First record of female pleasing lacewings of Berothellinae (Neuroptera: Dilaridae) with a description of two new species of Berothella Banks from China

What is it about?

Pleasing lacewings (Neuroptera: Dilaridae) are a group of Neuroptera well known for the sexually dimorphic antennae (unipectinate in male but filiform in female). Among the dilarid genera, there is a genus, i.e. Berothella Banks, 1934, in which the male antennae are not pectinate but thickly filiform. Here we describe two new species of Berothella from China combining morphological and molecular evidence. Importantly, we report the first female of Berothellinae based on the female specimens of these new species. The female genital characters of Berothellinae are compared in detail with the female genitalia of the other dilarid subfamilies.

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