Burmempheria raruschaetae Li, Wang & Yao, 2020

Hakim, Marina, Azar, Dany & Huang, Di-Ying, 2023, First record of fossil psocodeans in copula from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, Zootaxa 5396 (1), pp. 74-93 : 81-83

Burmempheria raruschaetae Li, Wang & Yao, 2020

( Figs 5 , 6 )

Additional material. NIGP203383, mostly preserved, male (?) ( Fig. 5A, B ), no syninclusions; NIGP203384, abdomen badly preserved, male ( Fig. 5C, D ), syninclusions: vegetal remains (stellate hairs). The material is deposited at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.

Description. We add the following characters: flagellomeres with secondary annulations; second maxillary palpomere from base with conical sensillum ( Fig. 6A ); fore tibiae with two longer apical spines, middle and hind tibiae with three longer apical spines; genitalia ( Fig. 6B–C ) with two apical developed rod-like lobes, well-rounded apically, without setation, fused basally to tube-like structure (phallosome?) emerging from under setose and membranous structure (hypandrium?) with posterior edge relatively straight with indentation in middle, possible bulging near base and in between rod-like lobes (aedeagus?).

Remarks. The diagnostic difference ‘tibiae lacking long spurs’ in Burmempheria raruschaetae and ‘tibiae covered with long and dense setae’ in Burmempheria densuschaetae is no longer valid as both possess two rows of strong tibial spines, long and clearly visible in the middle and hind legs. Similarly, we saw no significant differences—that are consistent and reliable—in the rest of the diagnostic characters (setae on the vertex, setae on the flagellomeres, shape of R 1) once compared with the new material. However, specimen CNU-PSO-MA2019004 (holotype of Burmempheria raruschaetae ) has both hind wings with the basi-radial cell three-angled (vs. four-angled in holotype of Burmempheria densuschaetae ). Both additional specimens NIGP203383 and NIGP203384 also display this venation pattern in both pairs of their hind wings; this character appears potentially reliable. Therefore, we maintain the validity of Burmempheria raruschaetae instead of synonymising it with Burmempheria densuschaetae , until future studies and analyses can clarify the exact taxonomic value of this character.

As for the previous taxa, we note the likely presence of a conical sensillum basally on the second maxillary palpomere, and the occasional three apical spines on the tibiae (possibly on one hind leg) in the holotype. Meanwhile, our new material (NIGP203383 and NIGP203384 ) has the conical sensillum and the tibiae with two apical spines on the forelegs and three apical spines on middle and hind legs .

As previously mentioned, the genitalia structures as observed in NIGP203383 were identified as female by Li et al. (2020, 2022). Another interpretation, as presented in the description, could be possible (refer to discussion section below).

Figures

FIGURE 5. Burmempheria raruschaetae. A, B, Habitus of NIGP203383. C, D, Habitus of NIGP203384. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 6. Burmempheria raruschaetae, NIGP203383. A, Sensillum on second maxillary palpomere. B, C, Details of genitalia. Scale bars = 0.05 mm for A, 0.1 mm for B, C.