Oligoptilomera luberonensis, Nel & Mennecart & Spasojevic & Viertler & Maridet & Costeur & Garrouste & Coster, 2023

Nel, André, Mennecart, Bastien, Spasojevic, Tamara, Viertler, Alexandra, Maridet, Olivier, Costeur, Loïc, Garrouste, Romain & Coster, Pauline, 2023, The first fossil representative of the water strider subfamily Ptilomerinae (Heteroptera: Gerromorpha: Gerridae) in the Oligocene paleolake of Murs (southern France) with some palaeoecological considerations, European Journal of Taxonomy 888, pp. 124-136 : 128

Oligoptilomera luberonensis gen. et sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:12FD5634-B1D7-4AD6-9E18-D42617481895

Figs 1–4

Diagnosis

As for the genus, by monotypy.

Etymology

Named after the lacustrine Luberon basin.

Holotype FRANCE • part and counterpart of a complete body with antennae and legs partly preserved; stored in the collection of the Geology Museum, Parc naturel régional du Luberon, Apt, France; PNRL 2715 .

Age and outcrop

‘Laminites à Poissons de Murs’, Rupelian, Oligocene ( Cautru & Gigot, 1982; Apostolescu & Dellenbach 1999), MP23 (or slightly younger), ca 31 Ma; Les Vergiers, Murs, Monts du Vaucluse, Vaucluse, France.

Description

Apterous, body dark to pale brown, with longitudinal white bands along lateral margins of mesothorax and three white spots on head, body 9.3 mm long, 3.7 mm wide; head 1.3 mm long, 1.3 mm wide; antenna 9.3 mm long; antenna as long as body; first antennomere 3.8 mm long, shorter than three following antennomeres together; fourth antennomere dorsoventrally flattened; thorax 4.2 mm long, 3.7 mm wide; pronotum short, not developed into pronotal lobe; mesothorax distinctly prolonged; mesopostnotal margin straight; primary intersegmental suture between meso- and metathorax making two lateral curved lines; primary intersegmental suture between meso- and metathorax not obliterated laterally; coxal axes rotated to almost horizontal inclination; fore tarsus very long, 3.4 mm long, as long as fore tibia; mid coxa in posterior position; middle femur slender, 8.0 mm long; hind femur with distal part widened, at least 6.3 mm long, as long as mid one as it is preserved; abdomen slightly shorter than thorax, 3.8 mm long, 2.4 mm wide; no lateral wing of suranal plate; proctiger not exposed; large first genital segment but not covering second genital segment.

Figures

Fig. 1. Location map and geological context of the ‘Les Vergiers’ fossiliferous locality in Murs (Vaucluse, France). A. Geographical position of Murs in France and within the National Natural Reserve of Luberon. B. Stratigraphic log of the ‘Les Vergiers’ from the ‘Sables et grès verts de la Valette-de- Pernes’ to the ‘Marnes et grès verts de Murs’.

Fig. 2. Oligoptilomera luberonensis gen. et sp. nov., holotype (PNRL 2715), part, photographed under normal light. Scale bar = 5 mm.

Fig. 3. Oligoptilomera luberonensis gen. et sp. nov., holotype (PNRL 2715), counterpart, photographed under ultra-violet light. Scale bar = 5 mm.

Fig. 4. Oligoptilomera luberonensis gen. et sp. nov., holotype (PNRL 2715), part, photograph of body under ultra-violet light. Scale bar = 5 mm.