Horst Aspöck

The ascalaphid genus Deleproctophylla Lefèbvre is a characteristic element of insects from dry, warm grasslands across the Palaearctic, currently comprising five described species distributed in northern Africa, southern Europe, and western Asia. As with other colorful owlfly genera, species of Deleproctophylla have traditionally been differentiated based on wing pattern, a trait prone to high variability and misidentification. The genus currently includes five species: D. australis (Fabricius), D. variegata (Klug), D. dusmeti (Navás), D. gelini Navás, and D. bleusei Kimmins; however, the taxonomic identity of some populations, particularly from Anatolia, has remained uncertain. Even western European species have been affected by taxonomic confusion, as exemplified by D. bleusei , whose presence in southern Spain was only recently detected. A comprehensive revision of all species in the genus demonstrated that the shape of the male ectoproct is the most reliable diagnostic character for species identification. This study also led to the discovery of two new species, D. dandizenor Badano, Zheng, U. Aspöck & Dobosz, sp. nov . from Afghanistan and Pakistan, and D. tengri Zheng, Badano, H. Aspöck & Liu, sp. nov . from Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and China, significantly expanding the known range of the genus. Morphological findings were further supported by species delimitation analyses of COI sequences, which helped identify specimens with atypical pigmentation patterns and confirmed the validity of both European species and the newly described D. tengri sp. nov .

The identity of the widely distributed Afrotropical antlion species Cymothales bouvieri van der Weele, 1907 was herein revised. Based on detailed morphological comparisons, only the populations distributed in Madagascar and the Comoros are confirmed to be the true C. bouvieri. However, the so-called C. bouvieri from the African continent is a new species, i.e., C. manselli sp. nov. Additionally, the occurrence of some myrmeleontid species in both Madagascar and the African continent is discussed, and the accuracy of these distribution patterns requires further clarification in the future.

Dilaridae is a distinctive Neuroptera family with remarkable characters, such as sexually dimorphic antennae and the elongated ovipositor. This family comprises four genera and 115 so far described species, ranging across main zoogeographical realms except the Australian one. Due to limited dispersal capacity, dilarid species are often distributed in a relatively narrow area. Despite inhabiting diverse ecosystems, only two dilarid species have been known from Africa so far: one from northern Africa (western Palearctic realm) and one from southern Africa (Afrotropical realm). In this study, we provide re-descriptions and illustrations of the two African dilarid species, i.e., Dilar bolivari Navás, 1903, and Neonallachius krooni (Minter, 1986), with the first record of N. krooni from northern East-Africa. Additionally, we summarized all the records of the three genera of Dilaridae from the Old World and present the distribution map. Furthermore, we discuss the historical biogeography of the family.

Nemopteridae (spoon-winged or thread-winged lacewings) is a rare group in China, with significant value of conservation. Here, we report a new species of spoon-winged lacewing species, and the third known from China, namely Brevistoma raksasiae Zheng, Ni & Liu sp. nov. (Nemopteridae: Nemopterinae) from the Turpan Basin in Xinjiang. We also revise the genus Brevistoma Tjeder, 1967, providing redescription of three species: B. bardii (Navás, 1914), B. gallagheri Hölzel, 1999, and B. hackeri Hölzel, 1999. Additionally, we restore the validity of B. bourboni (Navás, 1931) stat. rev. The distribution of the new Brevistoma species is remarkable, as the species of this genus had been recorded in the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa. Our new finding highlights the uniqueness of the insect fauna of the Turpan Basin and its biogeographical connection with the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa.

Asadeteva U. Aspöck & H. Aspöck, 1981 (Neuroptera, Berothidae), has been traditionally considered a Palearctic faunal element. Asadeteva was originally described from Afghanistan and Pakistan, while recent report has extended its known range into the Oriental Region. Herein, we report two new species of Asadeteva from Thailand, namely Asadeteva christophi U. Aspöck & H. Aspöck sp. nov. and Asadeteva thailandica sp. nov. This discovery highlights the presence and diversity of this genus in the Oriental Region. A distribution map and a revised key to the species of Asadeteva are also provided.

Universal Single Copy Orthologs (USCOs), as a set of markers of nearly universal single‐copy genes, show a superiority in phylogenomic inference. Here, we developed a Benchmarking Universal Single Copy Orthologs (BUSCOs) dataset, neuropterida_odb10, tailored for Neuropterida, based on high‐quality genome assemblies and transcriptome data, comprising 5438 BUSCOs. A range of 1524–5328 complete and single‐copy USCOs could be captured from the genome assemblies and transcriptomes of 104 species of Neuropterida. The reconstruction of a higher‐level phylogeny of Neuropterida based on a comprehensive sampling and refined genomic data in reference to neuropterida_odb10 validates the efficiency of this BUSCO dataset for phylogenomic inference. We recovered Psychopsidae as the sister group to Ithonidae, and corroborated the sister group relationship between Sisyridae and Nevrorthidae within Osmyloidea and the sister group relationship between Chrysopidae and Mantispoidea. Furthermore, our findings highlight that focusing on alignments with a higher presence of parsimony‐informative sites, rather than on the total number of alignments, can diminish errors in gene tree estimation, a process notably vulnerable to error when using multispecies coalescent methods. The neuropterida_odb10 BUSCO reference dataset holds promise for phylogenetic studies at various hierarchical levels, as well as for comparative genomics and the exploration of species diversity within Neuropterida.

Mantispoidea (Insecta, Neuroptera) are well-known for the hypermetamorphic larval development and for most adults having praying mantis-like raptorial forelegs. Currently, this superfamily comprises Berothidae (beaded lacewings) and three raptorial mantispoid families: Rhachiberothidae (thorny lacewings), Dipteromantispidae and Mantispidae (mantidflies or mantid lacewings). It includes about 530 extant species in 74 genera, and 143 extinct species in 97 genera from the Upper Triassic to the Miocene. Berothidae, well-known for some adults with scale-like setae on the female wings, currently includes 119 extant species in 26 genera, and 59 extinct species in 37 genera from the Upper Triassic to the Eocene. Rhachiberothidae represents the relictual group of Mantispoidea, comprising only 14 extant species across four genera, which are confined to the Afrotropical Region. However, the abundant fossil records (28 species and 21 genera), especially from the Cretaceous, highlight the past glory of this family. The Cretaceous dipteran-like family Dipteromantispidae, comprising ten species across nine genera, remains enigmatic in terms of its phylogenetic status. Mantispidae, the largest family within Mantispoidea, comprises approximately 395 extant species across 44 genera and 46 extinct species in 30 genera, ranging from the Lower Jurassic to the Miocene. This family is distinctive from other raptorial families for its highly mobile and variously elongated prothorax. Here, we describe several new genera and species from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber, Myanmar: Three new species of Osmyloberotha Khramov, 2021 (O. dispersa sp. nov., O. chenzuyini Zhuo, Li & Liu sp. nov. and O. magnimaculata sp. nov.) in Berothidae, with a detailed redescription of O. simpla Khramov, 2021; two new genera and three new species (Paraberothinae: Paraberothoides longispina Li, Zhang & Liu gen. et sp. nov.; Subfamily unknown: Dicranoberotha zhangzhiqiae Zhuo, Li & Liu gen. et sp. nov., Dicranoberotha liumohanae Zhuo, Li & Liu gen. et sp. nov.) of Rhachiberothidae, three new species (Enigmadipteromantispa dilatata Li, Nakamine, Yamamoto & Liu sp. nov., Kurtodipteromantispa relicta Li, Nakamine, Yamamoto & Liu sp. nov. and Kurtodipteromantispa univenula sp. nov.) of Dipteromantispidae, as well as four new genera and five new species (Symphrasinae: Parvosymphrasites aploneura Li, Lin, Liu & Wang gen. et sp. nov. and Proplega evelynae Zhuo, Li & Liu gen. et sp. nov.; Subfamily unknown: Haplacantha robusta gen. et sp. nov., Haplacantha tenuis gen. et sp. nov. and Mesomantispoides felixoporcus gen. et sp. nov.) of Mantispidae. Sinuijumantispa So & Won, 2022, previously classified within Drepanicinae, is now recognized as a stem group of Mantispidae, which is possibly related to Mesomantispoides gen. nov. or Mesomantispinae. Our new findings offer crucial insights into the taxonomy, morphological diversity and evolution of Mantispoidea.