Description of Megistoleon thaumatopteryx sp nov with notes on the genus Megistoleon Navas (Neuroptera, Myrmeleontidae)

A new African species of antlion, Megistoleon thaumatopteryx sp. nov., is described from Mozambique. The poorly known genus Megistoleon Navas, 1931 and the only other species currently attributed to it, M. ritsemae (van der Weele, 1907) are redescribed in order to provide a better comparison with the new taxon. These myrmeleontids are easily distinguishable by means of an exclusive set of characters besides a striking appearance

New Philippine species of Spilosmylus Kolbe (Neuroptera, Osmylidae)

New species of lance lacewings, Spilosmylus spilopteryx sp. n. and Spilosmylus tephrodestigma sp. n., are described from the Philippines and compared with congeners. Both species are characterised by a distinctive wing pattern, which in the case of Spilosmylus spilopteryx sp. n. is relatively spectacular among lacewings. An identification key to the species of Spilosmylus Kolbe known from the Philippines is also provided

Myrmeleon punicanus n.sp., a new pit-building antlion (Neuroptera Myrmeleontidae) from Sicily and Pantelleria

A new species of antlion, Myrmeleon punicanus n. sp. (Neuroptera Myrmeleontidae), is described from Sicily and Pantelleria. The new taxon belongs to the formicarius-group thanks to the absence of pilula axillaris in the male hind wings, the characteristics of the male genitalia and the ecological traits. Moreover, the validity of the new species is confirmed by a DNA based phylogenetic reconstruction in which it is compared with closely related taxa. A preliminary description of the third instar larva of M. punicanus n. sp. is also given. Its habitat is the Mediterranean shrub land in which the larvae build pit-traps near shelters. Due to its ecological requirements a possible endangered status cannot be ruled out because of the anthropogenic habitat fragmentation

Taxonomy and phylogeny of the genera Gymnocnemia Schneider, 1845, and Megistopus Rambur, 1842, with remarks on the systematization of the tribe Nemoleontini (Neuroptera, Myrmeleontidae)

The delineation of antlion genera has often been based on morphological characters not tested in a phylogenetic context, thus seriously impairing the study of systematics of the family Myrmeleontidae. Nebulous generic limits also impede the taxonomy and study of the affinities of closely related species. As a case study, the generic placement of Megistopus mirabilis Hlzel, 1980, was based on a single leg character. To test the position of this species, the reciprocal relationships of the members of the genera Gymnocnemia Schneider, 1845, and Megistopus Rambur, 1842 were investigated, using a morphology-based phylogenetic analysis. This approach demonstrated that M. mirabilis should actually be assigned to the genus Gymnocnemia, as G. mirabilis comb. n. This analysis also supports the subdivision of the tribe Nemoleontini in two subclades based on morphology of male and female genitalia. A new characterisation of these genera is provided, as well as a redescription of the very rare G. mirabilis and the poorly investigated Megistopus lucasi (Navas, 1912). An updated identification key to the members of the genera Gymnocnemia and Megistopus is presented

Destruction of a protected habitat by an invasive alien species: the case of Cydalima perspectalis (Walker, 1859) in the box tree formations of Liguria (North-West Italy) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

The box tree moth, Cydalima perspectalis (Walker, 1859), an invasive alien species of Asian origin associated with box trees, gained immediate attention in Europe due to the damage caused to ornamental stands and its rapid spread. However, its effects on natural box tree formations remained poorly investigated, especially in Southern Europe. In Liguria (North-West Italy), attacked xerotermophilous box tree formations on rocky substrate, a protected habitat (5110) after the Natura 2000 EU 92/43 Directive, seriously endangering its long-term survival. Since detection in 2013, this species defoliated almost the whole area covered by habitat 5110, until experiencing a population crash after depleting its only trophic resource. We present here the evolution of the invasion and the population dynamics of this invasive alien species in Liguria during the years 2016-2017

Eyes in the dark ... Shedding light on the antlion phylogeny and the enigmatic genus Pseudimares Kimmins (Neuropterida: Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae)

The systematic position of the antlion Pseudimares Kimmins has been disputed since description of the genus. Pseudimares is one of the most enigmatic and unusual members of Myrmeleontidae and probably of all Neuroptera. The taxon has been usually tied to the antlion subfamily Palparinae, although its phylogenetic affinities have never been thoroughly investigated and the monophyly of the subfamily as a whole has never been corroborated. We reconstruct for the first time the phylogenetic affinities of Pseudimares based on both morphological and molecular genetic data. The widely accepted subfamily level subdivision of antlions (Stilbopteryginae, Palparinae, Myrmeleontinae) is refuted in all our analyses, since Stilbopteryginae in the traditional sense are recovered as deeply nested within Myrmeleontidae forming a monophylum with Palparinae, while Myrmeleontinae are poorly supported by the parsimony analysis. In our morphology-based parsimony analysis, Pseudimares is the sister taxon of Stilbopteryx and Aeropteryx, which makes the traditional Palparinae paraphyletic. This result is further supported by our phylogenetic reconstruction based on molecular data, which found a clade including Pseudimares and Stilbopteryx, which is nested within the traditional Palparinae. The high genetic distances measured among the analysed taxa suggest that these groups quickly diverged in ancient times, although they remained morphologically homogeneous. In conformity with the results of the phylogenetic analyses, we propose a new classification scheme for antlions, one that merges Stilbopteryx and Aeropteryx into an expanded concept of the subfamily Palparinae

Review of Antlions (Insecta: Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae) in North Macedonia

We present the state of knowledge on the family Myrmeleontidae occurring in North Macedonia based on published records, museum specimens and new samples, and provide a comprehensive species list. North Macedonia represents only 3.9% of the area of the Balkan Peninsula but harbours 19 species belonging to 14 antlion genera, i.e., 61% of the peninsular fauna. We report collection localities, literature records and biological data for each species. Three species, Nemoleon poecilopterus, Neuroleon assimilis and Myrmeleon inconspicuus, are reported for the first time in North Macedonia. The genus Nemoleon Navás is also reported for the first time in the country

Discovery of Lebambromyia in Myanmar cretaceous amber: phylogenetic and biogeographic implications (Insecta, Diptera, Phoroidea)

Lebambromyia sacculifera sp. nov. is described from Late Cretaceous amber from Myan-mar, integrating traditional observation techniques and X-ray phase contrast microtomography. Lebambromyia sacculifera is the second species of Lebambromyia after L. acrai Grimaldi and Cumming, described from Lebanese amber (Early Cretaceous), and the first record of this taxon from Myanmar amber, considerably extending the temporal and geographic range of this genus. The new specimen bears a previously undetected set of phylogenetically relevant characters such as a postpedicel sacculus and a prominent clypeus, which are shared with Ironomyiidae and Eumuscomorpha. Our cladistic analyses confirmed that Lebambromyia represented a distinct monophyletic lineage related to Platypezidae and Ironomyiidae, though its affinities are strongly influenced by the interpretation and coding of the enigmatic set of features characterizing these fossil flies

New Cretaceous empidoids and the Mesozoic dance fly revolution (Diptera: Empidoidea)

Dance flies and relatives (Empidoidea) are a diverse and ecologically important group of Diptera in nearly all modern terrestrial ecosystems. Their fossil record, despite being scattered, attests to a long evolutionary history dating back to the early Mesozoic. Here, we describe seven new species of Empidoidea from Cretaceous Kachin amber inclusions, assigning them to the new genus Electrochoreutes gen.n. (type species: Electrochoreutes trisetigerus sp.n.) based on unique apomorphies among known Diptera. Like many extant dance flies, the males of Electrochoreutes are characterized by species-specific sexually dimorphic traits, which are likely to have played a role in courtship. The fine anatomy of the fossils was investigated through high-resolution X-ray phase-contrast microtomography to reconstruct their phylogenetic affinities within the empidoid clade, using cladistic reasoning. Morphology-based phylogenetic analyses including a selection of all extant family- and subfamily-ranked empidoid clades along with representatives of all extinct Mesozoic genera, were performed using a broad range of analytical methods (maximum parsimony, maximum-likelihood and Bayesian inference). These analyses converged in reconstructing Electrochoreutes as a stem-group representative of the Dolichopodidae, suggesting that complex mating rituals evolved in this lineage during the Cretaceous