Dziedzickia Johannsen, 1909

BLAGODEROV, VLADIMIR & GRIMALDI, DAVID, 2004, Fossil Sciaroidea (Diptera) in Cretaceous Ambers, Exclusive of Cecidomyiidae, Sciaridae, and Keroplatidae, American Museum Novitates 3433 (1), pp. 1-76 : 28-30

Dziedzickia Johannsen, 1909

Hertwigia Dziedzicki, 1885: 166 (preocc. Schmidt, 1880).

TABLE 2 Comparison of Synapha , Austrosynapha , and A. longistyla n.sp.

Dziedzickia Johannsen, 1909: 44 .

DIAGNOSIS: After Freeman (1951): Eyes emarginate at level of antennae; 3 ocelli in a straight line; laterotergal hairs present or absent; wing membrane without macrotrichia; Sc ending at R before or beyond base of RS, Sc 1 may be present as a short stump; base of M 3+4 and CuA fork considerably basal to M 1 and M 2 fork; R 4 may be present or absent.

TYPE SPECIES: Hertwigia marginata Dziedzicki, 1885: 165 (by monotypy).

COMMENTS: About 50 extant species of the genus are described, mostly from the New World, especially South America, with several species from Holarctic and Afrotropics. Four species are known from Baltic amber ( Meunier, 1917a, 1917b, 1922) and one from the Oligocene of Rott ( Statz, 1944). Some authors ( Chandler, 1999; Hutson, 1979; Matile, 1992; Vockeroth, 1980) noted that the genus in present definition was plausibly polyphyletic since some of the species belong to other gnoristine genera, such as Syntemna Winnertz, 1863 and Hadroneura Lundström, 1906 .

Dziedzickia nashi , new species

Figures 35, 36 , Plate 4A

DIAGNOSIS: Laterotergites setose. Forked veins without setae. Tergite 9 short. Gonocoxites simple. Gonostyli with strong inner process.

DESCRIPTION: Body length = 2.96 mm (holotype)/ 2.92–3.37 mm (paratypes); wing length = 2.50 mm (holotype)/ 2.28–3.32 mm (paratypes). Brown gnats, thorax dark brown, occiput greyish brown, tibiae and tarsi yellowish. Head: Eyes large, bare, slightly emarginate; three ocelli in line. Median ocellus slightly sunken, distance from middle to lateral ocellus and from lateral one to eye margin ~1.5Χ ocellus diameter. Scape and pedicel shorter than flagellomeres, bare. Flagellomeres cylindrical, length ~1.5Χ width, length of apical one ~2Χ the width. Three palpomeres seen, short, gradually thinner toward apex. Mouthparts less than one­fourth height of head. Thorax: Mesonotum very convex, with dorsocentral, acrostichal, and lateral setae well developed. Antepronotum and laterotergite setose, other sclerites bare. Proepimeron thick, short, touches katepisternum. Anepisternal suture declines posteriorly. Wing membrane without macrotrichia. Sc ends at R 1 beyond RS base. Sc 1 absent. RS1, RS2, and RS3 ratio 1:1.2–1.3:11–15. M3 length 2Χ that of r­m crossvein. Base of M 1+2 fork at level of R 4. Base of M 3+4 and CuA fork before base of r­m. Abdomen setose, 7th segment 2Χ shorter than 6th. Male: Gonocoxites massive, bristly, separated ventrally by deep cleft. Ninth tergite short, transverse, covers only base of gonocoxites. Gonostyli with a strong, thin, dark process pointed inward. Female with cerci 2­segmented. Basal segment 2.5Χ apical one, cylindrical. Apical segment rounded.

MATERIAL: Holotype AMNH NJ­117a, male. Paratypes: AMNH NJ­117b, c, e, m, females, NJ­117d, g, h, males, NJ­117f (wing), all in the same piece of amber. USA: New Jersey, Sayerville, coll. P. Nascimbene. See figure 38 for a map of syninclusions .

ETYMOLOGY: The species epithet is patronymic for Mr. Paul Nascimbene, who collect­ ed the piece and who has diligently prepared numerous amber specimens for the AMNH.

COMMENTS: Differs from all other species by the structure of male genitalia. A thorough comparision will be possible only after revision of the genus.

Figures

Figs. 35–37. Dziedzickia and Saigusaia. 35. D. nashi, n.sp., holotype AMNH NJ­117a. 36. Male genitalia of the holotype. 37. Saigusaia pikei, n.sp., holotype TMPD P79.15.7.21