Florissantoraphidia funerata ( Engel, 2003 ) Engel, 2003

Makarkin, Vladimir N. & Archibald, S. Bruce, 2014, A revision of the late Eocene snakeflies (Raphidioptera) of the Florissant Formation, Colorado, with special reference to the wing venation of the Raphidiomorpha, Zootaxa 3784 (4), pp. 401-444 : 434-436

Florissantoraphidia funerata ( Engel, 2003) , comb. nov.

( Figs 21 , 22 )

“ Raphidia ” sp.: Aspöck et al. 1991: 541, Fig. 3065.

Raphidia funerata Engel, 2003: 124 –127, Figs 1 , 2 ; Grimardi & Engel 2005: 339, Fig. 9.10; Engel 2009: 211, 213 (Tabl. 1); Engel 2011: 79 (Tabl. 2).

Diagnosis. Distinguished from F. mortua by more proximal position of 2ra-rp in forewing, presence of one branch of RA distad pterostigma in both wings; by simple branches of MP in hind wing.

Redescription. Head elongate, ca. 2.6 mm long (including mouthparts); antennae and palpi preserved, but details poorly discernible. Prothorax quite short, broad (ca. 2.3 mm), slightly dilated caudally (in lateral view), maximum width ca. 1 mm. Legs covered with fine dense hairs; tibia also with scarce longer bristles. Abdomen with six long dark segments well discernible, separated by broad pale intersegmental membrane between latter five; with relative short ovipositor, length ca. 4.5 mm as preserved.

Forewing narrow: 10.7 mm long, 2.8 mm wide. Costal space relatively narrow, strongly dilated at proximal 1/ 3. ScP relatively short; length from its termination to pterostigma equal pterostigma length. Subcostal veinlets simple widely spaced. One crossvein between ScP, RA; other crossvein closes pterostigma proximally. Pterostigma long, rather pale. RA with three branches: long, oblique distinct within pterostigma; two shorter, one closing pterostigma distally, other distad pterostigma. RP with two branches proximad 3ra-rp; RP 1 forked well distad intraradial crossvein, posterior branch rather shallowly forked; RP 2 simple. Two crossveins between RA, RP; 2rarp well distad termination of ScP; 3ra-rp located within pterostigma, far proximad its ending. Two radial cells nearly equal length. Proximal crossvein 1rp-m located near origin of RP. One intraradial crossvein; three crossveins between RP, MA. MA dichotomously branched; MP pectinately branched; stem and three branches simple. Two long intramedian crossveins. M, CuA fused basally for short distance. CuA deeply forked. CuP simple. Intracubital crossvein (icu) long. Crossvein between CuP, AA1 not detected. AA1 simple; AA2 incompletely preserved; crossvein between these (iaa) rather long.

Hind wing approximately 9–9.5 mm long (estimated), 2.5 mm wide. Costal space narrow. ScP relatively short; length from its termination to pterostigma slightly less than pterostigma length. Subcostal veinlets simple widely spaced. In subcostal space, one crossvein, which closes pterostigma proximally. Pterostigma long, narrower than in forewing. RA with two preserved rather short branches: one closed pterostigma distally, other distad pterostigma; incorporated branch not detected. Three crossveins between RA, RP; 3ra-rp located within pterostigma, far proximad its ending. RP with two branches proximad 3ra-rp; RP 1 dichotomously branched. One intraradial crossvein detected. Three crossveins between RP, M/MA; basal 1r-m long, running parallel to R; connecting RP, M relatively far distad wing base. M forked distad RP origin. MA deeply forked, each branch forked. Anterior trace of MP simple, pectinately branched, with three simple branches (alternately, anterior trace deeply forked and with two simple branches). Two long intramedian crossveins. CuA pectinate, with three simple branches. Intracubital crossvein (icu) long. CuP, anal veins fragmentarily preserved; their pattern implies that CuP simple, AA1 twobranched.

Type material. Holotype: In. 26922, deposited in NHM (Department of Palaeontology). A complete rather well preserved female specimen in lateral aspect with all four wings overlapping; one forewing, one hind wing relatively complete, distinctly preserved.

The specimen was recently returned to the NHM from the MCZ without original labels, which were presumably lost during this loan to F. M. Carpenter decades before (A. Ross, pers. comm.). There is now only one small red label that says “ HOLOTYPE Raphidia funerata Michael S. Engel ”. The specimen has a small label glued to the rock that says “Brit. Mus. Geol. Dep.”; black ink writing on the side of the specimen block that says “ I –32 - ” [the original number of G. F. Sternberg, from whom the specimen was purchased in October 1926]; writing on the back of the specimen on an oval yellow disc says “In 26922”. The old register/catalogue in NHM says “Tenebrionites alatus, Miocene, Florissant, Colorado; No. 32 Purchd. G. F. Sternberg Oct 1926.” (C. Mellish, pers. comm.).

Type locality. Florissant (precise collecting locality unknown).

Remarks. The left forewing is slightly deformed basally (CuA appears zigzagged; CuP and AA1 appear to be fused; AA1 is not normally running).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Wing venation of the Jurassic Mesoraphidiidae. A, Mesoraphidia inaequalis Martynov, 1925 (Late Jurassic of Karatau, Kazakhstan), forewing. B, same, hind wing. Re-drawn with slight simplification from Martynov 1925 b. Fused veins are shown by red lines. Identity of the vein stub labeled “? ” in basal-most part of forewing is unknown. Both wings are shown with apex to right. No scale provided or pterostigma shown in original figure.

FIGURE 2. Wing venation of extant Inocelliidae (A, B) and Raphidiidae (C, D). A, Sininocellia gigantos Yang, 1985, forewing. B, Fibla hesperica Navás, 1915, hind wing. C, Phaeostigma notatum (Fabricius, 1781), forewing. D, Ohmella casta (Aspöck et Aspöck, 1968 b), hind wing. Drawn from the photograph in Liu et al. 2012 b (A), re-drawn with simplification from Aspöck et al. 1991 (B, D). Fused veins are shown by red lines. All wings are shown with apex to right and not to scale.

FIGURE 21. Florissantoraphidia funerata (Engel, 2003). Holotype NHM In. 26922. A, the specimen as preserved (wetted with ethanol). B, the same (dry). Scale bar = 4 mm (both to scale).

FIGURE 22. Florissantoraphidia funerata (Engel, 2003). Wing venation of the holotype NHM In. 26922. A, left forewing. B, apical portion of right forewing. C, left hind wing. Scale bar = 4 mm (all to scale).