Revision of the southern African genera Nemopterella Banks and Nemia Navás (Neuroptera: Nemopteridae: Nemopterinae), with descriptions of new genera and species
Author
Abdalla, Ishtiag H.
Author
Mansell, Mervyn W.
Author
Sole, Catherine L.
text
Zootaxa
2019
2019-07-12
4635
1
1
89
journal article
26219
10.11646/zootaxa.4635.1.1
de5c3cc9-9773-4e79-aaaf-0e964d7262f8
1175-5326
3335102
E1AC3BD4-6FCB-49F9-8069-624760C2CAF7
Afroptera sabuleti
(
Tjeder, 1967
)
comb. nov.
(
Figs 72
,
90
,
114
,
118
,
153
)
Synonymy
Nemopterella sabuleti
Tjeder, 1967: 474
.
Etymology
. Unknown, but most likely to have been derived from the Latin word
sabulet
(sandy, sandstone, smoothed) referring to the sandy habitat from which the species was collected.
Type
locality.
South Africa
,
Northern Cape Province
.
Richtersveld
,
Brakfontein
,
28°56’S
17°06’E
.
Type
depository.
TMSA
.
Diagnosis.
This species is very similar to
A. munroi
and
A. nigrosetosa
. It can be separated from
A. munroi
by the following combination of characters:
A. sabuleti
has distinct brown thoracic stripes, while in
A. munroi
the thoracic stripes are faint, also the hairs on the prescutum disc of
A. sabuleti
are black, while in
A. munroi
they are white.
Afroptera sabuleti
is further characterised by the distinct yellow body colour, while in
A. munroi
the colour is less pronounced.
Afroptera sabuleti
also has slender, less acute forewings and smaller eyes. Comparisons between
A. sabuleti
and
A. nigrosetosa
are provided under the diagnosis of
A. nigrosetosa
.
Size
(mm). Male: body length 10.4 (10–10.7); forewing 23.2 (22.9–23.4); hind wing: 54 (49.6–56); antenna 20.4 (19.2–21.6); Female: body length 10.9 (10.7–11); forewing 20.3 (19.7–24); hind wing 46 (43.2–54); antenna 11.3 (11–11.5). (N = 4).
Type material examined.
SOUTH AFRICA
,
Northern Cape Province
.
Holotype
♂
(
Fig. 114
),
TMSA00728
,
HOLOTYPE
Neu
060,
Nemopterella sabuleti
Tjeder
(red printed label) /
Brakfontein
,
Richtersveld
[
28°56’S
17°06’E
],
20.X.1933
,
G.van Son
(white handwritten label)
/
Holotypus
♂
,
Nemopterella sabuleti
Tjed., Bo Tjeder 1966
(red handwritten label).
Paratype
:
1♀
, same data as holotype. (
Both
TMSA
)
.
Other material examined
.
SOUTH AFRICA
,
Northern Cape Province
.
1♂
1♀
,
TMSA00770
,
Richtersveld
,
Eksteinfontein Valley
, [
28°50’S
17°15’E
],
28.ix.1991
,
M.Krüger
;
1♂
1♀
, Richtersveld, Brakfontein [
28°56’S
17°06’E
],
20.x.1933
,
G.van Son.
(All
TMSA
)
.
Distribution and habitat.
This species is limited to a small range of distribution within the Succulent Karoo Biome in the
Northern Cape Province
(
Fig. 153
). The known distribution falls mainly within the Lekkersing Succulent Shrubland in the Richtersveld Bioregion (
Mucina & Rutherford 2006
). This habitat is dominated by dwarf leaf-succulents, small trees, herbaceous climbers and geophytic herbs. The area receives predominantly winter rains with an average of
60–120 mm
per year (
Mucina & Rutherford 2006
).