Palaeoneurorthus sp.

Boudinot, Brendon E., Bock, Bernhard L., Weingardt, Michael, Troeger, Daniel, Batelka, Jan, LI, Di, Richter, Adrian, Pohl, Hans, Moosdorf, Olivia T. D., Jandausch, Kenny, Hammel, Joerg U. & Beutel, Rolf G., 2024, Et latet et lucet: Discoveries from the Phyletisches Museum amber and copal collection in Jena, Germany, Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 71 (1), pp. 111-176 : 111

† Palaeoneurorthus sp.

Description.

Body length ca. 3.0 to 4.0 mm; forewing length 7.5-7.8 mm, hindwing length 6.4-6.8 mm.

Head. Ocelli absent. Antenna slenderly filiform, with slightly enlarged scapus, smaller pedicellus, and 30 flagellomeres. Maxillary palps and labial palps not visible.

Wings (Fig. 22B, C ). Elliptical, translucent. Forewing venation with trichosors present among marginal forks of RA, RP, MA, MP, CuA and CuP; all costal cross veins simple. Sc and RA almost parallel to margin, connected basally and subdistally by two and one cross veins, respectively. RP with three main branches. MA fused with RP at proximal 1/3 of wing, distally branched. MP proximally separated into two main branches, with each branch bifurcated distad. Cu branching near wing base; CuA with seven pectinate branches; CuP sinuate, simple, forked distad. A simple. Most cross veins present at base, middle and distal 1/3. Hindwing venation: Basal part of the hindwing not visible. Trichosors present among marginal forks of RA, RP, MA, MP, CuA and CuP; costal cross veins on proximal 2/3 not visible, distal 1/3 simple. Sc and RA almost parallel to margin, subcostal cross veins absent. RP with two main branches. MA fused with RP at wing proximal 1/3, distally forked. MP with two main branches, one branch bifurcated distally and the other proximally, respectively. Cu branching near wing base; CuA with ten pectinate branches, CuP straight, simple. A not visible. Only two rows of cross veins visible, present at middle and distal 1/3, respectively. In forewings the cross vein 3rp3+4-rp2 present; in hindwings cross vein rp3+4-rp2 absent.

Abdomen (Fig. 22D, E ). Visible part of abdominal segment 9 annular. Sternum 9 not visible. Robust gonocoxites 9 (= “gonocoxa” in Boudinot 2018) strongly incurved, with broad base, apically tapering, with strongly sclerotized, claw-like gonostyli 9 (= “stylus” in Boudinot, 2018), which are directed ventromedially. Ventrolateral lobes (= gonapophyses 9, "penital sclerites" in Boudinot 2018) consist of two needle-shaped projections, which are distinctly spaced; dorsal projection slightly longer than ventral one, both pointed apically. Ectoproct (= “proctiger” in Boudinot 2018) broad, slightly convex at middle and distinctly protruding on both sides in dorsal view.

Remarks.

There are four described species belonging to Palaeoneurorthus , which are all known from Baltic ambers ( Wichard 2009, 2016, Wichard et al. 2010). Among the four species of Palaeoneurorthus with males described our collection shares similarities with P. eocaenus in having the set of two needle-like projections of gonapophyses 9, and the ventral projection of gonapophyses 9 being shorter than the dorsal one longer. However, based on our examination, the ventral projection of gonapophyses 9 is slightly shorter than the dorsal one (Fig. 22C ), whereas the dorsal projection is almost five times longer in P. eocaenus ( Wichard 2016: fig. 6f). That the sternum 8 and the base of gonapophyses 9 are not visible impedes a further comparison. Thus, we currently treat this amber as Palaeoneurorthus sp.

3.3.4. Order Coleoptera

3.3.4.1. Synopsis of fossil Doliopygus ( Platypodinae )

3.3.4.1.1. Genus Doliopygus Schedl, 1939

Copal taxa:

A. East African “copal” [Holocene, 0.0-0.0 Mya].

1. D. crinitus Chapuis, 1865. [Note 1].

2. D. tenuis Strohmeyer, 1912. [Note 1].

B. Defaunation resin or copal (possible East African) [Holocene, 0.0-0.0 Mya].

3. D. cf. serratus HERE. [Note 2].

Note 1. Doliopygus crinitus and D. tenuis were identified by Schedl (1939) from East African copal as species of Crossotarsus , with this original material presumably associated with the material misidentified as Baltic amber by F. Smith (e.g., Smith 1868; Grimaldi et al. 1994; O’Hara et al. 2013; see Note 2 of Dorylus above).

Note 2. We do not have the expertise to confidently identify the µ-CT scanned specimen to species level, thus we appreciate the identification suggested by Bjarte Jordal. Doliopygus is known to be paraphyletic ( Jordal 2015), with D. serratus being close to D. chapuisi (B. Jordal, pers. comm. 9 Nov 2022). Given the objective of the present manuscript, the tentative species identification is sufficient to resolve our uncertainty about the age of the resin matrix.

3.3.4.2. Family Mordellidae Latreille, 1802

Figures

Figure 22. † Palaeoneurorthus sp. (Nevrorthidae) preserved in piece PMJ Pa 5874. A. Overview; B. Wing venation; C. Wing venation drawing; D. Genitalia; E. Genitalia drawing. Abbreviations: e = ectoproct, gp 9 = gonapophyses 9, gst 9 = gonostyli 9, gx 9 = gonocoxites 9, T 9 = tergum 9.