Neotropical Osmylidae larvae (Insecta, Neuroptera): description of habitats and morphology

ABSTRACT

The larval stages of the genus Kempynus Navás, 1912 (probably K. falcatus Navás, 1912 based on the presence of synchronic and sympatric adults) are described for the Neotropical Region for the first time, and the larval stages of Isostenosmylus pulverulentus (Gerstaecker, 1893) are redescribed. The external morphology of third-instar larvae of both species and their habitats are described and compared. Kempynus sp. is a water-dependent species and can be considered semi-aquatic, whereas I. pulverulentus larvae are terrestrial and live in undergrowth vegetation. The first key to identification of Neotropical Osmylidae larvae is provided, based on third-instar larvae of both species.

KEYWORDS:

• Neuropterida
• lance lacewings
• Kempyninae
• Stenosmylinae
• Chile
• Brazil

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Dr Torsten Dikow and Dr Oliver S. Flint Jr. (NMNH) to host the first author for four months at the Insect Collection of NMNH and provide part of the material used in this study; to Dr Dalton de Souza Amorim (FFCLRP-USP) and Dr Nelson Wanderley Perioto (APTA) for providing part of the material used in this study; to Msc. Daercio Adam de Araújo Lucena (FFCLRP-USP) for helping with I. pulverulentus pictures and to Dr David E. Bowles (Missouri State University) for the invitation to publish this article. We also thank Christian R. Gonzalez, Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación, Santiago, and CONAF for facilitating field work in Chile.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The first author is also grateful to CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior) for the financial support of his doctorate and for the financial support scholarship PDSE (Programa de Doutorado Sanduiche no Exterior – Processo: 88881.132559/2016-01) which financed his visit to NMNH. Project participation by one of us (GWC) was supported in part by National Science Foundation grants (DEB-0933218 and EF-1115156) to G.W. Courtney and by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Project No's. 6693 and 5473.