Menatlestes palaeocenicus, Nel & Jouault, 2022

Nel, André & Jouault, Corentin, 2022, The odonatan insects from the Paleocene of Menat, central France, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 67 (3), pp. 631-648 : 642

Menatlestes palaeocenicus sp. nov.

Figs. 7–10 .

ZooBank LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C7C9B602-ACF8-45D2-89A5-FB1849B2B034

Etymology: Named after the Paleocene age of the type species. The specific epithet is to be treated as an adjective.

Holotype: MNT Nel Odo 2 (imprint and counterimprint of a nearly complete adult).

Type locality: New quarry, Menat, Puy-de-Dôme, France.

Type horizon: Middle Paleocene, Menat Basin.

Material.— Holotype only.

Diagnosis.—Wing venation characters. Areas between MP and CuA, MP and MAa, MAa and RP3/4 with one row of cells till to close of posterior wing margin; base of RP2 far distal to subnodus, that of IR1 close to that of RP2; IR1 very long; all main veins straight in their main parts.

Description.—Head deformed by the forward projection of the mouthparts, eyes 1.0 mm wide, 0.8 mm apart; head width across eyes 3.5 mm, length from anterior margin of antefrons to posterior margin of occiput ca. 2.0 mm; thorax fossilized in lateral position, meso-metathorax, 5.0 mm long; abdomen 42.0 mm long, with female genital appendages well visible, a well-developed ovipositor (resembling that of a Lestidae , thus probably adapted to endophytic oviposition); three legs partly preserved; wings apparently hyaline; fore- and hind wings nearly identical, 28.7 mm long, 8.1 mm wide; distance from base to arculus 2.8 mm, from arculus to nodus 4.0 mm, from nodus to pterostigma ca. 14.2 mm, from pterostigma to wing apex 2.9 mm; distance between Ax1 and Ax2 0.5 mm; Ax2 opposite arculus; three secondary antenodals distad Ax2; nodus of normal shape, without ScP prolonged distad nodus; nodal crossvein and subnodus aligned and of distinct normal obliquity; base of RP3/4 2.2 mm of arculus, nearly midway between arculus and nodus; base of IR2 at distal third between arculus and nodus, 2.9 mm from arculus; 20 postnodal crossveins, not aligned with postsubnodals; pterostigma elongate, 2.3 mm long, 0.6 mm wide, with basal and distal sides with a normal obliquity, covering six cells, an oblique pterostigmal brace; one row of cells between C and RA distad pterostigma; base of RP2 eight cells, 5.9 mm distad subnodus; no oblique vein “O”; base of IR1 three cells distad that of RP2; one row of cells between RP1 and IR1, three rows of cells between IR1 and RP2; all main veins nearly straight basally and curved near their apices; one row of cells between RP2 and IR 2 in preserved part, but area widened distally, two between IR2 and RP3/4 with a longitudinal intercalary vein in-between; one row of cells between RP3/4 and MAa; one row of cells in preserved part of postdiscoidal area; one row of cells between MP and CuA; one row of cells between CuA and posterior wing margin, cubital area very narrow; CuP just distad base of AA; petiole 1.7 mm long, 0.8 mm wide; hind wing discoidal cell with basal side 0.3 mm long, anterior side elongate, 0.65 mm long, distal MAb side strongly oblique and elongate, 0.8 mm long, posterior side 1.2 mm long; subdiscoidal cell very long and narrow.

Remarks.—This new fossil differs from V. multicellulata in possessing only one row of cells between C and RA distad the pterostigma and the absence of crossveins ending into the basal side of the pterostigma ( Garrouste et al. 2017). It also differs from Thanetophilosina menatensis in the positions of the base of RP3/4, basad midway between arculus and nodus (vs. well distal to this point) (Nel et al. 1997). It differs from Menatagrion hervetae gen. et sp. nov. owing to the presence of a pterostimal brace and only one row of cells between RA and RP1 and a very different shape of the discoidal cell. It differs from the poorly known “ Lestes ” zalesskyi Piton, 1940, in having, at least, longer wings, much more postnodal crossveins, a zigzagged IR1 with two rows of cells between it and RP1, a zigzagged CuA ( Piton 1940: fig. 24). Nel and Paicheler (1994) indicated that the type of “ Lestes ” zalesskyi is lost and its affinities very uncertain.

Stratigraphic and geographic range.— Type locality and horizon only.

Figures

Fig. 7. Zygopteran odonatan Menatlestes palaeocenicus gen. et sp. nov., holotype MNT Nel Odo 2; from Paleocene, Menat, France. Habitus, imprint.

Fig.8. Zygopteran odonatan Menatlestes palaeocenicus gen.et sp.nov., holotype MNT NelOdo 2; from Paleocene, Menat,France.Habitus, counterimprint.

Fig. 9. Zygopteran odonatan Menatlestes palaeocenicus gen. et sp. nov., holotype MNT Nel Odo 2; from Paleocene, Menat, France. Head and thorax (A1), pterostigma (A2). Scale bars 1 mm.

Fig. 10. Zygopteran odonatan Menatlestes palaeocenicus gen. et sp. nov., holotype MNT Nel Odo 2; from Paleocene, Menat, France. Reconstructions. Forewing (A1), hind wing base (A2). Scale bars 1 mm.