Wing Venation Research Articles

Checklist of Hesperiidae From Tamil Nadu

An updated checklist of the Hesperiidae from Tamil Nadu is presented herein, from an analysis of published data and the hesperiids collected from four districts of Tamil Nadu viz., Coimbatore, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and Theni. Life stages viz., egg, larva, pupa, and adult collected were processed and identifications accomplished with wing venation and genitalia. This led to a total of 50 genera and 120 species under four subfamilies viz., Coeliadinae (10 species), Hesperiinae (66), Pyrginae (22) and unassigned (22). Nearly 15 species were collected during September 2013 to April 2014. Incidence of Erionota torus (Evans) on banana and Hasora chromus (Cramer) on Pongamia sp., were noteworthy.

Functional morphology of tegmina-based stridulation in the relict species Cyphoderris monstrosa (Orthoptera: Ensifera: Prophalangopsidae).

Male grigs, bush crickets and crickets produce mating calls by tegminal stridulation: the scraping together of modified forewings functioning as sound generators. Bush crickets (Tettigoniidae) and crickets (Gryllinae) diverged some 240million years ago, with each lineage developing unique characteristics in wing morphology and the associated mechanics of stridulation. The grigs (Prophalangopsidae), a relict lineage more closely related to bush crickets than to crickets, are believed to retain plesiomorphic features of wing morphology. The wing cells widely involved in sound production, such as the harp and mirror, are comparatively small, poorly delimited and/or partially filled with cross-veins. Such morphology is similarly observed in the earliest stridulating ensiferans, for which stridulatory mechanics remains poorly understood. The grigs, therefore, are of major importance to investigate the early evolutionary stages of tegminal stridulation, a critical innovation in the evolution of the Orthoptera. The aim of this study is to appreciate the degree of specialization on grig forewings, through identification of sound radiating areas and their properties. For well-grounded comparisons, homologies in wing venation (and associated areas) of grigs and bush crickets are re-evaluated. Then, using direct evidence, this study confirms the mirror cell, in association with two other areas (termed 'neck' and 'pre-mirror'), as the acoustic resonator in the grig Cyphoderris monstrosa Despite the use of largely symmetrical resonators, as found in field crickets, analogous features of stridulatory mechanics are observed between C. monstrosa and bush crickets. Both morphology and function in grigs represents transitional stages between unspecialized forewings and derived conditions observed in modern species.

A new triadotypid insect from the Late Triassic of South Africa

Extant odonates (damsel- and dragonflies) represent a small subset of the historical biodiversity of this group. Among their successive stem-groups, the Triadotypomorpha are poorly documented. Herein we describe a new species Reisia rieki from the Molteno Formation (South Africa, Upper Triassic) belonging to this taxon. The comparatively large sample allows a relatively complete description of the wing venation in Triadotypomorpha. We noticed the occurrence of a strongly oblique crossvein located between RA and RP1, a condition documented in some other Pandiscoidalia and which might be of phylogenetic importance. The new species probably inhabited open landscapes and foraged above large water bodies. The documentation of a Gondwanian Triadotypomorpha demonstrates that the group had a worldwide distribution by the Triassic.

Two new genera of big-eyed minute litter bugs (Hemiptera, Schizopteridae, Hypselosomatinae) from Brazil and the Caribbean

Charismatic Hypselosomatinae (currently 14 extant and fossil genera; 72 species), the “big-eyed minute litter bugs”, are characterized among Schizopteridae (Dipsocoromorpha) by the large eyes, four-segmented labium, and distinctive wing venation. A recent molecular phylogenetic analysis confirmed the monophyly of Hypselosomatinae that were recovered as the sister taxon to the Ogeriinae + Schizopterinae (Weirauch and Štys 2014). Hypselosomatinae occur in the Old and New Worlds, but described species diversity is biased towards the Oriental and Australian regions: only three monotypic genera are currently known from the New World (Glyptocombus Heidemann, Ommatides Uhler, and Williamsocoris Carpintero & Dellapé). Based on 28 male, female, and juvenile specimens from Cuba and the Dominican Republic and a single male specimen from Brazil we here describe two new monotypic genera of Hypselosomatinae, Hypselosomops pecki gen. n. and sp. n., and Hypsohapsis takiyae gen. n. and sp. n. We provide habitus images, digital illustrations (light, scanning electron, and/or confocal microscope) of wing and male genitalic structures, line drawings of genitalic structures, and distribution maps. Bizarre morphologies, a worldwide distribution with small endemic species ranges, and a fossil record that dates back to the mid-Cretaceous make the Hypselosomatinae a fascinating group to explore in an effort to understand the evolutionary history of Dipsocoromorpha.

Wing geometry of Phlebotomus stantoni and Sergentomyia hodgsoni from different geographical locations in Thailand

Geographic populations of the two main sandflies genera present in Thailand were studied for species and population identification. Size and shape of Phlebotomus stantoni and Sergentomyia hodgsoni from different island and mainland locations were examined by landmark-based geometric morphometrics. Intraspecific and interspecific wing comparison was carried out based on 12 anatomical landmarks. The wing centroid size of P. stantoni was generally larger than that of S. hodgsoni. Within both species, wings from the continent were significantly larger than those from island populations. Size variation could be significant between geographic locations, but could also overlap between genera. The wing venation geometry showed non-overlapping differences between two species. The within-species variation of geometric shape between different geographical locations was highly significant, but it could not interfere with the interspecies difference. The lack of species overlapping in shape, and the high discrimination between geographic populations, make geometric shape a promising character for future taxonomic and epidemiological studies.

Myrmeleon almohadarum sp. nov., from Spain and North Africa, with description of the larva (Neuroptera Myrmeleontidae).

A new antlion (Neuroptera Myrmeleontidae Myrmeleontini), Myrmeleon almohadarum sp. nov., is described from southern Spain and Tunisia. The new taxon is closely related to the mostly sympatric M. inconspicuus Rambur andM. mariaemathildae Pantaleoni, Cesaroni & Nicoli Aldini but differing in body pattern, wing venation and larval chaetotaxy. The validity of the new species is also supported by a phylogenetic analysis based on COI sequences. The larva of this new species is described and compared with congeners. M. almohadarum appears to be associated with sandy environments.

Phylogeny, classification and divergence times of pygmy leaf‐mining moths (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae): the earliest lepidopteran radiation on Angiosperms?

AbstractNepticulidae represent one of the early diverging Lepidoptera lineages, and the family currently comprises over 850 described species. The larvae of the vast majority of the species are leaf miners on Angiosperms and highly monophagous, which has led to persistent ideas on coevolution with their plant hosts. We present here a molecular phylogeny based on eight gene fragments from 355 species, representing 20 out of 22 extant Nepticulidae genera. Using two fossil calibration points, we performed molecular dating to place the origin of the family in the Early Cretaceous, before the main Angiosperm diversification. Based on our results we propose a new classification, abandoning all ranks between family and genus, as well as subgenera to allow for a stable classification. The position of Enteucha Meyrick within Nepticulidae remains somewhat ambiguous, and the species‐rich cosmopolitan genus Stigmella Schrank, with nearly half of all described Nepticulidae, requires further study. Ectoedemia Busck, Zimmermannia Hering, Acalyptris Meyrick, Etainia Beirne, Parafomoria Borkowski, Muhabbetana Koçak & Kemal and Fomoria Beirne appear to have diversified in a relatively short evolutionary period, leading to short branches in the molecular phylogeny and unclear suprageneric relations. Otherwise support values throughout the phylogeny are mostly high and the species groups, genera and higher clades are discussed in respect of their supporting morphological and life‐history characters. Wing venation characters are confirmed to be mostly reliable and relevant for Nepticulidae classification, but some other previously used characters require reinterpretation. The species groups of most genera are recovered, but only partly so in the large genus Stigmella. The molecular dating results are compared with existing knowledge on the timing of the Angiosperm radiation and reveal that the diversification of Nepticulidae could largely have been contemporaneous with their hosts, although some of the genera restricted to a single plant family appear to have begun to diversify before their hosts.

A new genus of Hemerobiidae (Neuroptera) from Baltic amber, with a critical review of the Cenozoic Megalomus-like taxa and remarks on the wing venation variability of the family.

A new genus and two new species of Hemerobiidae (Neuroptera) are described from the late Eocene Baltic amber, i.e., Proneuronema gradatum gen. et sp. nov. and P. minor gen. et sp. nov. Several Early Eocene species (mostly unnamed) from Europe and North America are also considered to belong to this genus, including Proneuronema wehri (Makarkin et al., 2003), comb. nov. The new genus is probably most closely related to the extant genus Neuronema McLachlan, 1869, and therefore assigned to Drepanepteryginae. A critical review of Cenozoic taxa of the Megalomus-like hemerobiids is provided. Prophlebonema Krüger, 1923 is considered as a new subjective synonym of Drepanepteryx Leach, 1815. Plesiorobius Klimaszewski et Kevan, 1986 from the Late Cretaceous is considered as belonging to Hemerobiidae. It is noted that wing venation variability in species of Hemerobiidae (including these fossils) is high. Some of their venational abnormalities (anomalies) may have phylogenetic implications.

The first Cenozoic roproniid wasp from the Paleocene of Menat, France (Hymenoptera: Proctotrupoidea)

Paleoropronia salamonei gen. et sp. nov., the first Cenozoic Roproniidae, is described from the Paleocene of Menat (Massif Central, France) on the basis of its fore wing venation. The Roproniidae range between the Mesozoic and the present time. P. salamonei gen. et sp. nov. was perhaps a parasitoid on tenthredinid sawfly larvae, as these insects were present in the wasp fauna from Menat outcrop.

The first fossil salmonfly (Insecta: Plecoptera: Pteronarcyidae), back to the Middle Jurassic.

BackgroundThe fossil record of Plecoptera (stoneflies) is considered relatively complete, with stem-groups of each of the three major lineages, viz. Antarctoperlaria, Euholognatha and Systellognatha (and some of their families) represented in the Mesozoic. However, the family Pteronarcyidae (the salmonflies; including two genera, Pteronarcys and Pteronarcella) has no fossil record to date, and the family has been suggested to have diverged recently.ResultsIn this paper, we report on a set of specimens belonging to a new fossil species of stonefly, discovered from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou locality (China). Our comparative analysis of wing venation and body characters demonstrates that the new species belongs to the Pteronarcyidae, and is more closely related to Pteronarcys than to Pteronarcella. However, it differs from all known species of the former genus. It is therefore assigned to a new genus and named Pteroliriope sinitshenkovae gen. et sp. nov. under the traditional nomenclatural procedure. The cladotypic nomenclatural procedure is also employed, with the resulting combination Pteroliriope nec Pteronarcys sinitshenkovae sp. nov. ConclusionsThe first discovery of a fossil member of the Pteronarcyidae demonstrates that the corresponding lineage is not a very recent offshoot but was already present ca. 165 million years ago. This discovery concurs with the view that divergence of most stonefly families took place very early, probably in the Triassic, or even in the Permian. This contribution demonstrates the need for (re-)investigations of the systematics of fossil stoneflies to refine divergence date estimates for Plecoptera lineages.

The wing venation patterns to identify single tsetse flies

This is the first study to explore the potential of various geometric morphometrics methods to help the morphological diagnostic of tsetse species, vectors of human and animal trypanosomiases in sub-Saharan Africa. We compared landmarks, semilandmarks and outlines techniques on male and female samples of species, and suggested adapted strategies according to the countries and their own Glossina fauna. We could compare up to 7 taxa belonging to the three main subgenera of the Glossina genus: Nemorhina (5 species), Glossina (1 species) and Austenina (1 species). Our sample included the major vectors of sleeping sickness: G. palpalis palpalis, G. p. gambiensis, G. fuscipes fuscipes and G. f. quanzensis, as well as two important vectors of African animal trypanosomoses: G. tachinoides and Glossina morsitans submorsitans. The average level of correct species recognition by the wing shape was satisfactory, and slightly higher for females than for males. The best scores of correct assignment, in both sexes, were obtained by the contour technique (96% of correct attribution in females, 92% in males), slightly higher than for semilandmarks (95% and 91%) or landmarks (94% and 89%) techniques. We made our images of wings freely available to be used as reference images (http://mome-clic.com), and we describe the conditions and the analytical steps to be followed to identify unknown specimens using external reference images. Under adequate conditions, such use of reference images obtained from a free access server could help species identification of new samples anywhere in Africa.

Establishment of a new genus for Abraximorpha heringi and A. pieridoides (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Pyrginae: Tagiadini).

A new hesperiid genus, Albiphasma gen. nov., is described with Abraximorpha heringi as the type species. The new genus consists of two species: Al. heringi comb. nov. and Al. pieridoides comb. nov. The genitalia and hair tuft on the hind tibiae suggest that the new genus is related to the genus Pintara rather than the genus Abraximorpha to which the two species have been assigned. The geographic distribution is currently restricted to southern China and Vietnam. The adult, hind leg, wing venation and male genitalia of Al. heringi as well as relevant species are illustrated.

Variable wing venation in Agathiphaga (Lepidoptera: Agathiphagidae) is key to understanding the evolution of basal moths.

Details of the ancestral groundplan of wing venation in moths remain uncertain, despite approximately a century of study. Here, we describe a 3-branched subcostal vein, a 5-branched medial vein and a 2-branched cubitus posterior vein on the forewing of Agathiphaga vitiensis Dumbleton 1952 from Vanuatu. Such veins had not previously been described in any Lepidoptera. Because wing veins are typically lost during lepidopteran evolutionary history, rarely—if ever—to be regained, the venation of A. vitiensis probably represents the ancestral character state for moths. Wing venation is often used to identify fossil insects as moths, because wing scales are not always preserved; the presence of a supposedly trichopteran 3-branched subcostal vein in crown Lepidoptera may decrease the certainty with which certain amphiesmenopteran fossils from the Mesozoic can be classified. And because plesiomorphic veins can influence the development of lepidopteran wing patterns even if not expressed in the adult wing, the veins described here may determine the location of wing pattern elements in many lepidopteran taxa.

A new species of maimetshid wasp (Insecta: Hymenoptera) in Siberian Cretaceous amber

A new fossil wasp belonging to the extinct evaniomorphan family Maimetshidae is described from Santonian amber of Yantardakh, in the Taimyr Peninsula, northern Siberia. Iberomaimetsha pallida sp. nov. is represented by a single female and is distinguished from the other two species of the genus most notably in its wing venation. A modified key to the world Maimetshidae is proposed to include the new species.

The phylogeny of brown lacewings (Neuroptera: Hemerobiidae) reveals multiple reductions in wing venation.

BackgroundThe last time the phylogenetic relationships among members of the family Hemerobiidae were studied quantitatively was over 12 years ago and based exclusively on morphology. Our study builds upon this morphological evidence by adding sequence data from three gene loci to provide a total evidence phylogeny of brown lacewings (Neuroptera: Hemerobiidae). Thirty-seven species representing nineteen Hemerobiidae genera were compared with outgroups from the families Ithonidae, Psychopsidae and Chrysopidae in Bayesian and parsimony analyses using a single nuclear gene (CAD) and two mitochondrial (16S rDNA and Cytochrome Oxidase I) genes. We compare divergence time estimates of Hemerobiidae cladogenesis under the two most commonly used relaxed clock models and discuss the evolution of wing venation in the family.ResultsWe recovered a phylogeny largely incongruent with previously published morphological studies, although all but two subfamilies (i.e., Notiobiellinae and Drepanacrinae) were recovered as monophyletic. We found the subfamily Drepanacrinae paraphyletic with respect to Psychobiellinae, and Notiobiellinae to be polyphyletic. We thus offer a revised concept of Notiobiellinae, comprising only Notiobiella Banks, and erect a new subfamily Zachobiellinae including the remaining genera previously placed in Notiobiellinae. Psychobiellinae is synonymized with Drepanacrinae. Unlike the previous hypothesis that proposed a remarkably laddered topology, our tree suggests that hemerobiids diverged as three main clades. Moreover, in contrast to the vein proliferation hypothesis, we found that hemerobiids have instead undergone multiple reductions in the number of radial veins, this scenario questions the relevance of this character as diagnostic of various subfamiliesConclusionsOur phylogenetic hypothesis and divergence times analysis suggest that extant hemerobiids originated around the end of the Triassic and evolved as three distinct clades that diverged from one another during the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous. Contrary to earlier phylogenetic hypotheses, Carobius Banks (Carobiinae) is sister to the previously unplaced genus Notherobius New in a clade more closely related to Sympherobiinae, Megalominae and Zachobiellinae subfam. nov. The addition of taxa which are not available for DNA sequencing should be the focus of future studies, especially Adelphohemerobius Oswald, which is particularly important to test our inferences regarding the evolution of wing venation in Hemerobiidae.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-016-0746-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Seasonal polyphenism in Eristalis pertinax (Diptera: Syrphidae)

Eristalis pertinax varies seasonally, with the spring morph more hairy than the summer morph. We measured the size and the venation of the wings of the seasonal morphs. Wings of the spring morph were significantly larger than those of the summer morph and those of females were larger than those of males. There were also significant differences between the morphs in wing venation and their allometric relationship. The differences between sexes were larger than differences between seasonal morphs. The allometry can account for the sexual dimorphism but not seasonal dimorphism. The differences between seasonal morphs in wing shape were relatively large with very few intermediate individuals. The differences were comparable to those between two related species of Syrphidae. Genetic analyses based on markers in nuclear and mitochondrial genomes unequivocally revealed that spring and summer morphs of E. pertinax form a single population and should not be regarded as separate taxa. Thus seasonal variability in this species is a rare example of polyphenism in Diptera.

A new crown wasp in Cretaceous amber from Myanmar (Hymenoptera: Stephanidae)

A third species of Cretaceous crown wasps (Euhymenoptera: Stephanoidea) is described and figured from a male preserved in Upper Cretaceous amber from the Hukawng Valley of northern Myanmar. Phoriostephanus exilis Engel and Huang, gen. et sp. nov., is generally plesiomorphic relative to the subfamilies Electrostephaninae and Stephaninae, and shares many features with the relict Schlettereriinae. However, in many respects the fossil is aberrant and therefore classified in its own tribe, Phoriostephanini Engel and Huang, trib. nov., most notably for the more complete wing venation, a generally smooth integument, and the absence of the usually distinctive coronal tubercles.

<p class="Body" align="left"><strong>Discovery of an obligate cave-dwelling caddisfly </strong><strong>(Trichoptera, Polycentropodidae) in Japan</strong></p>

I had a chance to examine polycentropodid caddisfly larvae collected in a cave in Fukui, central Honshu, Japan in 2009. These larvae are unusual in that their heads and pronota are entirely yellow without pigmented muscle scars and their eyes are very small. Surveys from late autumn in 2009 to 2011 in the cave have yielded additional larvae and several adult females. The adult has the usual features of large compound eyes and forewings with white spots on the black ground color. The wing venation is similar to that of Plectrocnemia. The habitat in the cave is described, with particular reference to the evidence of an obligate, troglobite cave-dwelling caddisfly. The larva and adult female are described and illustrated.

Pigritia crocea (Braun, 1918), New Combination (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Blastobasidae), Transferred from Exegetia Braun, 1918, New Synonymy (Yponomeutoidea: Lyonetiidae)

Abstract. Exegetia crocea Braun, 1918, (Yponomeutoidea: Lyonetiidae), type species of Exegetia Braun, 1918, n. syn., is transferred to Pigritia Clemens, 1860 (Gelechioidea: Blastobasidae). Pigritia crocea (Braun, 1918), n. comb., is redescribed, and morphological evidence is provided in support of its new generic and familial assignment. A habitus image of the male holotype and illustrations of the male genitalia and wing venation of a conspecific male are included.

Burmadysagrioninae, a new subfamily (Odonata: Zygoptera: Dysagrionidae) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber

A new subfamily, Burmadysagrioninae Zheng, Wang and Nel, subfam. nov., for the genus and species Burmadysagrion zhangi Zheng, Wang and Nel, gen. et sp. nov. is described from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. This is the third dysagrionid damselfly from the Mesozoic and the second one from Burmese amber. The new specimen has a unique discoidal cell with the anterior and posterior sides not parallel, and the basal side longer than the distal side, unlike the typical ‘sieblosiid-dysagrionine’ type. It differs from other dysagrionid damselflies by the presence of a simple wing venation, the vein IR1 originating below the pterostigma and a special discoidal cell.