Styporaphidia? hispanica Perez-de la Fuente, Penalver , Delclos & Engel

Fuente, Ricardo Perez-de la, Penalver, Enrique, Delclos, Xavier & Engel, Michael S., 2012, Snakefly diversity in Early Cretaceous amber from Spain (Neuropterida, Raphidioptera), ZooKeys 204, pp. 1-40 : 13

Styporaphidia? hispanica Perez-de la Fuente, Penalver, Delclos & Engel sp. n. Fig. 6

Holotype.

MCNA 9343, from Peñacerrada I amber; hind wing fragment and abdominal apex, including the genitalia.

Diagnosis.

The new species is similar to Styporaphidia magia Engel and Ren, 2008 from the Late Jurassic of Inner Mongolia, China, in the presence of two pterostigmal crossveins. Styporaphidia? hispanica sp. n.differs in that the distance between 1ptc and 2ptc is three times the distance between 2ptc and the end of the pterostigma (two times in Styporaphidia magia ), the forking of Rs at the apicalmost r-rs crossvein (rather than prior to it in Styporaphidia magia ), and R meeting the apicalmost r-rs crossvein beyond the pterostigma (within in Styporaphidia magia ).

Description.

Male. Hind wing. Length as preserved 3.5, maximum width as preserved 2.5; wing apex relatively rounded; C especially thick when compared to other veins; pterostigma almost with constant width along its entire length, infumate; pterostigma with two crossveins, distalmost crossvein oblique and slightly arcuate, proximal crossvein apparently straight, distance between 1ptc and 2ptc three times distance between 2ptc and end of pterostigma; Rs with two branches, forking at r-rs crossvein; R meeting apicalmost r-rs crossvein beyond pterostigma; rs-ma crossvein meeting MA after its distalmost fork; MA with two branches. Abdomen. Gonocoxites 9 with a few long setae;gonostyli 9 segment rather short, rounded (not acute), slightly upcurved;tergite 10 (+11?) with distal setae;paired, contiguous, acute genital structures located dorsad to gonostyli 9, interpreted as distalmost part of parameres (Fig. 6A).

Etymology.

The specific epithet refers to the occurrence of this species in ancient Spain (Hispania in Latin).

Comments.

Although the base of the pterostigma is not preserved and it is accordingly impossible to ascertain if it was diffuse (i.e., lacking a crossvein), this species is tentatively placed in the genus Styporaphidia owing to the presence of two pterostigmal crossveins. The presence of two pterostigmal crossveins is a rare feature among the Raphidioptera and otherwise known in a few other raphidiopterans, i.e, namely the baissopterids Baissoptera kolosnitsynae and Baissoptera pulchra ( Martynova 1961: p. 81, fig. 7; Martins-Neto and Nel 1992: p. 428, figs 2, 3), but the present fossil is clearly not a baissopterid. The fragment is considered as corresponding to a hind wing due to the more distal disposition of both crossveins as occurs in Styporaphidia magia (the distance between them being greater than the distance between 2ptc and the end of the pterostigma), and by the relative position of the abdomen. The veins C and R appear to be especially thickened close to the wing apex as occurs also in Styporaphidia magia ( Engel and Ren 2008: fig. 2), though this effect could be enhanced by the darkening of the margins of the pterostigma. Although the species is represented by a wing fragment and the genitalia, it is distinctive enough that it should be easy to associate with more complete material that may become available in the future.