NEW DATA ON THE DUSTY WINGS FROM AFRICA AND EUROPE ( INSECTA , NEUROPTERA , CONIOPTERYGIDAE

New data on the biology, distribution and sometimes morphology of 43 Palaearctic and Afro-tropical dusty wings species are given. A great variability margin in the presenceabsence and extension of scale like hairs in male antennae of some species of subgenus Xeroconiopteryx has been detected and such character (very frequently used) is proposed to be rejected as a definitive taxonomical character to differentiate problematic species of this subgenus with very similar male genitalia. On the contrary, vertex sedation and structures (figured for some different species) seem to be a very good character to be taking into account. Coniocompsa silvestriana Enderlein, 1914 = (Coniocompsa smithersi Meinander, 1972) n. syn. and Parasemidalis alluaudina (Navás, 1912) = (Semidalis alluaudina Navás, 1912 = Parasemidalis fusca Meinander, 1963) n. syn. are proposed as new synonymies. Helicoconis canariensis n. sp. and Coniopteryx canariensis n. sp. from Canary Islands and Semidalis pallidicornis n. sp. from Uganda are described as new species.


Introduction
The family Coniopterygidae is one of the most interesting one within the order Neuroptera due to its wide (almost cosmopolitan) geographical distribution, its high number of species and individuals of which its populations usually consist, and in particular because of its importance in the control of small phytophagous pests.
It is obvious that the best known fauna is the European (Aspöck et al., 1980), followed by the western Palaearctic, Afro-tropical and remaining Regions.Ever since the article of Monserrat (1995), where an up date of the knowledge and relationship between West Palaearctic and Afro-tropical coniopterygid fauna was indicated, the number of published papers on the coniopterygid fauna of the West Palaearctic has grown (Aspöck et al., 2001) but only a few articles have been published on the Afro-tropical fauna: Meinander (1998a, b), Sziráki (1994), Sziráki & Greve (1996), Monserrat (1998), Ohm & Hölzel (1997, 1998, 1999).Many biogeographical interesting aspects on the relationships among Palaearctic, Afro-tropical and Oriental coniopterygid fauna have been reported by Aspöck & Hölzel (1996), Monserrat (1996), Meinander (1996), Sziráki (1998) and Hölzel (1998).All these papers have contributed with new data on the biology, taxonomy, morphology, variability, distribution and biogeography of many species, but in most of species the level of knowledge is still very limited and not very satisfactory, the degree of intra-specific variability is still underestimated (Aspöck & Hölzel, 1996;Meinander, 1996), and new species are found, even in well sampled territories, as now it is demonstrated from Canary Islands.In this current publication, we are attempting to contribute new data on taxonomy, geographical distribution, biology, morphology or variability of some species of this family.

Materials and methods
Material from many collections and institutions has been studied, and to indicate where this material is located and to which institution it belongs to, the following abbreviations are used: For each species a general previous geographic distribution and known plants substrate are noted.For the enumeration of the studied material, the contributed data are recorded alphabetically and chronologically with the following order: country, state, county, province or islands, location of the capture, date of the capture, number of mm and of ff studied, the collector and institution to which the material belongs to abbreviations mentioned above.While listing the material studied, an asterisk (*) is used to indicate the countries where some of the included species where previously unknown, and with male symbol (m), a female symbol (f) and (h) denotes those specimens (m*, f*) chosen to serve for figures of male genitalia, female genitalia or head morphology respectively.
The terminology used for the venation and male and female genitalia of the different species studied is that which is used for this family by Meinander (1972Meinander ( , 1990)).

Aleuropteryx minuta
We fully agree with the arguments given by Meinander (1998b) and consider both species definitively synonymous.
These specimens have highly variable wing pigmentation; from individuals with almost clear wings to specimens with strongly dark spotted wings.Their peritrophic membranes had abundant and highly macerated remains of arthropods, particularly: insects, pollen grains and fungal spores and sporangia.
DESCRIPTION: The general aspect of the body is very long compared to the winged species as an adaptation to walk.It is brown caramel colour with a darker head, except for the forehead, the vertex and the middle zone of the clypeus that are very pale because of being very weakly sclerotized.The eyes are very small in relation to the winged species.The maxillary and labial palpi are pale brown, and very long especially in the m.The antennae are uniformly brown in the m, and progressively darken in the f, where the five ultimate segments are dark    brown.The scape is sub cylindrical, curved outwards and one and a half times as long as it is wide in the m.It is shorter in the f.The pedicel is cylindrical, somehow longer than wider in the m, and shorter and fusiform in the f.The flagelomera in the mm are one and a half times longer than wide, the most distal ones being somehow shorter.And in the f they are only slightly longer than wide.In the mm there are 30 in number, and 24 in the f.
The thorax is very elongate, the prothorax being longer than the pterothorax, causing a marked separation of the first pair of legs from the rest, especially in the m.The legs are brown, and slightly darker than the thorax.In the f the tip of the tibias is darker.The legs are a lot more elongate compared to the well-winged species, especially in the m.
The coxes of the first pair of legs are very elongate, in the m in particular.The forewings of the male are elongate, proportionately hairy and have rudimentary venation in which only a few veins can be made out (Fig. 1).The hind wings are reduced to a scale-form membrane (Fig. 1).In the f the forewings are even more reduced (Fig. 2) and the hind wings have disappeared.
The abdomen is sub cylindrical in the m, and globular in the f.In the male genitalia (Fig. 3-9) the 9 th segment is weakly sclerotized.The ventral processes of the 9 th sternite are digit-form and are covered with abundant setae.The ectoproct is ovoid from the lateral view, with a more sclerotized anterior margin, especially in the ventral region where it forms a narrow bridge embedded in the 9 th segment and which is fused with the hypandrium in the middle zone (Fig. 3).The ventral process of the ectoproct is large, sub conical, and slightly arched towards the midline (Fig. 4).The styli are short, straight from the lateral view and curved towards the inside, bifurcated at the end, with a sharp dorsal branch and the other ventral one flat and obtuse (Fig. 3, 4, 9).The hypandrium is triangular in lateral view and semicircular in ventral, has a line of long setae (Fig. 4).The parameres are slightly sinuous in lateral view; their caudal end curves upward and outward and has an inferior tooth (Fig. 5, 6).The penis is short, wide and progressively thins out towards its end in lateral view and subtly from the dorsal view (Fig. 7, 8).The f has a bursa copulatrix that is curved from the lateral view, similar to that which is described in other species.
DISCUSSION: There are several apterous and brachypterous species described in this genus: H. aptera Messner, 1965of Bulgaria, Turkey and Turkmenistan, H. hirtinervis Tjeder, 1960from Europe and Turkey, H. maroccana (Carpentier & Lestage, 1928) from Morocco or H. salti Kimmins, 1950 from Uganda.H. canariensis n.sp.seems closer to H. maroccana, but its wings and venation are a lot more reduced.The flagellum of its antennae has more segments (30 instead of to 25), the penis is a lot less fused interiorly and the styli are clearly bifurcated (Carpentier & Lestage, 1928, Ohm, 1965, Meinander, 1972).Judging from the male genitals, it seems to be also close to H. algirica Meinander, 1976 from Algeria and H. panticosa (Ohm, 1965) which is known from Spain and Turkey, but they are well winged species and in its male genitalia the penis narrows abruptly from the lateral view and the parameres do not have the ventral tooth (Ohm, 1965, Meinander, 1972, 1976).
Regarding to the biology of this new species the date of the collection of the specimens (X-XI) stands out as interesting.They were collected on the grass at 230 m and in the coolest zones of Las Cañadas at 1,960 m with window and drop traps, and where the vegetation was predominantly composed of brooms and other associated plants (Chamaecytisus proliferus, Cistus osbaeckifolius, Spartocytisus supranubius, and Adenocarpus viscosus, Juniperus cedrus, Ferula linkii, Nepeta teydea).

Coniopteryginae Burmeister, 1839 Coniopterygini Burmeister, 1839
Nimboa albizziae Kimmins, 1952 Species known from Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and South Africa, sometime recorded on Albizzia.The specimens which are cited agree with that which is noted by Monserrat (1998) and significantly enlarge its geographic distribution.MALI*: Bandiagara, 22.VII.19972mm.Douna, Zinzana, 16.VII.19972mm, 1f. Soke, E. of Bla, 16.VII.1997 2mm, 1f, all collected on Dicrostochys glomerata by V.J. Monserrat (VM).Aspöck & Aspöck, 1965 A species known of dry areas from Egypt, Sudan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabian and Spain (Canary Islands, Tenerife).This conflictive and variable species was proposed by Monserrat (1995) as prior synonymy of Nimboa vartianorum Aspöck & Aspöck, 1965 recorded from Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Iran.The current new recorded specimens from Crete come into the known variability of this species, and probably belong to the not described and probably new species recorded from Rhodes by Aspöck et al. (1980: 317).Monserrat, 1985 Species known from Morocco and South Africa, and sometime recorded on Phoenix.The specimens now cited agree with the description of the species and with the recorded specimens from Kruger National Park in South Africa (Monserrat, 1985(Monserrat, , 1995)).Recently Meinander (1998b) describes the species: N. manselli from this same National Park, without referring to the species which we now refer to, and with which it is most likely synonymous.Tjeder, 1957 Species known from South Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Tanzania, and Aldabra Island.Recorded on Acacia.

Coniopteryx (Xeroconiopteryx) stuckenbergi
UGANDA*: Masindi, N Sonso, Budongo Forest, 1º 45'N 31º 35 'E, 1.200 m, 19-30.VI.1995Meinander (1981) makes an excellent contribution to clarify it, and makes 10 groups species for the 41 species of such subgenus.Later Meinander (1990) lists 48 species, and many other have recently been described, specially in the now studied area (Sziráki, 1994, 1997, Monserrat, 1995, 1996, 1998, Sziráki & Greve, 1996, Meinander, 1998a, b).In many cases some of these descriptions are based on the very little amount of specimens, and without a real difference with other older, and sometime very variable species, or with very few differences between one species and other.One of the morphological characters more used for these authors is the presence-absence and distribution of scale like hairs in male antennae in order to differentiate new species, and one from each other.We consider that such character is very difficult to see in many individuals (not enough sclerotized), and we have detected a large variability in this character in some species.So, in some of the now studied male specimens of Coniopteryx stuckenbergi the scale like hairs cover almost the pedicel (Fig. 20) and not only its apex as Meinander (1972) reports (see also Coniopteryx atlasensis and Coniopteryx perisi), and we propose that such character must be rejected as a final and valuable taxonomical character to differentiate some of the most problematic species of this subgenus with a very similar male genitalia, and probably a lot of new synonymies will be proposed.
On the other hand, vertex sedation and structures seem to be very good characters to be taking into account.Vertex morphology has not only been used to describe many new species in different coniopterygids genera as Neosemidalis, Semidalis or Heteroconis, but also in Coniopteryx, and specially in its subgenus Xeroconiopteryx (Meinander, 1972, 1975a, b, 1983, 1990, 1998b, Monserrat, 1976, 1995, 1989, Sziráki, 1997, etc.) but only conspicuous structures have been normally described, however chaetotaxia of vertex and other micro-structures must be appreciated as a good character to differentiate some species as it is sowed in figures 10-17, and surely will be a new field to next taxonomical studies.Meinander, 1963 Recorded from Southern limits of west Palaearctic: Europe (Iberian Peninsula, Crete), Morocco, Canary Islands (Fuerteventura, La Palma), Turkey, and Central Asia (Afghanistan, Iran, Tadshikistan, Kazakhstan, Aserbeidshan).Associated to dry and warm Mediterranean habitats.In Europe imagos mostly collected at light, and sometimes also found on Pinus halepensis, Quercus rotundifolia, Ceratonia siliqua and Tamarix gallica, Juniperus thurifera, Populus nigra, Quercus coccifera, Q. faginea, Ulmus minor, Pistacea lentiscus and Olea europea.In Africa and Asia were found on Tamarix, Juniperus, Pinus, Quercus, Tetraclinis, Olea and Ceratonia.Probably, this species lives in low vegetation.

Coniopteryx (Xeroconiopteryx) atlasensis
Male pedicel of some studied specimens has not scale like hairs, and typical form of the basal anten-  14).Probably new studies will bring us new descriptions of new species, in these cases when a larger number of specimens will be collected and studied.

Coniopteryx (Xeroconiopteryx) perisi
As it was mentioned, the presence-absence of scale like hairs in the male scapus is a very variable character.The recorded specimen has pedicel size, vertex and male genitalia characteristics of this species, but pedicel is cover with a lot of scale like hairs (Fig. 12, 19) never observed in other specimens (Monserrat, 1976, Aspöck et al., 1980).SPAIN: Zaragoza, Pina de Ebro, 20.IX.1993 1m* (h), 1f at light in a wood of Juniperus thurifera, J. Blasco (VM).Monserrat, 1989 Species known from Equatorial Guinea, and recorded on Elaeis guineensis, Poga oleosa and Theobroma cacao.The females currently assigned to this species do not have the lateral gonapophyses fused which is characteristic of the subgenus and which has already been mentioned by Monserrat (1989).Its pedicel is longer than the scape, a fact that is rather peculiar.

Coniopteryx (Xeroconiopteryx) canariensis
n. sp.DIAGNOSIS: A dark winged species with a triangle hole in male vertex covered with two setae formations and with a bristle of long setae on the middle anterior margin (Fig. 13).Antennae in males without scale like hairs, and scapus with a strong knob in the inner anterior angle (Fig. 21).
Parasemidalis alluaudina (Navás, 1912) This species was considered to be endemic to Las Cañadas in Tenerife (Ohm 1963), even it was later cited from other localities including Gran Canaria and La Palma Islands.
The differences between this species and other Canary Island species of this genus (P.fusca Meinander, 1963 described from Morocco, and later recorded from Gran Canaria and Tenerife) in particular, are very slight.Meinander (1963Meinander ( , 1972) ) and Ohm (1963) cite some characteristics of little taxonomic value as distinguishing.For example they noted differences in the wing-span, (the length of P. alluaudina fore-wings being generally greater than 3.50 mm, and those of P. fusca generally less than 3.50 mm); the coloration of the wing membrane-greyish in P. alluaudina and dark brown, almost black in P. fusca.They also cited differences in the number of antennal segments (41-48) in P. alluaudina, (42-46) in P. fusca, as well as differences in the male genitalia such as the relation of the length of the style to that of the base of the gonarcus and the presence or absence of the caudal expansion of the hypandrium.
Through examination of abundant material collected in Las Cañadas we can conclude that none of these distinguishing characters are valid.The length of the fore wings in P. alluaudina is highly variable in males as well as in females.And so we find in the cited bibliography (3.10-4.70 mm) and in the data currently noted over 15 specimens whose fore wing measurements in males are: 3. 85, 4.05, 4.35, 4.60 mm and in females: 2.90, 2.95, 3.10, 3.20, 3.25, 3.65, 3.65, 3.80, 3.80, 3.90, 3.90 mm, thus overlapping data from P. alluaudina which was cited as differential with P. fusca (2.90-3.50mm) rendering it is no longer valid.The species currently examined have an enormous variability in the wing pigmentation, with pale specimens, pale ones with the venation highlighted with brown, brown ones with a stripe between SR and M, brown ones with a stripe between SR and M and another between M and CU, uniformly brown ones, and dark brown, almost black ones.This character does not seem valid either for separation of the two species.It is known that melanism is a character which appears as an adaptation to altitude and for this reason tends to be more pronounced in specimens which population lives in more elevated environments resulting in great variability.However, among the specimens collected in Las Cañadas, and in addition to the cited general variability, there is a tendency for the males to be almost always paler than the females which perhaps points out to the connection with the colour and the age of a specimen.Females are more long-lived and achieve a more apparent melanism, which involves a wide gamut of intermediate melanic phases.We conclude that this character is not valid either for differentiating the two species.
The number of antennal segments is a rather inconsistent character in this genus and its overlapping between the two species renders it insignificant in this case.The male specimens now studied had 45, 47, 49, 50 segments in the flagellum, and the females -38, 39, 40, 40, 41, 41, 41, 41, 42, 42, 42 which makes its variability even greater.Finally the variability that was observed in the length of the style of these specimens in respect to the gonarcus is very greatly, and the caudal process of the hypandrium is slightly dilated in some of the currently studied specimens, as is mentioned for P. fusca.In light of all the above, a new synonymy which was already suspected by Monserrat & Díaz-Aranda (1990) Klingstedt (1936) as P. fuscipennis (Reuter, 1894) from Tenerife (Las Cañadas) belong to this species.P. fuscipennis should be discarded from Canary fauna (Ohm, 1963, Meinander, 1965, 1972), and the female cited by Meinander (1965) from: Lanzarote, Ayiza was assigned to P. similis Ohm, 1986when Ohm (1986) described it.SPAIN: Canary Islands, Tenerife, Las Cañadas, 30.VI.19951f, 1f A. Camacho, V.19964mm, 24ff, VI.19964mm, 7ff, VII.19965mm, 3ff, VIII.19961m, X.1996 1f P. Oromí, N. Zurita, M. Arechavaleta and A. Camacho (DZUL, VM), Parador del Teide (2,000 m) 15.VII.19661m K.Guichard & P.Ward (VM).This material seems to favour monovoltine character in this species and the probability that the females hibernate.Conwentziini Enderlein, 1905 Hemisemidalis pallida (Withycombe, 1924) Species known from xeric Southern limits of West Palaearctic, from Mongolia to Morocco.Associated to dry areas, usually recorded on desert plants and xerophiles threes of Mediterranean A species known from Southern of Europe, Morocco, Algeria and Central and East of North America.Associated to thermic and dry (but not desertic or sub-desertic) areas with Mediterranean climatic conditions, and collected on a wide range of trees without any special marked preference (Juniperus, Castanea, sclerophilous Quercus spp., Pistacea, Tamarix, Ceratonia, Olea, Mirtus, Acer, Citrus, etc.), probably living also / or on low vegetation.

Specimens cited by
SPAIN: Gerona, Rosas, Cala Murtra, 11.VIII.20011f on Quercus coccifera, V.J. Monserrat (VM).Enderlein, 1906 Species known from Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa of unknown Biology, whose variability has lead out to several synonymies and doubts in respect to the validity of the species later described (Meinander, 1990(Meinander, , 1998)).The specimens now cited have parameres identical to that cited by Meinander (1990); nevertheless, the caudal process on the posterior margin of the hypandrium is not truncated, but rather bifurcated, a fact that enlarges the known variability of this species (Meinander, 1998b).

Semidalis africana
UGANDA*: Masindi, Sonso, Budongo Forest, 1º 45'N 31º 35 'E, 1.200 m, 19-30.VI.1995 2mm T. Wagner (VM), on Cynometra alexandri (VM).Enderlein, 1906 Species known from Angola, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Tanzania of unknown biology.The mm specimens now studied have a different grade of sclerification in the dorsal membranous zone of the paramera, making it seems as if a slight tooth with a different angle of inclination in respect to the caudal tooth exists.This character does not seem sufficient to uphold the validity of other close species as S. africana Enderlein, 1906 making very difficult their separation, and in particular S. deemingi Meinander, 1975, described   ra which are yellowish and pale.Male genitalia with a triangular formation in the caudal margin of the hypandrium (Fig. 24, 26) associated with a well differentiated and sclerotized penis (Fig. 25, 26), and with robust parameres which have a dorsal tooth (Fig. 27,28).

Semidalis fuelleborni
DESCRIPTION: Head with a elongate vertex with a triangular formation with many microtrichia (Fig. 22, 23), the frontal area is not sclerotized, protruding interiorly from the cephalic capsule (Fig. 22, 23).The scapus is inserted in this membranous zone and only joined to the cephalic capsule by a narrow lateral-extreme line of contact which is normally sclerotized (Fig. 22, 23).The scape is somehow longer than wider, sub-cylindrical in dorsal view, fusiform in lateral view.The pedicel is fusiform, and with almost double the length compared to the width.The flagelomera are 28-29 in number, the most basal ones being square and slightly more elongate than the more distal ones; they have two rings of setae.The antennae are dark brown and the 5-6 last flagelomera are pale yellowish.The labial and maxillary palpi are normal.
Wings with brown membrane, lighter around the margin and on both sides of the venation, especially on M and between CU 2 -A 1 .The length of the fore wings is 3.00-3.25mm, the length of the hind wings -2.35-2.40mm.
The male genitalia with an ectoproct that bears caudal processes which are sub triangular in lateral view, and digit-form in ventral view .They posses a wide internal process by way of incipient style (Fig. 26) and an anterior complete apodeme (Fig. 24).The hypandrium is relatively slender, semicircular.Its caudal margin elongates into a middle highly sclerotized sub triangular process which sharpens laterally and which serves as a base for the penis (Fig. [24][25][26]29).The parameres are globose and robust, their inner margin is sub parallel with a caudal process which is curved upward, and a dorsal tooth (Fig. 27,28).Uncini are absent.The penis is situated between the parameres, it is robust, sinuous and bears a conical anterior apodeme (Fig. [24][25][26]29).Above the parameres, there is a double sclerite, probably the remains of the Xth sternite.It is well sclerotized, pigmented (Fig. 26) and heart-shaped in dorsal view.
The f is unknown at the moment.Along with the cited males, numerous ff of the genus Semidalis were collected.However, the assignment of these specimens to this species or to the S. guineana, of similar external characteristics, it becomes problematic and subjective.
Aside from the biological data listed in regards to the type material, the presence of abundant arthropod remains in the peritrophic membranes of the mentioned specimens should be noticed.
DISCUSSION: When it comes to the external morphology of S. pallidicornis n. sp., and the pigmentation of the antennae in particular: there are many Afro-tropical species of this genus with the last flagellomera darker, or the opposite (as demonstrated in this species).This type of pigmentation has been noted in S. mascarenica, S. deemingi y S. guineana (Meinander, 1972, 1974, 1975a, 1998b, Monserrat, 1989).However, the male genitalia of this new species is absolutely different because most of the Semidalis species of the area bear uncini beside to parameres (Meinander, 1972(Meinander, , 1983(Meinander, , 1998b)).It seems to be a species close to S. maculipennis Meinander, 1975 of South Africa, andS. obscura Sziráki &Greve, 1996 of Tanzania, given the existence of the caudal projection of the hypandrium (Fig. 24-26).However, in these species this projection is very different, the ectoprocts are also very different, the parameres have two or three dorsal teeth, and such a well differentiated and sclerotized penis does not exist (Meinander, 1983, 1998b, Sziráki & Greve, 1996).
The pale pigmentation at the antennal ends is the characteristic that was chosen for its specific naming.