Alavaraphidia imperterrita 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 : 20-22

Alavaraphidia imperterrita Perez-de la Fuente, Penalver, Delclos & Engel sp. n. Figs 10, 11

Holotype.

MCNA 13608, from Peñacerrada I amber; partial specimen showing head and ventral parts of thorax and abdomen, including the ovipositor. Only the basalmost part of the wings is preserved.

Diagnosis.

As for the genus (vide supra).

Description.

Female.Body length excluding ovipositor 5.7. Integument dark brown; legs patterned as follows: femora darkened from just before their midlength to their end; two dark regions on tibiae, proximally and distally (medial dark region absent); tarsomere 1 not darkened, distal tarsomeres darkened. Head. Rhomboidal, about 1.2 long, with portion posterior to compound eyes shorter than eye diameter (about 0.7 times) and strongly tapering caudad; three large ocelli present, situated near posterior tangent of compound eyes; mandible with teeth not visible; palps short; clypeus especially elongate; compound eyes separated by about compound eye length; three large ocelli present, situated near posterior tangent of compound eyes; antennae inserted posterior to clypealfrons sulcus, basad anterior tangent of compound eyes; antennae extremely elongate, with 44 flagellomeres; flagellomeres elongate, about 1.5 times longer than wide; scape and pedicel thicker than flagellomeres, scape measuring about two flagellomeres, pedicel measuring slightly more than a flagellomere; coronal ecdysial cleavage line not evident; posterior border of head not visible. Thorax. Prothorax about 0.8 long; meso- and metathorax about 1.1 long; pronotum shorter than head, with a constant height along its length (i.e., without a distinct change of slope in lateral view); thoracic dorsal spines not visible, if present; all tibiae especially swollen medio-apically, with apical spines, spines also visible on metatarsomeres; process at midlength of metatibia indistinct; five tarsomeres, third with bilobed extensions having six to eight distal digitiform processes (Fig. 10C), different in shape than regular leg setae (not tapering apically); pretarsal claws simple, with a basal enlargement; arolium large.Preserved wing veins brown, with strong, very short setae; preserved membrane hyaline.Forewing. Costal field not especially broad. Three c-sc crossveins preserved.Hind wing. Costal field distinctly narrower than in forewing. Three c-sc crossveins preserved.Abdomen.Length 2.7; ovipositor robust but rather elongate, about 2.7 long as preserved, 0.2 thick (about 15 times as long as wide);ovipositor with dense a nnulations; ovipositor with conspicuous faint, stiff, small sensory setae along its entire length; ovipositor gonostyli club-shaped; tergite 10 (+11?) with a distalmost stripe of stiff trichobothria (some probably from tergite 9).

Etymology.

The specific epithet is the Latin term imperterritus, meaning “fearless”, and symbolizes the unalterable condition of an organism entrapped in amber.