First Record of a New Species of Green Lacewings Chrysopa niki n. sp. in Syria

Abstract

Kawas, H. and A. Basheer. 2024. First Record of a New Species of Green Lacewings Chrysopa niki n. sp. in Syria. Arab Journal of Plant Protection, 42(2): 241-244. https://doi.org/10.22268/AJPP-001230 A field survey was conducted in several public and private gardens in Rif Damascus governorate during 2022. Adults of green lacewings (Chrysopidae) were collected as important elements in biological control programs, from pomegranate, Punica granatum L. (Family: Lythraceae), common jasmine, Jasminum officinale L. (Family: Oleaceae) and Viburnum tinus L. (Family: Adoxaceae). Collected insects were examined microscopically and compared with the global classification keys and confirmed the presence of the species Chrysopa niki n. sp. (Neuroptera: Chrysopoidea) for the first time in Syria. A few biological data were studied for adults collected in July 2022 from the same plant hosts mentioned above, placed in containers in breeding cages and fed on sugar solution under laboratory conditions at a temperature of 22- 24˚C and a relative humidity of 60±10%. Insects were medium in size, the body elongated, gray in color, the body length ranged between 10 and 14 mm, wingspan ranged between 20 and 28 mm, the antennae were long and thin (threadlike). Wings were translucent, shiny, emerald bluish, multi-veined. The female laid eggs alone on the lower surface and the edges of the leaves. The eggs were elongated, cylindrical, light green in color that turns to bluish green then to gray before hatching, with a short stalk around 9 mm long. Some newly emerged larvae fed on unhatched eggs. The hatching period ranged from 3 to 5 days. Adults age ranged between 21 and 42 days, the number of eggs laid/female was 32-112 eggs, and the hatching rate ranged between 40 and 80%. Keywords: Chrysopidae, Chrysopa niki n. sp., biological data, Syria