The spongillafly genus Sisyra Burmeister, 1839 (Neuroptera: Sisyridae) from Brazil: Distributional, taxonomical and bionomical notes

Abstract

Sisyridae is a small family of aquatic insects, with 73 extant species described worldwide. In Brazil, 17 species of two genera, Climacia McLachlan, 1869 and Sisyra Burmeister, 1839, have been reported. In this paper, the family is recorded from the Caatinga biome (semiarid region), Northeastern Brazil, for the first time, including a record of the genus Sisyra from Ceará State. Additional distributional data are presented for both S. apicalis Banks, 1908 and S. panama Parfin & Gurney, 1956. Sisyra ariasi Penny, 1981 is here synonymized with S. panama, NEW SYNONYMY. Illustrations of the male genitalia of S. minuta Esben-Petersen, 1935, and bionomic notes for S. panama are provided.

A new species of Sisyra Burmeister, 1839 (Neuroptera: Sisyridae) from Peru, with identification key to the Neotropical species of the genus

“…2a). However, the morphology of the male genitalia differs since the gonocoxite 9 of S. panama is quadrangular, with a ventral projection at the base (Assmar and Calor, 2020), while in S. tambopatensis sp. nov. the gonocoxite 9 is rectangular, with a dorsal projection in the distal third instead.…”

“…Sisyra elongata has the distal third portion of the gonocoxite 9 greater expanded (Ardila-Camacho and Martins, 2017) than S. tambopatensis sp. nov., and S. minuta has a small, "beak-like" gonocoxite 9 (Penny, 1981;Assmar and Calor, 2020).…”

“…Although the most recent description of a Sisyra species from the Neotropics was published in 1982 (Penny and Rafael, 1982), the general knowledge about the genus in the region is increasing lately due to efforts of several researchers (e.g., Hamada et al, 2014;Bowles, 2015;Ardila-Camacho and Martins, 2017;Assmar and Salles, 2017;Assmar and Calor, 2020). Here, I describe a new species of the genus Sisyra from Madre de Dios, Peru, I also provide an identification key to the Neotropical species and their current distribution.…”

“…Currently, Sisyridae comprises 85 species, including 12 extinct, distributed in 12 genera. Sisyra Burmeister, 1839 is the most species-rich genus of the family, with 49 valid species (Forteath et al, 2015;Assmar and Calor, 2020;Oswald, 2022). It is distributed worldwide, except in the North and South poles, and it can be differentiated from the other genera due to the lack of the series of outer gradate crossveins in the forewing (Parfin and Gurney, 1956;Monserrat, 1981).…”

“…It is distributed worldwide, except in the North and South poles, and it can be differentiated from the other genera due to the lack of the series of outer gradate crossveins in the forewing (Parfin and Gurney, 1956;Monserrat, 1981). Five species of Sisyra have been recorded in the Neotropical region, of which three are currently known from Peru, i.e., S. apicalis Banks, 1908, S. elongata Penny & Rafael, 1982and S. panama Parfin & Gurney, 1956(Bowles, 2015Assmar and Calor, 2020).…”