Aneurus (cf. Paraneurosoma) damzeni Heiss, 1825

Heiss, Ernst, Kairišs, Kristaps & Bukejs, Andris, 2021, The invisibile becomes visible: X-ray micro-CT reconstruction of Aneurus damzeni sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Aradidae) from Eocene Baltic amber, Zootaxa 4950 (1), pp. 189-195 : 190-191

Aneurus (cf. Paraneurosoma) damzeni Heiss , sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–10 )

Type material. Holotype: collection number “BAL-ANEU-07” ( CEHI) (ex. coll. Jonas Damzen JDC 7503); adult, female. A complete specimen with ventral side completely obscured by “milky opacity” included in a transparent, yellow amber piece with approximate dimensions of 32 mm × 21 mm and a maximum thickness of 10 mm; preserved without supplementary fixation. Syninclusions: few small stellate trichomes, and some small gas vesicles.

Type stratum. A predominantly Bartonian age (41.3–37.9 Ma) is interpreted for the extinct Central European resin-producing forests, which produced the amber that has eroded out of the Eocene Blue Earth layers ( Bukejs et al. 2019). However, the vast majority of Baltic amber derives from the geological amber-bearing strata that have been assigned a Priabonian age (37.8–33.9 Ma) ( Sadowski et al. 2017, 2020).

Type locality. Baltic Sea coast, Yantarny settlement (formerly Palmnicken), Sambian (Samland) Peninsula, Kaliningrad Region, Russia .

Diagnosis. Aneurus damzeni sp. nov. shares only with A. ursulae the following combination of characters: triangular scutellum, bisinuate lateral margins of pronotum and conical apical tubercles on genae. A newly described species differs from it by distinctly longer antennae (2.04 times as long as width of head; 1.43 in A. ursulae ) and lacking a contergite on deltg II.

Description. Macropterous female, body elongate oval, hemelytra complete, spread laterally; ventral structures obscured in natural condition.

Head. Slightly wider than long (0.65 mm / 0.55 mm); apex of clypeus rounded, reaching base of antennal segment II; genae shorter than clypeus adhering with a conspicuous apical tubercle; antenniferous lobes short and blunt; antennae long an slender, about twice as long as width of head, length of cylindrical antennal segments I / II / II / IV = 0.18 / 0.32 / 0.34 / 0.49 (in mm); eyes oval inserted in head, postocular lobes roundly produced reaching outer margin of eyes, then strongly converging to constricted collar; rostrum shorter than head arising from an open atrium.

Pronotum. About twice as wide as long (1.31 mm / 0.61 mm), lateral margins bisinuate converging anteriorly, anterolateral angles rounded, slightly produced over collar; disk flat with two oval impressions on anterior lobe; posterior margin straight.

Scutellum. Triangular, wider than long (0.61 mm / 0.52 mm), basal and lateral margins carinate; disk with a median longitudinal elevation, transversely rugose laterally.

Hemelytra. Clavus and corium distinct, the latter with two carinate veins, truncate posteriorly; membrane fully developed without veins; hind wings lanceolate, reaching to posterior margin of deltg V, with two veins.

Abdomen. Deltg II–VI separated by sutures; tergal plate consisting of fused mtg III–VI with usual pattern of flat apodemal impressions, anterior margin convex, contergite on deltg II not traceable; tergite VII about six times as wide as long.

Venter. Sternite III–VII separated by transverse sutures, posterior margin of sternite VI concave at middle confining sternite VII; ventral hem and longitudinal suture usually marking the inner margin of vltg II–VII are not developed, spiracles not discernible.

Legs. Femora incrassate, tibiae cylindrical, tarsi two-segmented with curved claws and pulvilli.

Measurements. Body length 4.7 mm; maximum width of abdomen 1.81 mm; hind wing length / width 1.79 mm / 0.60 mm.

Etymology. Patronymic. This interesting species is dedicated to Jonas Damzen (Vilnius, Lithuania) who provided this and several other amber inclusions of Heteroptera to the first author.

Figures

FIGURES 1–2. Photomicrographs of Aneurus damzeni sp. nov., holotype. 1—dorsal view; B—ventral view. Scale bars represent 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 3–6. X-ray micro-CT renderings of Aneurus damzeni sp. nov., holotype. 3—habitus, dorsal view; 4—same, ventral view. 5—same, left lateral view; 6—same, right lateral view. Scale bar represents 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 7–10. X-ray micro-CT renderings of Aneurus damzeni sp. nov., holotype. 7—habitus, frontal view; 8—same, caudal view; 9—details of anterior part of body, ventral view; 10—same, left lateral view. Scale bars represent 0.5 mm.