Leptoconops zherikhini Szadziewski & Arillo, 2003

Arillo, Antonio, Peñalver, Enrique & Delclòs, Xavier, 2008, Microphorites (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) from the Lower Cretaceous amber of San Just (Spain), and the co-occurrence of two ceratopogonid species in Spanish amber deposits, Zootaxa 1920, pp. 29-40 : 37

Leptoconops zherikhini Szadziewski & Arillo, 2003

Fig. 5 & Pl. 1, fig. f.

Material: One female CPT- 3345 in a preparation of 4 x 5 x 2 mm.

Description: Body length about 1 mm. Eyes widely separated. Antenna with 12 flagellomeres, being 2– 11 more or less spherical and 12th cylindrical ( Fig. 5 c). Proboscis relatively short with 4-segmented palpus. Wing length 0.6–0.7 mm, with costal vein not prolonged beyond vein R3. Vein R4+5 well developed to wing apex ( Fig. 5 a). Legs slender, claws simple ( Fig. 5 b), and tarsal ratio of hind leg about 1.4. Female cerci elongate, slender, 3.1 times longer than broad ( Fig. 5 d).

Discussion: The new ceratopogonid specimens from San Just Amber clearly belong to the two species described from Álava Amber, despite some minor differences in the specimens of P. s k a l s k i i that fit within species variability.

These two species possess a long proboscis, indicating haematophagous habits. According to Grimaldi & Engel (2005), vertebrate feeding occurred in the ancestral ceratopogonid, and this habit would be inherited from the ancestor of probably all culicomorphans. Adults in extant species of Leptoconops feed on blood of mammals, birds and reptiles.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Camera lucida drawings of the species Leptoconops zherikhini (Ceratopogonidae) found in amber from San Just (Teruel Province) (specimen CPT- 3345). Details of the a) wing, b) right hind leg with simple tarsal claw, c) head in dorso-lateral view and d) female cerci in lateral view. All to the same scale (bar = 0.1 mm).