NEUROPTERISTS NEWSLETTER

California Academy of Sciences

This newsletter was revived mainly among a small group of North American workers at the 1993 National Entomology meetings. However, colleagues in other parts of the world appear to also be interested in revival of this newsletter, and we will try to keep this forum as open as possible to all workers, and in fact encourage colleagues to write letters, send e-mail messages (npenny@calacademy.org), fax messages (415) 750-7106, and generally submit information for this newsletter. There is no reason why neuropterists shouldn't be in the forefront of the "communications superhighway". In fact, this newsletter can also be read by connecting into the CAS gopher system on internet and looking at information in the Entomology Dept.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

(I must apologize in advance for some of the following citations. Many are selected from Biosis, which gives an article title in English, even if written in another language. Thus, without the availability of other information, I am forced to give the English translation and readers should use this information with caution).

Albuquerque, G.S., C.A. Tauber and M.J. Tauber. 1994. Chrysoperla externa (Neuroptera, Chrysopidae). Life History and Potential for Biological Control in Central and South-America. Biological Control 4(1):8-13.

Aspöck, U. and H. Aspöck. 1993. Mongoloraphidia (Alatauoraphidia) drapetis n.sp. und Mongoloraphidia (Alatauoraphidia) eklipes n.sp. - zwei neue Spezies der Familie Raphidiidae aus Zentralasien (Neuropteroidea: Raphidioptera). Zeitschrift der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Österreichischer Entomologen 45(1/2):46-56.

Aspöck, U., H. Aspöck and H. Rausch. 1993. Rezente Südgrenzen der Ordnung Raphidioptera in Amerika (Insecta: Neuropteroidea). Entomol. Gener. 17(3):169-184.  This article is fascinating with respect to snake-fly biogeography. Specimens were collected in Chiapas, Mexico, right at the Guatemala border. How much further south will snake-flies be found?

Aspöck, U., H. Aspöck and H. Rausch. 1994. New Species of the Family Raphidiidae from Mexico and Evidence of a Spermatophore in the Order Raphidioptera (Insecta, Neuropteroidea). Entomologia Generalis 18(3-4):145-163.

Clarke, G.M. 1993. Patterns of Developmental Stability of Chrysopa perla L. (Neuroptera, Chrysopidae) in Response to Environmental Pollution. Environmental Entomology 22(6):1362-1366.

Daane, K.M., G.Y. Yokota, Y.D. Rasmussen, Y. Zheng and K.S. Hagen. 1993. Effectiveness of leafhopper control varies with lacewing release methods. California Agriculture 47(6):19-23.

Devetak, D. and M.A. Pabst. 1994. Structure of the subgenual organ in the green lacewing, Chrysoperla carnea. Tissue and Cell 26(2):249-257.

Diazaranda, L.M. and V.J. Monserrat. 1994. The Larval Stages of Genus Cunctochrysa Hölzel, 1970 in Europe (Neuroptera, Chrysopidae). Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 41(1):163-171.

Dobosz, R. 1993. Neuropteroidea of the Bledów Desert (South Poland), with remarks on some species. Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum, Entomology 4:47-51.

Dobosz, R. 1993. Remarks on Myrmeleon bore Tjeder, with new localities from Poland and North Korea (Neuroptera: Myrmeleonidae). Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum, Entomology 4:53-58.

Dobosz, R. 1993. Megalomus andreini Navás, 1928, a new synonym of M. pyraloides Rambur, 1842 (Neuroptera: Hemerobiidae). Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum, Entomology 4:169-171.

Evans, E.W. and J.G. Swallow. 1993. Numerical Responses of Natural Enemies to Artificial Honeydew in Utah Alfalfa. Environmental Entomology 22(6):1392-1401.

Mcewen, P.K., S. Clow, M.A. Jervis, and N.A.C. Kidd. 1993. Alteration in Searching Behaviour of Adult Female Green Lacewings Chrysoperla carnea (Neuroptera, Chrysopidae) Following contact with Honeydew of the Black-Scale Saissetia oleae (Homoptera, Coccidae) and Solutions Containing Acid hydrolysed L-Tryptophan. Entomophaga 38(3):347-354.

Hölzel, Herbert. 1993. New Mallada species from southern Africa (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). Zeitschrift der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Oesterrichischer Entomologen 45(3-4):69-74.

Lambkin, K.J. and T.R. New. 1994. Australian Mantispidae (Neuroptera) - Supplementary Notes - 2. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 33(2):117-121.

Legaspi, J.C., R.I. Carruthers, and D.A. Nordlund. 1994. Life history of Chrysoperla rufilabris (Neuroptera, Chrysopidae) provided sweet potato whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Homoptera, Aleyrodidae) and other food. Biological Control 4(2):178-184.

Liu, Z. and C.-K. Yang. 1993. Four New Species of Coniopteryginae (Neuroptera: Coniopterygidae) from Guizhou Province. Entomotaxonomia 15(4):255-260.

Makarkin, V.N. 1993. The brown lacewings from Vietnam (Neuroptera Hemerobiidae). Tropical Zoology 6(2):217-226.

Mcewen, P.K., M.A. Jervis and N.A.C. Kidd. 1994. Use of a Sprayed L-Tryptophan Solution to Concentrate Numbers of the Green Lacewing Chrysoperla Carnea in Olive Tree Canopy. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 70(1):97-99.

Smithers, C.N. 1993. A remarkable aggregation of Nymphes myrmeleonides Leach (Neuroptera: Nymphidae) in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales. Australian Entomologist 20(4):127-128.

Sziraki, G. 1994. Coniopterygidae from the Afrotropical Region (Neuroptera). Acta zoologica hungarica 40(2):171-184.

Tauber, M.J., C.A. Tauber, J.R. Ruberson, L.R. Milbrath and G.S. Albuquerque. 1993. Evolution of prey specificity via three steps. Experientia (Basel) 49(12:1113-1117.

Troeger, E.J. 1993. Lacewing fly, Psectra diptera Burm. (Hemerobiidae, Neuroptera) in Switzerland and its vertical orientation. Mitteilungen der Entomologischen Gesellschaft Basel 43(3):138-140.

Weissmair, W. 1994. Eidonomy and Ecology of 2 European Spongillafly Species (Neuroptera, Sisyridae). Entomologia Generalis 18(3-4):1994.

Whiting, M.F. 1994. Cladistic analysis of the alderflies of America north of Mexico (Megaloptera: Sialidae). Systematic Entomology 19:77-91.

Yang, C.-K. 1993. Three New Species of Osmylidae (Neuroptera) from Guizhou. Entomotaxonomia 15(4):261-264.

Yang, C.-K. and Z. Liu. 1993. The Genus Cryptoscenea New to China, and a Species New to Science (Neuroptera: Coniopterygidae). Entomotaxonomia 15(4):249-254.

Yang, D. and C.-K. Yang. 1993. The Fishflies (Megaloptera: Co;rydalidae) from Maolan, Guizhou. Entomotaxonomia 15(4):246-248.

Yang, X. and C.-K. Yang. 1993. The Lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) of Guizhou Province. Entomotaxonomia 15(4):265-274.

CURRENT PROJECTS

Drs. Horst & Ulrike Aspöck, A. Popov, Lita Greve Jensen, Martin Meinander, and N.P. Kristensen are currently working on a project on the Neuropter of northwestern Europe centered on the Fennoscandian and Danish fauna. The Aspöcks have also combined with Herbert Hölzel, Victor Monserrat and Stelzl to work on a supplement to their classic work Die Neuropteren Europas. Ulrike Aspöck and Mervyn Mansell have completed a revision of Rhachiberothinae (Berothidae or Mantispidae ?) which should be out soon.

James B. (Ding) Johnson has just returned from a successful trip to Greece to study the courtship behavior of European Chrysoperla spp.

Martin Meinander has just finished a project on the coniopterygids of South Africa.

John D. Oswald is currently working on several projects: a) a revision of the hemerobiid genus Conchopterella, b) a revision of the Nymphidae, c) a paper on flightless hemerobiids, including some new species. John also has been working hard on his computer databases, which now includes about 8000 names of fossil and extant taxa of Neuroptera (both valid and synonymized). He also has a literature database with about 7400 titles for Neuroptera.

1994 INFORMAL CONFERENCE ON NEUROPTEROIDS

At the 1993 informal conference, Keven Hoffman agreed to organize and moderate another informal conference on neuropteroids at the 1994 ESA meeting to be held in Dallas, Texas this coming December. If you wish to give a presentation or have any pertinent suggestions, please contact Kevin at the Department of Entomology, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634.

TEXAS NEUROPTERA

by David E. Bowles

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

As we all know, small insect collections often are overlooked, but sometimes can yield significant finds. For anyone interested in working with the Texas fauna, several small collections are present in the state.

The Texas A & M University Entomology Collection has a sizeable amount of Neuroptera and Megaloptera material. Identified pinned material includes 14 families, 52 genera and 128 species hosed in 24 Cornell style drawers. There also are 216 vials of material (adlts and immatures) stored in alcohol. Large quantities of undetermined neropteran material is housed in the collection, especially in the families Chrysopidae, Coniopterygidae, Hemerobiidae and Myrmeleontidae.

Geographic representation is strongest in material from Texas and surrounding areas, including Mexico. Material is routinely sent for identification to willing specialists and loaned for research to students and established specialists. Presently large numbers of specimens are on loan in the families Corydalidae, Mantispidae and Berothidae. For more information, contact: Edward G. Riley, Collection Manager, Department of Entomology, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX 77843.

The Brackenridge Field Laboratory Collection has some 355 specimens representing 12 families. The majority of this material is unidentified. This collection is particularly strong in the Myrmeleontidae, Mantispidae, Chrysopidae and Ascalaphidae. Geographic representation is predominantly from Texas, but other areas also are represented. For more information, contact: Dr. C. Riley Nelson, Department of Zoology, Brackenridge Field Laboratory, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712.

Other Neuroptera material from the Edwards Plateau and Big Bend regions of Texas is available for loan from: Dr. David E. Bowles, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 300 C.M. Allen Parkway, Building B, San Marcos, TX 78666.

CORRECTIONS

In the March 1994 issue we mentioned that Carpenter's 1936 revision of Nearctic Raphidioptera is still the only key available to North American snakeflies. Unfortunately, we missed the recent world monographic revision of the Raphidioptera, which includes keys to North American species. We apologize for this oversight and error.

Aspöck, H., U. Aspöck, and H. Rausch. 1991. Die Raphidiopteren der Erde. Goecke & Evers Verlag, Dürerstrasse 13, D-4150 Krefeld, Germany. 1648 DM. Volume 1, 730 pages. Volume 2, 550 pages, with 3065 illustrations and 206 distribution maps.