Ábrahám Levente (szerk.): Válogatott tanulmányok 13. - Natura Somogyiensis 28. / Miscellanea 13. (Kaposvár, 2016)
Ábrahám L.: Neuroleon tarimensis sp. n. – a new ant-lion from Taklamakan desert, China (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae)
Ábrahám, L.: Neuroleon tarimensis sp. n. 71 According to the literatures (Krivothatsky 1995, Stange 2004) only one Neuroleon species, Neuroleon nigriventris (Navás, 1913) lives in the area where the new species has been recorded. Its taxonomical status was revised by Krivokhatsky (2011) and moved it into a new taxon as a subspecies of Neuroleon nemausiensis (Borkhausen, 1791). Both taxa are easily distinguished from the new species by the pattern of the pronotum and the abdomen. The abdomen of Neuroleon nemausiensis and Neuroleon nigriventris is dark brown with oval yellow spots but that of the new species has continuous lateral yellow bands on brown tergites. Neuroleon fanaticus (McLachlan, 1875) was described from the Middle Asia and known from Iran, too, where Neuroleon daphne Hölzel, 1968, Neuroleon alienus Hölzel, 1972 were also described (Hölzel 1972) but later Krivothatsky (1995) synonymised the latter mentioned two species to Neuroleon fanaticus. It is different from the new species by dark brown pronatal pattern and also has dark brown dorso-lateral oval spots on the abdomen (cf. Fig. 4). Neuroleon dianae Hölzel, 1972 is known from only Iran and Afghanistan and differentiated from the new species by smaller sized (the length of forewing only 19-21 mm), the length of tibial spurs, distinctive pattern on abdomen and forewing (Hölzel 1972). As the type localities of Neuroleon tarimensis sp. n. is close to the Oriental realm it has to be compared to four Neuroleon species (Neuroleon punjabensis Iqbal & Yousuf 1997, Neuroleon unpunctatus Ghosh, 1981, Neuroleon apicalis Navás, 1915, Neuroleon roscidus (Navás, 1937) which were described from Pakistan and India. The taxonomical status of Neuroleon punjabensis is uncertain since the holotype is a female but pronatal and wing patterns (Iqbal & Yousuf 1997) make it to be clearly distinct from the new species. Actually, the length of tibial spurs is also shorter than that of the new species. Neuroleon unpunctatus has very narrow wings, pronotum as long as wide and its pattern is also different from that of the new species. Neuroleon apicalis is similar to the new species in the measurements and wing pattern but it differs from that of the pattern of pronotum and abdomen. Its tarsal segments are entirely yellow and the hind tibia has very long stiff black bristles while that of the new species has bicolour tarsal segments, yellow proximally, black distally and black and white medium long stiff bristles ventrally. Based on checking the type preserved in MNHP - Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France, the redescription and figures published by Ghosh (1984) it seems to be a distinctive species. Neuroleon roscidus (Navás, 1937) was also checked in MNHP but it is not congeneric to Neuroleon needed for further revision because it does not resemble to the new species. Acknowledgements I wish to express my grateful thanks to Matthieu Giacomino (France) for providing information on the type material, Prof. Dr. Wang Xinli, Zhan Qingbin (China) for their useful scientific support and Ágnes Nagy (Hungary) for excellent drawings.
