Chorotingioites priscus, Wappler, Torsten, 2003

Wappler, Torsten, 2003, New fossil lace bugs (Heteroptera: Tingidae) from the Middle Eocene of the Grube Messel (Germany), with a catalog of fossil lace bugs, Zootaxa 374, pp. 1-26 : 9-11

Chorotingioites priscus n. sp. (Fig. 7–10)

Derivatio nominis: The specific epithet is derived from the Latin word priscus (meaning “ancient” or “old”).

Holotype: One specimen, a complete individual, dorsoventrally compressed, moderately preserved, coll. Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg ( SMF), Frankfurt am Main ( Germany), specimen SMF MeI 7690 (Fig. 7, 9, 10).

Dimensions (in mm): Body length 4.83, width 1.66 (incomplete); length of head (from apex of clypeus to posterior margin of pronotum) 0.45 (incomplete), width 0.66; interocular width 0.33; antennomeres 2–4: 0.19 (incomplete), 1.06, 0.49; length of pronotum 1.73, width 1.23; length of fore leg: femur 0.66 (incomplete), tibia 0.76 (incomplete); tarsus 0.18; length of middle leg: femur 0.83 (incomplete); length of hind leg: femur 0.9, tibia 1.06.

Type locality: Grube Messel near Darmstadt, grid square E89.

Stratigraphical and geographical distribution: Known only from the lower Middle Eocene (Lower Lutetian, ELMA Geiseltalian, MP11), Messel Formation; 0.93–1.44 m under alpha.

Diagnosis: As for the genus (see above).

Description: Large specimen, ca. 4.8 mm. Body moderately oval quite elongated and slender, 2.8 times longer than wide, dorsal side of the body, legs, and antennae black to dark­brown. Cells of the hemelytra (costal and subcostal area) larger than other cells, and transparent.

Head incompletely preserved, elongated, reaching or almost reaching apex of antennal segment I. Vertex between eyes slightly depressed. Eyes globular, projecting laterally of the head. Head probably with one dorsomedial spine and two occipital spines near the anterior boundary of pronotum. All nearly half as long as the first antennal segment. Antennae moderately long and thickened.

Figure 7­8. 7, Chorotingiotes prisca gen. et sp. n., entire specimen as preserved, (macropterous form), compression fossil; coll. Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg (SMF), Frankfurt am Main ( Germany), specimen SMF MeI 7690; scale bar represents 1 mm; 8, Chorotingiotes prisca gen. et sp. n. resting on a blossom of Banksia sp.; scale bar represents 2 mm.

Pronotum 1.4 times longer as wide, areolate. Anterior pronotal margin imperceptible weald. Pronotum bears three parallel carinae, the median reaching from the posterior margin to the middle of pronotum. Lateral carinae nearly as long as the median carinae. Paranota without projecting anterior angles but slightly rounded outer margins, probably with only one row of cells. Areolate posterior process well developed, elongated backwards along hemelytra covering whole clavi and approximately half of discoidal area.

Hemelytra (macropterous form) surpassing apex of abdomen, flattened, with distinctly carinated veins, separating the hemelytra in costal, subcostal, discoidal, and sutural areas. Costal area moderately wide, along the entire length, except for the base of the hemelytra, with two rows of moderately quadrangular cells (in widest place with 3? rows of cells). Subcostal area nearly as wide as costal area, with three rows of cells in the widest part.

Discoidal area triangular in shape, and in the widest place with 4 incompletely regular rows of cells of mainly oval to quadrangular shape. Clavi entirely concealed by the posterior pronotal process. Sutural area (membrane) extremely widened forming the areolate membrane which consists in the broadest place of approximately 8­9 irregular rows of cells of round to oval shape. Tips of sutural areas of both hemelytra fully overlapping at rest.

Femora in the middle slightly swollen. Tibiae of straight and cylindrical.