ON NEW AND LITTLE KNOWN SPECIES OF STENARES HAGEN (MYRMELEONTIDAE : NEUROPTERA) FROM INDIA

Stenares Hagen is one of the derivatives of the highly composite genus Myrmeleon Linn. Stenares hyaena (Dalman) and S. improbus (Walker) were described under the genus Myrmeleon Linn. while S. harpyia (Gerstaecker) was described under Palpares Rambur. Banks (1913) referred to seven species of Stenares Hagen from different regions of the world of which S. hyaena (Dalman), ·S. improbus (Walker) and S. harpyia (Gerstaecker) are known to occur in India. Later, he (1931) described one more species, S. frazeri from Coorg, Karnataka. The author, while studying different species of Stenares Hagen from the old and recent survey collections lying at Zoological Survey of India, encountered a new species from Andhra Pradesh which has been described itt the paper. Besides, a key to four Indian species examined along with illustrations, a literature review of a species and the suitable references have also been incorporated. Altogether five species including the new one are reported in the paper.


INTRODUCTION
Stenares Hagen is one of the derivatives of the highly composite genus Myrmeleon Linn.Stenares hyaena (Dalman) and S. improbus (Walker) were described under the genus Myrmeleon Linn.while S. harpyia (Gerstaecker) was described under Palpares Rambur.Banks (1913) referred to seven species of Stenares Hagen from different regions of the world of which S. hyaena (Dalman), •S.improbus (Walker) and S. harpyia (Gerstaecker) are known to occur in India.Later, he (1931) described one more species, S. frazeri from Coorg, Karnataka.The author, while studying different species of Stenares Hagen from the old and recent survey collections lying at Zoological Survey of India, encountered a new species from Andhra Pradesh which has been described itt the paper.Besides, a key to four Indian species examined along with illustrations, a literature review of a species and the suitable references have also been incorporated.Altogether five species including the new one are reported in the paper.e! : Labrum, clypeus and frons; yellow and the first one with a row ?f golden brown hairs; palpi : shiny black; vertex: dark brown, black-spotted a~d the spots Records of the Zoological Survey of India variable in size; antenna: brown; pronotum : brownish-yellow, with a median, black, longitudinal stripe and a small, rounded black spot on either side; lateral margin black; with long black hairs; mesonotum : brownish-yellow; black patches in the convex areas and on wing roots; with greyish wooly hairs; metanotum : concolorous with mesonotum and covered with wooly hairs; wings (Fig. 12) : whitish and membranous; R with brown bands specially in forewing; all other veins and crossveins pale brownish;.pterostigma indistinct, whitish; greyish cloud continuing from apex to half of the hind margin in hindwing; leg; hind coxa black; femur brown; tibia yellow; tarsi black; spur of hind tibia about as long as 3 basal tarsal segments taken together; claws black; with black hairs and bristles; abdomen : brown with short white hairs; tip of abdomen as in Figs.1-3; ectoproct (Figs.1-2) : elongated, apex acute, with a row of black bristles on the inner and long plack hairs on the outer side in addition to several rows of small hairs all throughout; aedeagus (Figs. 1 & 3) : on ventral view deeply invaginated at middle forming two lobes and with a bunch of small black hairs at middle; laterally slightly curved about middle and apex subacute.

Remarks:
The species differs from all other Indian species by the wing markings.
Remarks : The subspecies has already been redescribed by Ghosh (in press) from Orissa Survey material along with the diagrams of head, pronotum and tip of abdomen in female.So, to avoid repitition all other data concerning locality, Measurements, distribution etc. have not been referred to here.However, the photograph (Fig. 15) of both wings which has not been given in the aforesaid paper has been included here for the sake of comparison with other Indian species.
Remarks: Since the description of the species by Walker (1853) it has"been studied by the subsequent workers but the male and female genitalia have,not been taken into account Therefore an attempt has been made to provide the male genitalic structure by the illustrations of the ventral view of the tip of abomen (Fig. 11) and the female genitalic structures represented by the shape of spermatheca as in Fig. 10 and also tip of female abdomen as in fig.9. Besides, the photograph of fore-and hnd wings (Fig. 13) bas been included.The species hitherto reported from "North India" and Karnataka is for the first time recorded for Maharashtra.
Distribution : India: Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
Remarks : The male and female genitalia of the species have been studied and the illustrations dealing with the genitalia in male (Fig. 5), spermatheca in female (Fig. 8) and tip of abdomen in both sexes (<:! , Fig. 4 & 6, 99, Fig. 7) have been provided.
Besides, the photograph of fore and hind wings (Fig. 14) has been included.The species hitherto recorded from Tamil Nadu, is for the fust time reported from Andhra Pradesh.
Remarks : Due to dearth of the material it has not been possible by the author to examine the species.However, it has been reviewed from literature.Banks (1931) described the species from Coorg, Karnataka.Though the species is very close to S. improbus (Walker) but the markings on pronotum, namely, a longitudinal median black stripe, lateral black mark on either side together with a dark dot above each at once distinguish the species from S. improbus (Walker).