Archiraphidia

Makarkin, Vladimir N. & Archibald, S. Bruce, 2014, A revision of the late Eocene snakeflies (Raphidioptera) of the Florissant Formation, Colorado, with special reference to the wing venation of the Raphidiomorpha, Zootaxa 3784 (4), pp. 401-444 : 429-432

Archiraphidia ? somnolenta ( Scudder, 1890) , stat. res.

( Figs 17 , 18 )

Inocellia somnolenta Scudder, 1890: 157 , Pl. 14, Fig. 12 ; Handlirsch 1906–1908 [1907]: 908; Cockerell & Custer 1925: 297; Carpenter 1936: 143, 145, 150 (as a synonym of Raphidia tranquilla ); Oswald 1990: 160 (as a synonym of R. tranquilla ); Engel 2002: 22 (as a synonym of R. tranquilla ); Engel 2003: 125 (as a synonym of R. tranquilla ).? Inocellia somnolenta : Handlirsch 1910: 104.

“ Raphidia ” somnolenta : Aspöck et al. 1991: 539, 665, Fig. 3051.

Diagnosis. May be easily distinguished from other species of genus (and other Florissant genera) by long pterostigma (short in other Archiraphidia species) in which incorporated RA branch hardly detectable (clearly visible in species of Megaraphidia , Florissantoraphidia gen. nov.); two doi in hind wing (one in other Archiraphidia species).

Redescription. Head appears short (length slightly less than 2 mm), but possibly an artefact of preservation. Prothorax appears strongly narrowed caudally (in ventral view), ca. 2.0– 2.3 mm long, ca. 1 mm maximum wide. Pterothorax, legs, abdomen poorly preserved, but surely male.

Forewing ca. 7.0 mm long as preserved (estimated complete length ca. 9 mm), 2.6 mm wide. Costal space incompletely preserved, relatively broad. ScP relatively short; length from termination of ScP to pterostigma slightly less than length of pterostigma. Four preserved subcostal veinlets (branches of ScP) distad fusion of M+CuA simple, widely spaced. In subcostal space, two crossveins preserved, one well proximad origin of RP; second closes pterostigma proximally. Pterostigma rather long, dark, but lighter than in congeners. RA with two branches preserved: one closing pterostigma distally, other distad pterostigma; no branches within pterostigma detected. Portion of RA distad pterostigma rather long. Anterior trace of RP deeply forked apically; with one branch proximad 3ra-rp, two distad (alternatively, anterior trace of RP simple; with one branch proximad 3ra-rp, three distad). RP 1 forked once, relatively shallowly. RP 2 simple. RP 3 shallowly forked in right wing, simple in left. Two crossveins between RA, RP; 2ra-rp distad termination of ScP; 3ra-rp located within pterostigma, in its distal half. One intraradial crossvein, between anterior trace of RP, RP 1. Three crossveins between RP, MA; 1r-m close to origin of RP; 3r-m connecting RP 1, MA located near intraradial crossvein. MA dichotomously forked; MP zigzagged, pectinately branched; anterior trace, both branches simple (proximal-most branch fused for short distance with anterior trance of CuA in left wing). Two long intramedian crossveins; 2im connects anterior trace of MA, MP. Free stem of M+CuA very short. Anterior trace of CuA, its single branch simple. CuP simple. One long intracubital crossvein. Crossvein cu-aa rather long. AA1 simple; AA2 incompletely preserved; crossvein between these (iaa) very long.

Hind wing ca. 6.5 mm long as preserved (estimated complete length ca. 8 mm), 2.35 mm wide. Costal space poorly preserved. ScP fragmentarily preserved; length from termination of ScP to pterostigma slightly less than length of pterostigma. In subcostal space, one crossvein preserved, closing pterostigma proximally. Pterostigma rather long, slightly narrower than in forewing. RA with one branch (left wing), two branches (right wing); no branches detected within pterostigma; one branch closes pterostigma distally; other (right wing) distad pterostigma. Portion of RA distad pterostigma short, deeply curved in right wing; longer in left wing. Two crossveins between RA, RP preserved; 2ra-rp located well distad termination of ScP; 3ra-rp relatively short, within pterostigma (in distal half). Anterior trace of RP deeply forked apically in right wing, simple in left; with one branch proximad 3rarp, two distad (alternatively, anterior trace of RP simple in right wing, with one branch proximad 3ra-rp, three distad). RP 1 forked once; other branches simple. One intraradial crossvein, between anterior trace of RP, RP 1. MA dichotomously forked; MP pectinately branched; anterior trace, one branch rather deeply forked. Two doi; two intramedian crossveins. Anterior branch of CuA, one branch simple. 2m-cu connects MP well proximad 1im, CuA. Basal portion of wing, CuP, anal veins not preserved. CuP fragmentarily preserved. Anal veins not preserved.

Type material. Holotype MCZ 488a, b (part, counterpart; Scudder’s numbers 9373 and 10389), deposited in MCZ. An incomplete, strongly crumpled male specimen; right forewing preserved separately from other wings, which are overlapping. Verbatim label data associated with the part 488a: [1] “Mus. Comparative Zoölogy, Cambridge, / No. 488 / Inocellia somnolenta / Scud. / Florissant Miocene”; [2] 488 a / type / Inocellia / somnolenta Scud. / Florissant / Neuroptera : Inocelliidae ”. The part has a red label glued to the rock that says “ Type. / 488 a”, and red ink writing on the rock that says “9373”. Label data associated with the counterpart 488b: [3] “Mus. Comp. Zoöl. Cambridge, Mass. / No. 488-b / Inocellia somnolenta Scud. / Scudder Collection Florissant, Colo.”. The counterpart has a red label glued to the rock that says “ Type / 488 b”, and red ink writing on the rock that says “10389”.

Type locality. Florissant (precise collecting locality unknown).

Remarks. This species was considered as a synonym of A. tranquilla by Carpenter (1936, p. 50: “there is no reason for regarding these two species [ tranquilla and somnolenta ] as distinct”), which subsequent authors have followed, although it was only very schematically figured by Scudder (1890). We find that this species is clearly distinguished from tranquilla by a much longer pterostigma and two doi in the hind wing (one in tranquilla ). We preliminarily assign the species to this genus. Its pterostigma is longer and slightly paler than in other specimens assigned to Archiraphidia , but an incorporated RA branch is not visible (see Fig. 9 G, H). Also, it has two doi in the hind wing (one in other specimens of Archiraphidia ); its MP in the forewing is not so zigzagged. It is then probable that this species belongs to a fourth genus of Florissant Raphidiidae , but we find no distinct diagnostic characters, which prevents us from creating a new genus for it.

Scudder (1890) provisionally assigned the specimen No. 2603 to this species, “the apical half of two overlapping fore wings” (p. 158). The present depository of this specimen is unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Pterostigma of Archiraphidia species. A – C, A. tumulata (Scudder, 1890): A, left wings. B, right forewing. C, right hind wing. D – F, A. tranquilla (Scudder, 1890): D, four wings of the holotype MCZ 446. E, four wings of MCZ 4137 (lectotype of A. eventa (Scudder, 1890 )); F, left wings of MCZ 253 (paralectotype of A. eventa). G, three wings of A.? somnolenta (Scudder, 1890). H, right forewing of A.? somnolenta. HW, hind wing; LFW, left forewing; RFW, right forewing. All wings are shown with apex to right and not to scale.

FIGURE 12. Archiraphidia tranquilla (Scudder, 1890). Holotype MCZ 246, the specimen as preserved. Scale bar = 4 mm.

FIGURE 17. Archiraphidia? somnolenta (Scudder, 1890). Holotype MCZ 488. A, part (converted to right). B, counterpart. Scale bar = 4 mm (both to scale).

FIGURE 18. Archiraphidia? somnolenta (Scudder, 1890). Wing venation of the holotype MCZ 488. A, left forewing. B, right forewing as preserved. C, right forewing, reconstruction. D, left hind wing. E, right hind wing. Scale bar = 4 mm (all to scale).