A new species of Notiobiella Banks, 1909 from China (Neuroptera, Hemerobiidae), with a key to Chinese species

Abstract Background Notiobiella Banks, 1909 is a green-coloured genus of brown lacewing (Hemerobiidae) that is widely distributed in Central and South America, Africa, southeast Asia, Australia and some south-western Pacific islands. There are approximately 49 species of this genus worldwide, with 10 species recorded from China, including one new species that is described in this paper. New information In this paper, we describe a new species, Notiobiellamaculosa sp. n. of the genus Notiobiella Banks, 1909 from Yunnan Province. The morphological characters of the adults are described in detail and illustrated. A key for identification of adults is also provided. All specimens have been deposited in the Entomological Museum of China Agricultural University (CAU), Beijing.


Introduction
The genus Notiobiella was erected by Banks (1909), based on the type species Notiobiella unita Banks, 1909. Notiobiella belongs to the subfamily Notiobiellinae (Nakahara 1960) and is widely distributed in Central and South America, Africa, southeast Asia, Australia and some south-western Pacific islands. Notiobiella is recognisable by the presence of a combination of forewing characters, i.e. anterior radial trace bearing two prestigmal "radial sectors", CuP forked proximal to crossvein 2cua-cup and prestigmal subcostal space no wider than adjacent subcostal vein (sometimes slightly wider adjacent to crossvein 1sc-r). Moreover, the male, characterised by the presence of the eversible phallolingua of the gonarcus, is diagnostic (Oswald 1993).

Materials and methods
The specimens were examined under a SZ760 stereomicroscope. Images of wings were taken with a Nikon EOS D3200 digital camera attached to the stereomicroscope. The terminalia were observed under a Leica DM2500 compound microscope. Descriptions are based on observations under the stereomicroscope with direct light on specimens preserved in 75% ethyl alcohol. The abdominal apex with the genitalia was cut off, heated in 10% sodium hydroxide for 10-20 minutes and then transferred to an excavated slide containing glycerine. After examination, it was transferred to fresh 75% ethyl alcohol and stored in a microvial.
Wing venation terminology follows Oswald (1993) and Makarkin and Wedmann (2009). Terminology of genitalia follows Oswald (1993 Head yellowish-brown. Semicircular brown patten present near the fore margin of each antennal socket and a triangular brown spot between the hind margin of antennal sockets. Frons and mandible brown, last segment of maxillary and labial palpi brown. Antenna amber, with more than forty flagellomeres. Eye reddish-brown with metallic lustre. Thorax fawn, with brown longitudinal stripes along the sides of pronotum. Lateral margin of mesothorax and metathorax scutum light brown, darker than around. Legs yellowish-brown with no spots. Forewing ( Fig. 1) oval, yellowish-brown. Four brown stripes parallel to gradated series from basal to lateral. Veins yellowish-brown and transparent. Base of costal space wider at the end and proximal humeral trace present. Anterior radial trace bearing two ORBs, with two to four secondary branches respectively; r1-r2 present after ORB1 fork. M with two branches, which have two secondary branches, respectively; 2r-m before M fork. Three m-cu present, with 2m-cu located after M fork and before CuA fork. CuA with four branches and CuP with two; 2cua-cup present after the fork of CuP. One gradated series with four crossveins. Hind-wing oval, pale yellow, hyaline and immaculate; veins pale yellow. Rs with four branches, 2r-rs corssvein present. M forked into two branches, with two secondary branches, respectively. Cu simple. Gradated series with only one crossvein.
Abdomen yellowish-brown, pilose. Male terminalia (Figs 2, 3). 8 tergite and sternite approximately rectangular in lateral view. Anteroventral edge of 9 tergite bent forwards, including spiracles. 9 stemite small, rectagular in lateral view. Ectoproct developed, broadened basally, narrowing at mid-length and the expanding laterally in lateral view; caudal margin indented with six or seven large spines present along posterodorsal edge. A gap present between the intragonopons and extragonopons; base of mediuncus broad with a median pair of large spines with small spines present on inner surface; extrahemigonarcus bent upwards terminally hook-shaped and bifurcated; extrahemigonarcus with a large thorn on outer surface, ending into three forks; both extrahemigonarcus connected with membrane, with small spines on the th th th Figure 1.
surface. Parabaculum simple, with terminal lobe ovoid in dorsal view, slightly prickly. Hypandrium internum in shape of a trapezium in dorsal view.

Diagnosis
The species is characterised by the presence of a brown stripe present along the costal veinlet at the base of forewing and four brown stripes parallel to the gradated series running from the base to the lateral margin. Male: ectoproct developed, median section narrowed and posterior margin expanded in lateral view; the centre of the posteral edge depressed and six or seven large spines present along posterodorsal margin. Female: 9 tergite slightly "L" shaped in lateral view; subgenital absent.

Etymology
The specific epithet is a Latin adjective, maculosus, i.e. spotted, referring to the obvious spots in forewing.

Taxon discussion
The new species differs from closely-related species by the presence of spots and stripes in the forewing. N. maculosa sp. nov. is similar to N. substellata (Fig. 5A)  both species have a spot at crossvein r1-r2 in the forewing, though it can be easily distinguished from the latter by the presence of brown stripes along the costal veinlet and parallel to the gradated series in the forewing. Moreover, the female of N. maculosa sp. nov. is devoid of subgenitale, while it is present in N. substellata (Fig. 6).
The new species is also easily distinguished from N. stellata (Fig. 5B) by the 9 tergite bent forwards and the posterodorsal edge of the ectoproct with several large spines. In N. stellata (Fig. 7), the 9 tergite is slightly bent backwards and the ectroproct is not provided with large spines.

Identification keys
Key to the species of Notiobiella from China