Abstract
Two new species of hangingflies, Terrobittacus rostratus sp. nov. and Terrobittacus angustus sp. nov., are described and illustrated from Yunnan, southwestern China, increasing the species number of Terrobittacus Tan & Hua, 2009 to six. Terrobittacus rostratus sp. nov. differs from its congeners by wings devoid of markings and epandrial appendages slightly longer than half the length of the gonocoxites. Terrobittacus angustus sp. nov. can be recognized by wing markings along R5 distally. A key to species of the genus is updated to include the two new species.
Highlights
Bittacidae Handlirsch, 1906, a cosmopolitan family of Mecoptera Packard, 1886, is peculiar for the adults having three pairs of raptorial legs, each with a grasping structure formed by the fourth and fifth tarsomeres (Tan & Hua 2008)
Diagnosis The genus can be recognized by the following characters: 1) wings with one pterostigmal cross-vein; 2) tarsomere IV with one spine on each side; 3) male epandrial appendages distinctly shorter than half the length of the gonocoxites, except for T. rostratus sp. nov. with epandrial appendages slightly longer than half the length of the gonocoxites; aedeagal lobes small and acute; tergum X strongly vestigial dorsally; sex pheromone glands single-lobed; 4) the two halves of the subgenital plate almost fused completely in the female
Hangingflies usually live in the understory of moist, shady woodlands (Fig. 9)
Summary
Bittacidae Handlirsch, 1906, a cosmopolitan family of Mecoptera Packard, 1886, is peculiar for the adults having three pairs of raptorial legs, each with a grasping structure formed by the fourth and fifth tarsomeres (Tan & Hua 2008). They usually use their prehensile tarsi to hang themselves from the edge of leaves or twigs of plants; they are commonly called hangingflies (Byers 2002). Thirty-five species in three genera (Bittacus Latreille, 1805, Bicaubittacus Tan & Hua, 2009 and Terrobittacus Tan & Hua, 2009) have been recorded in China to date (Cheng 1957; Tan & Hua 2009a, 2009b; Chen et al 2013; Du et al 2015)
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