Kommentierter Katalog der Neuropterida (Insecta: Raphidioptera, Megaloptera, Neuroptera) der Westpaläarktis [Annotated Catalogue of the Neuropterida of the Western Palearctic]

Kommentierter Katalog der Neuropterida (Insecta: Raphidioptera, Megaloptera, Neuroptera) der Westpaläarktis deals with the Neuropterida of the Western Palaearctic and lists and comments on all species and subspecies, genera and subgenera, families, subfamilies and tribes recorded from this region as well as on the suborders, the three orders and the superorder.

The Westem Palaearctic is defined here as the area that covers Europe, the Atlantic Islands, northem Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and Middle Asia. The countries within this region are included on the basis of their present political borders, even if parts of them fall within another biogeographic region; in particular this concems the south of Egypt and the southern parts of the Arabian Peninsula which belong to the Afrotropical region. The Neuropterida of the following countries are considered: all European countries, the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands; AFRICA: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt (excluding Sinai); ASIA: Armenia, Grusinia, Azerbaidjan, Anatolia, Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt (Sinai), Syria, Jordan, Saudi-Arabia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran.

Lists of synonomies are provided for each taxon; those for taxa of the species group as well as of the genus group contain all names ever introduced and being regarded as synonyms now regardless the geographic provenance. Comments are provided on the systematisation of taxa in the family group and for the orders, suborders and the superorder and on the taxonomic status for taxa of the species group and of the genus group respectively. The distribution is outlined (in species and subspecies by listing all countries from which records are available) and a biogeographic characterisation is attempted whenever possible.

Altogether 802 species (plus 30 subspecies) are documented, the validity of which has either been corroborated or can not be excluded. These are: Raphidioptera: Raphidiidae: 103 species (plus 13 subspecies) in 21 genera, Inocelliidae: 8 species in 3 genera; Megaloptera: Sialidae: 12 species in 1 genus; Neuroptera: Nevrorthidae: 4 species in 1 genus, Osmylidae: 4 species in 1 genus, Chrysopidae: 115 species (plus 6 subspecies) in 16 genera, Hemerobiidae: 64 species in 7 genera, Sisyridae: 7 species in 1 genus, Coniopterygidae: 108 species in 11 genera, Dilaridae: 13 species in 1 genus, Mantispidae: 6 species in 2 genera, Berothidae: 12 species in 4 genera, Nemopteridae: 42 species in 11 genera, Myrmeleontidae: 268 species (plus 3 subspecies) in 47 genera, Ascalaphidae: 36 species (plus 8 subspecies) in 8 genera.

In addition, in the chapter "Nomina dubia" 95 names of species whose taxonomic status is presently completely unknown are dealt with. All accessible literature references up to 31.12.1998 were considered. In addition, most relevant papers published in 1999 and 2000 were included in the list of references but were usually only partly considered in the text; these are marked with an asterisk (*).