Uncovering hidden diversity of Panorpidae (Insecta, Mecoptera) in the Himalayas and adjacent regions: New taxa and distributional records

The Himalayas and adjacent regions, with exceptional ecological richness, harbor remarkable biodiversity. In this study, two genera of the scorpionfly family Panorpidae — Lulilan Willmann, 2022 and Phine Willmann, 2022 — are recorded from Xizang, China, for the first time, both previously known only from Bhutan and Nepal, including two new species: L. chumbi sp. nov. and P. linyejiei sp. nov. L. furcatus (Hardwicke, 1823), originally known from Nepal, is newly recorded from Xizang, China.

Lulilan cornutus (Esben-Petersen, 1915), comb. nov. from Assam, India, is transferred from the genus Neopanorpa van der Weele, 1909. Three new species of Neopanorpa are also described: N. dinggyensis sp. nov., N. ganmatsangpo sp. nov., and N. yadongensis sp. nov. In addition, two new genera, Sahyadrinorpa gen. nov. and Yinorpa gen. nov., are erected, with Panorpa appendiculata Westwood, 1841 and Y. brevistyla sp. nov. as their respective type species.

Seven species are transferred from Neopanorpa: S. appendiculata (Westwood, 1841), comb. nov., S. denticulata (Rust & Byers, 1976), comb. nov., S. echinata (Rust & Byers, 1976), comb. nov., S. indica (Rust & Byers, 1976), comb. nov., S. hirsuta (Crampton, 1931), comb. nov., S. salai (Navás, 1929), comb. nov., and S. zebrata (Esben-Petersen, 1915), comb. nov. These findings increase the known species count of Panorpidae in the Himalayas and adjacent regions from 32 to 38 and the number of genera from three to five, significantly improving knowledge of insect diversity in the Himalayas and highlighting the southern slope of the Himalayas as a key corridor for speciation and biogeographic connectivity within the family.