Oborella germanica, Prokop & weiβ & Dechambre & Nel, 2012

Prokop, Jakub, weiβ, Klaus-Dieter, Dechambre, Roger-Paul & Nel, André, 2012, Early Permian insects from Saar-Nahe Basin of Odernheim town site, Rheinland-Pfalz in Germany (Insecta, Grylloblattida, Blattinopseida), Geodiversitas 34 (2), pp. 271-281 : 271-281

Oborella germanica n. sp. (Figs 1; 2)

MATERIAL. — Holotype: MNHN.F.A31034 (a fore- and a hindwing few millimeters apart from one another). Paratype: MNHN.F. A31035 (a fore- and a hindwing few millimeters apart from one another).

DIAGNOSIS. — 13-14 crossveins in forewing costal area, in one or two rows; RP forked; MA simple; MP forked; CuA with two main branches, anterior one forked and posterior one simple.

ETYMOLOGY. — Named after Germania, Latin name for Germany.

TYPE LOCALITY. — Odernheim town, Saar –Nahe Basin, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.

TYPE STRATA. — Early Permian, Rotliegend, Meisenheim Formation, Odernheim Subformation, Odernheim lake horizon (L-O8 or M8 respectively), lacustrine black shales. DESCRIPTION

Holotype (Figs 1A, B; 2A,B).

Forewing with costal margin slightly convex and rounded apex; originally with a pattern of coloration (see Fig. 2A, B); length of forewing fragment about 11.2 mm, probable total length about 11.3 mm, width in widest part 3.8 mm; costal area 0.70 mm wide; ScP straight, apically deflected but reaching costal margin 3.0 mm from wing apex; area between costal margin and ScP rather broad in midwing bearing about 12 cross-veins, all simple except for five of them secondarily branched; R nearly straight, RA and RP separating at about ⅓ of wing length from base; RA simple and straight, ending on anterior margin 2.1 mm from wing apex; RA and RP area irregular widest at about midwing with six cross-veins; RP bifurcated in distal third of wing, ending with two branches just above wing apex; stems of M and R very close running parallel for a short distance, M divided into MA and MP 0.5 mm basal of separation of RA and RP; MA simple, nearly straight, ending close to wing apex; area between RP and MA with nine cross-veins; base of MP about 3.1 mm from wing base, bifurcated about midwing and reaching posterior wing margin with two branches; MP area rather narrow with seven crossveins between MA and MP; CuA basally strongly diverging from CuP towards M, connected to it for 0.4 mm, and with two basal branches, first distally forked again and second simple and straight; CuP simple and nearly straight; area between CuA and CuP with one row of cells (five of them being preserved).

Hindwing costo-basal part preserved, with pattern of colouration similar to that of forewing; length of fragment 7.5 mm, width 2.9 mm; costal area much narrower than in forewing, 0.34 mm wide, with nine simple crossveins; ScP ending on costal margin, shorter than in forewing; base of RP close to wing base, 1.8 mm apart; preserved part of RA simple and straight; basal stem of RP 4.5 mm long, first fork of RP preserved; six preserved crossveins between RA and RP; stem of M straight, forked into MA and MP 3.8 mm from wing base, well distal of base of RP; preserved part of MA simple; MP forked; basal stem of Cu not preserved, CuA forked, CuP simple and straight, anal veins not preserved.

FIG 1. — Oborella germanica n. sp.: A, B, drawings of holotype fore- and a hindwing venation ( MNHN.F.A31034) ; C, D, drawings of paratype fore- and a hind wingvenation ( MNHN.F. A31035 ). Scale bars: 3 mm .

Paratype (Figs 1C-D; 2C)

Length of forewing fragment about 8.7 mm, probable total length about 11.5 mm, width in widest part 3.8 mm. Forewing differing from that of holotype as follows: costal area with only one row of cells but with oblique crossveins in distal part mainly. Hindwing more complete than that of holotype, length of fragment 10.8 mm, width 5.1 mm, adding the following information:ScP ending on costal margin 3.4 mm from wing apex; RA with an apical short fork, ending 2.2 mm from wing apex; RP with two branches; MA simple, MP forked; CuA with a deep fork, basally connected to median stem; CuP simple, parallel to CuA.

DISCUSSION

In the holotype the fore- and hindwings are very close to each other, showing that they probably correspond to the same specimen. The same situation occurs for the paratype. The great similarity in wing venation of both fore- and hindwing supports an attribution of the holotype and paratype to the same species. Following the key of Storozhenko (1998: 65-67) Oborella germanica n. sp. can be attributed to the family Euryptilonidae Martynov, 1940 (Lemmatophorina sensu Storozhenko 1998: 81) and to the genera Blania Kukalová, 1964 and Oborella Kukalová, 1964 . These genera are currently separated on the basis of the number of crossveins in forewing costal area 11-12 in Blania versus 16-19 in Oborella ( Kukalová 1964) . Oborella germanica n. sp. has 13-14 such crossveins but of rather different pattern in the holotype and paratype (two rows of crossveins versus one row of oblique elongate crossveins). Therefore O. germanica n. sp. makes the “link” between the two genera and can be easily separated from all previously described species of both genera on the basis of this character. We consider that the separation between Blania and Oborella no longer stands. Thus we propose to synonymize the two genera. As first revisors, we choose to consider Blania as a junior synonym of Oborella because the holotype of the type species O. matura Kukalová, 1964 is a better preserved specimen than that of Blania .

Oborella germanica n. sp. can be separated from O. matura , O. rusticana Kukalová, 1964 , and O. inexpectata Kukalová, 1964 , all described from Obora by the presence of RP ending with

FIG 2. — Oborella germanica n. sp.: A, photograph of holotype fore- (f.w.) and hindwing (h.w.) venation ( MNHN.F.A31034) ; B, detail photograph of holotype forewing venation ( MNHN.F.A31034) ; C, photograph of paratype hindwing venation ( MNHN.F. A31035 ).Scale bars: 3 mm .

only two branches instead of being pectinated with three or more terminal branches. Furthermore, O. germanica n. sp. differs from O. rotunda ( Kukalová, 1964) and O. oviformis ( Kukalová, 1964) by the presence of MA simple instead being deeply forked. Finally O. falsa ( Kukalová, 1964) differs from O. germanica n. sp. by well separated stem of M and CuA in basal part instead of their partial connection.

Oborella germanica n. sp. shows rather well preserved hindwings, which is of interest for the knowledge of the wing venation in Euryptilonidae . In this family, the hindwing structures are currently poorly known ( Storozhenko 1998, 2002; Aristov 2002). Among the other lemmatophorine families except in Daldubidae Storozhenko, 1996 , CuA is reaching median stem and fused with it for a short distance, as in O. germanica n. sp. Another interesting character is the absence of contact between RP and MA in the hindwing of O. germanica n. sp., unlike in Daldubidae , Atactophlebiidae , and Lemmatophoridae .