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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 38(6)

The Asian rock-dwelling antlions Gatzara Navás, 1915 and Nepsalus Navás, 1914 (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae): new advancements in systematics, biogeography and life history

Yuchen Zheng https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2397-2008 A , Yuezheng Tu https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5825-3391 A , Zuqi Mai https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3124-2021 B C , Davide Badano https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9715-3107 D * and Xingyue Liu https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9168-0659 A *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, PR China.

B Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, CZ-165 00 Prague‑Suchdol, Czechia.

C School of Agriculture, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China.

D Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro 2, I-53100 Siena, Italy.

* Correspondence to: davide.badano@unisi.it, xingyue_liu@yahoo.com

Handling Editor: Andy Austin

Invertebrate Systematics 38, IS24010 https://doi.org/10.1071/IS24010
Submitted: 24 January 2024  Accepted: 14 May 2024  Published: 19 June 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing.

Abstract

The antlion genera Gatzara and Nepsalus (Myrmeleontidae: Dendroleontinae) inhabit mountain forests and are characterised by camouflaging larvae. Both genera remain poorly known despite recent findings on systematics and distribution. We report the discovery of new specimens and the previously unknown larvae of the rare species Gatzara jubilaea Navás, 1915, Nepsalus insolitus (Walker, 1860) and N. decorosus (Yang, 1988). These provide new evidence regarding the affinities of these species, and updated knowledge of the distribution, larval morphology and biology. Moreover, a new species of Nepsalus, N. maclachlani Badano, Zheng & Liu, sp. nov. is described from Sri Lanka based on historical museum collections. The discovery of the immature stages of Gatzara shows that the larvae of this genus share the same specialised ecological characteristics and habits as those of Nepsalus but are less morphologically derived. We also reconstruct a molecular phylogeny of this lineage, estimating the divergence time and biogeographical history by adding the new samples. The evolution of the Gatzara + Nepsalus lineage is associated with two major mountain ranges on the southern Tibetan Plateau, i.e. the Himalayas and the Hengduan Mountains.

ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:68E68211-DFC1-4D98-997B-8A23BA8F9B69

Keywords: Himalayas, historical biogeography, lacewing, larval morphology, oriental, palaearctic, phylogeny, taxonomy.

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