Revision of the Protohermes davidi species group (Megaloptera: Corydalidae), with updated notes on its phylogeny and zoogeography

Abstract

The Protohermes davidi group is a peculiar species group in the dobsonfly genus Protohermes, distinguished by the generally immaculate wings and the unique male genitalia with the flattened, posteriorly tapered tenth tergum. Three species are herein newly placed into this species group. Hereby, all six species belonging to the P. davidi group from China and Vietnam are described and illustrated, including a new species. The male of Protohermes axillatus as well as the female of Protohermes concolorus and Protohermes dimaculatus are described for the first time. An updated cladistic analysis is conducted to reconstruct the interspecific phylogeny within the P. davidi group based on the morphological \data. The zoogeography of this species group is also discussed.

Keywords:

• Corydalinae
• Protohermes
• new species
• phylogeny
• China
• Vietnam

Acknowledgements

Sincere thanks to Dr Gexia Qiao (Beijing), Mr Jian Yao (Beijing), Prof. Wenjun Bu (Tianjin), Mr Jimeng Hua (Tianjin) and Prof. Chuanren Li (Jingzhou) due to their kind help for the loan of many specimens deposited in IZCAS, NKU and YU. We are grateful to Prof. Kees van Achterberg (Leiden), Dr Rob de Vries (Leiden), Prof. Jean Legrand (Paris), and Prof. Yukimasa Kobayashi (Tokyo) for their assistance during the study of the senior author in RMNH, MNHN, and Tokyo Metropolitan University. Our thanks also go to Dr Victor J. Monserrat (Madrid), who kindly helped us check the L. Navás collection deposited in Museo de Zoología in Barcelona. Finally, we honestly thank Dr Oliver S. Flint Jr (Washington, DC) for his hospitality during the stay of the senior author in NMNH and for reviewing this manuscript. This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31000973), the Science Foundation of Doctor Subjects, State Education Ministry of China (No. 20090008120019), and a grant-in-aid for fellows of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) relating to the JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Foreign Researchers (No. 20-08417).