconfirmed.It is not represented in the Egyptian collections.Klapálek (1912) reported it as Palpares martini from Egypt (Ábrahám, 2017).Also, it was mentioned by Hölzel, 1982

Diagnosis:
Length: ♂ body 77 mm.♀ body 67 mm.Fore wing 70 mm.Hind wing 66 mm.Antennae with black setae at base; fore and hind wings long, pterostigma indistinct; hind wing with large band on the cubital fork; The pattern of speckling of wings varied; spots in female wings more extensive than in those of males, coxae of all legs clothed by long heavily whitish bristles and hairs; femora, tibia and tarsi are subequal in length, fore tibial spurs length equal to the two basal tarsal segments and shorter in hind leg; abdomen brown, segments 1-5 in male densely covered with long hairs, segments 1-3 in female abdomen covered with few bristles; male ectoproct shorter than segment 8. Type locality: Egypt: Bani Suif Local Distribution: Upper and Lower Egypt and Gabal Elba.World Distribution: Algeria, Afghanistan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan.Specimen examined: Kerdasa 25.7.1924(1), Mansoriah 4.8.1931(2) (MAC).Kerdasa 8.1914

Diagnosis:
Length: ♂ body 63 mm.♀ body 50 mm.Fore wing 57-62 mm.Hind wing 55-59 mm.Antennae with long black setae at base; wings wide, pterostigma distinct and yellowish; fore wing with small dots and few bands; hind wing with large and numerous bands, stigmal band of hind wing branched; femora of all legs slightly longer than tibiae, tibiae as long as tarsi, fore tibial spurs as long as the two basal tarsal segments and shorter than two basal tarsal segments in hind leg; abdominal segments 1-3 heavily clothed by long whitish hairs; male ectoproct very long.

Diagnosis:
Length: ♀ body 41 mm.Fore wing 55 mm.Hind wing 53 mm.Body yellow, vertex with distinct brown strip; antennae with heavily and distinctly long black setae and bristles at base; wings very broad and long; fore wing much spotted with numerous small spots, submarginal area of hind wing spotted, 2 nd anal vein simple with an oblique cross vein reached to 1 st one; tibiae of all legs slightly shorter than femora and as long as tarsi; femora and tibiae pale brown in color, tarsi dark brown; fore tibial spurs as long as or longer than the two basal tarsal segments and shorter in hind leg; abdomen yellow in color, each segment with a broad black transverse band, with interrupted longitudinal strip dorsally; male ectoproct longer than length of 7 & 8 abdominal segment together.

Diagnosis:
Body yellow in color; antennae with heavily and long bristles at base; wings wide and short, pterostigma distinct and yellowish, fore wing with numerous small brown spots distributed in all wing, 3 rd anal vein in fore wing very short and curved, hind wing with numerous small spots a submarginal area, 2 nd anal vein simple, not branched, with an oblique cross vein reached to 1 st anal vein; abdomen yellowish above and with 3 more or less distinct black longitudinal stripes dorsally and black or blackish brown ventrally; male ectoproct longer than length of 7 & 8 abdominal segment together.Local Distribution: Coastal Strip.World Distribution: Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Spain, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia.Specimen examined: Salloum 11.6.1916(1) (MAC).III-Genus: Parapalpares Insom & Carfí, 1988 Type species: P. latipennis Rambur, 1842.7-Parapalpares dispar (Navás, 1912)

Diagnosis:
Length: ♂ body 70 mm.♀ body 57 mm.Fore wing 46-50 mm.Hind wing 44-47 mm.Antennal base bare; wings narrow, pterostigma distinct and yellowish, fore wing with 3 rd anal vein branched; hind wing with 2 nd anal vein simple provided with 3 cross veins, hind wing with a small band on the cubitus fork and with dark band at its apex; femora, tibiae and tarsi of all legs subequal in length, tibial spurs of fore leg longer than the two basal

DISCUSSION
Generally, the tribe Palparini is in need a comprehensive taxonomic work worldwide to can stand of the status of the genera and species.Insom & Carfì (1988) divided genus Palpares into several genera, but their work cannot be regarded as a comprehensive revision of the genus due to the low number of species examined (Mansell, 1992).Also in their key, they used the shape of distal palpomere of labium with genitalia to differentiate between different genera, but due to the variation in the shape of distal palpomere and associated palpimacula character in the species of the same genus, the application of this character is accepted only at species level.
El-Hamouly & Fadl (2011) presented an annotated checklist of the order Neuroptera in Egypt and mentioned Goniocercus walkeri to be distributed in Egypt depending on two specimens collected from Qena (1993) & Red Sea (1994) and deposited in ASUC.But through the examination of these specimens it was appear to follow Parapalpares solidus not Goniocercus walkeri.This identification is also confirmed by Dr. Levente Ábrahám (personal communication), so this species (Goniocercus walkeri) is not represented in the Egyptian fauna.Also, in their list El-Hamouly & Fadl (2011) mentioned Parapalpares solidus among the Egyptian species but not referring to that it is recorded for the first time.
In our study, we confirmed that this species is a new record from the Egyptian fauna and represented by four specimens collected from Aswan, Qena and Red sea as mentioned in the material examined.

Figure 1 :
Figure 1: Map of local distribution of Palparin species.
Banks 1913. of Saudi Arabian species as distributed in Egypt.The diagnostic characters are according toBanks 1913.