Normyia telescopica, Grimaldi, 2016

Grimaldi, David A., 2016, Diverse Orthorrhaphan Flies (Insecta: Diptera: Brachycera) In Amber From The Cretaceous Of Myanmar: Brachycera In Cretaceous Amber, Part Vii David A. Grimaldi, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2016 (408), pp. 1-132 : 23-25

Normyia telescopica , new species

Figures 8 , 40

DIAGNOSIS: Larger than N. woodleyi ; female tergites 6–10 telescoping (vs. not), spurs 0-2-0 (vs. 0-1-0); basal flagellomere about twice the length as in N. woodleyi , or ca. 4× length of flagellomere 2; wing shorter and broader, tip of R 5 ends at tip of wing (vs. before), cell d shorter (L/ W 1.75 vs. ≥2.0). Mesotibia with 2 subequal spurs (vs. 1), one is 0.7× length of other .

DESCRIPTION: Based on female. Body length 5.60 mm; antenna length 0.74 mm; thorax length 1.66 mm; wing length 2.87 mm; abdomen length (everted) 3.38 mm. Head: Broader than thorax, slightly flattened anteroposteriad; occiput greatly recessed, occipital foramen and its perimeter deeply recessed, such that antepronotum nearly entirely recessed. Eye: Female: Large, dichoptic, occupying much of frontal, dorsal, ventral, and all of lateral surfaces of head; frons well exposed; no differentiation of facets; eyes completely bare; medial/inner margins slightly divergent dorsal to ventrally; small emargination near antennal base. Ocelli on low tubercle, ocelli obscured. Antenna: Projecting forward; with 8 flagellomeres, submoniliform, flagellomeres tapered in width apically; flagellomere 1 width 4× that of flagellomere 8; flagellomere lengths relative to segment 1: 1.0: 0.25 (2): 0.25 (3): 0.25 (4): 0.20 (5): 0.17 (6): 0.26 (7): 0.46 (8); no apical stylus; all flagellomeres with sensillar foveae; scape and pedicel funnel shaped; length of antenna 0.68 mm; antennal sockets appear contiguous. Mouthparts: Face receding, clypeus not fully visible, mouthparts well exposed beyond oral margin; palp 2-segmented, basal palpomere slightly longer and narrower than apical one. Labellum well developed, large, length approximately equal to length of head. Thorax: Apparently all dark, perhaps originally black, with very little punctation and setulae. Antepronotum well developed, largely recessed into occipital concavity; postpronotum not substantially enlarged; postpronotal lobe narrow, lateral; pair of short, very faint paramedian sulci on anterior portion of scutum, posteriorly ending in transverse suture. Transverse suture well developed, moderately impressed, dorsal portion curved posteromediad. Proscutellum well developed; scutellum longer than wide, no spines. Posterior portion of anepisternum slightly bulging; katepisternum ventrally extended, not quite pendulous, medial margins of both katepisterna meeting on venter of thorax. Wing: Wing short and broad, W/L 0.42. Sc complete, slightly longer than half wing length; C ends slightly past tip of R 5. R and R 1 close and parallel to Sc, diverging slightly at apices. Stem of Rs very short, 0.3× length of R 1; R 2+3 slightly shorter than R 1, convergent, apices of veins very close at wing margin; fork of R 4 -R 5 long, base of fork only slightly distal to level of cell d apex; R 4 diverges from stem at right angle, then slightly divergent from stem of R 4-5, R 5 straight even to tip, ending at apex of wing. Pterostigma between apex of Sc and R 1, and between R 1 and R 2+3, r-m crossvein slightly proximal to middle of cell d; base of M between cells br and bm very faint, not tubular or at all sclerotized. M 1 faintly curved; apices of M 1, M 2, CuA 1 tapered and evanescent, not meeting wing margin or barely so; bases of M 1 and M 2 meeting truncate apex of cell d separately (e.g., left wing of holotype). Cell d small; cell br longer than bm, both cells narrow. CuA 2 arched, meeting A 1 well before wing margin. Anal lobe well developed; A 2 short, faint; alula and upper calypter well developed. Legs: Robust, femur significantly longer than other segments, apices of femora with long ventral slit near articulation with tibia. Tibial spurs 0-2-0, mesal one of mesotibial pair 0.7× size of lateral one, lateral spur slightly shorter than width of tibial apex, distal portions of spurs heavily sclerotized. Leg segment lengths: femur> tibia> tarsus, basitarsomere = combined lengths of tarsomeres 2–5. Distitarsomere with produced apicodorsal lobe; empodium pulvilliform; pulvilli slightly shorter than pretarsal claws. Abdomen: Female: large, anteriorly broad, moderately dorsoventrally flattened. Tergites 1–5 each with transverse furrow impressed near middle of tergite, furrows deepest on tergites 2–4, furrow lengths ca. 0.8–0.9× tergite width. Male Terminalia: unknown. Female Terminalia: Segments 6–10 telescoping (at least partially), apically tapered, with substantial intersegmental membrane. Sternites well developed. Cerci sheared off at amber surface (e.g., segmentation not visible).

TYPES: Holotype, female, JZC Bu-104.

ETYMOLOGY: The species name is derived from the New Latin telescopicus (literally, “farseeing”), but used here as a feminine adjective in reference to the telescoping posterior segments of the female abdomen.

COMMENTS: The unique specimen was trimmed and polished into a small, irregular polygonal piece 8 × 5 × 4 mm, to maximize views of various structures. It was separated from a cabochen of amber that also contains a female Parapolycentropus scorpion fly.

Figures

FIG. 8. Normyia telescopica, new genus and species (Stratiomyidae), JZC Bu-104, holotype. A. Wing. B. Antenna. C. Mesotibial apex, with spurs. D. Apical tarsomere with pretarsal structures, dorsal view. E. Apical tarsomere with pretarsal structures, lateral view.

FIG. 40. Normyia telescopica, new genus and species (Stratiomyidae), holotype JZC Bu-104 A. Habitus, right lateral. B. Head and thorax. C. Head, frontal view. D. Portion of abdomen, showing deeply impressed tergal sulci.