Amarantoraphidia ventolina 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 : 15-19

Amarantoraphidia ventolina Perez-de la Fuente, Penalver, Delclos & Engel sp. n. Figs 7-9

Holotype.

CES 364.1, from El Soplao amber; almost complete female, just lacking the distalmost portion of both forewings beyond the end of the pterostigma and the distal third of the right hind wing. The first left leg is disarticulated. The specimen is preserved together with the following syninclusions: one evaniid (a new Cretevania species; CES 364.2, Pérez-de la Fuente et al. 2012, in prep.) and three other indeterminate hymenopterans, four dipterans (one chimeromyiid among them), one thysanopteran, a few charcoalified plant fibers, and a few timber debris, as well as other indeterminate organic remains.

Diagnosis.

As for the genus (vide supra).

Description.

Female.Integument dark brown; legs patterned as follows: femora darkened from just before their midlength to their end; three dark areas on tibiae, proximally, medially and distally; tarsomere 1 not darkened, distal tarsomeres darkened. Head.Ovoid, about 0.7-0.8 long, with portion posterior to compound eyes longer than eye diameter and tapering caudad; three large ocelli present, situated between an terior half of compound eyes; mandibles with teeth not visible;palps short;compound eyes large and exopthalmic, separated by distance slightly greater than compound eye length; antennae inserted around anterior tangent of compound eyes (exact insertion not visible); scape and pedicel gracile, both measuring about length of four flagellomeres and being subequal in thickness to them; 24 flagellomeres present, slightly longer than wide, with sparse, minute setae; coronal ecdysial cleavage line not evident; posterior border of head with a distinct collar-like lip.Thorax.Prothorax about 1.1 long, meso- plus metathorax 1.4 long; pronotum slightly longer than head, with a constant height along its entire length (i.e., without a distinct change of slope in lateral view); a few spines visible on prothorax, dorsoanterior mesothorax apparently with a few small spines; all tibiae with apical spines; mesotibiae especially swollen; metatibiae significantly more elongate and thinner than the other tibiae; process at midlength of metatibiae absent; five tarsomeres, third with bilobed extensions lacking digitiform processes (Fig. 7B); pretarsal claws simple, with a basal enlargement; arolium large.Wing veins brown, meeting wing margins without bifurcating; veins with strong, very short setae, especially abundant on C; membrane hyaline. Forewing.Length about 5.6 (tip not preserved), maximum width 1.9; costal field moderately broad (at widest point costal field about 1.4 wider than pterostigma); six c-sc crossveins present, two basalmost c-sc crossveins particularly close to each other; Sc terminating into C slightly distad wing midlength; single, proximal sc-r crossvein; pterostigma elongate (1.5 long), slightly longer than either radial cell; pterostigma with constant width along its entire length, faintly infumate, starting 0.4 (about three times pterostigmal width) beyond termination of Sc; pterostigma without crossveins, basally closed by a crossvein; Rs with two branches; two large radial cells present; first radial cell nearly as long as second radial cell, with MA arising slightly distad its midpoint; MA with two branches; two dis coidal cells posterior to MP; apicalmost branch of CuA unforked; 1cua-cup crossvein located at M-CuA separation; 2A arcuate; jugal lobe not visible. Hind wing. Length about 4.1, maximum width 1.3; costal field distinctly narrower than in forewing; four c-sc crossveins present; sc-r crossvein absent; pterostigma elongate (1.5 long), slightly longer than second radial cell; pterostigma with about a constant width along its entire length, faintly infumate, starting 0.3 (slightly more than two times pterostigmal width) beyond termination of Sc; pterostigma without crossveins, basally closed by a crossvein; Rs with two branches; two radials cells present; MA with two branches; two discoidal cells posterior to MP, first one smaller and trianguloid; 1ma-mp crossvein close to fork between Rs and MA; anal area folded. Abdomen. Length 2.4; ovipositor robust, 1.7 long as preserved, 0.1 thick (about 15 times as long as wide); ovipositor showing dense annulations (Fig. 7C); ovipositor with faint, stiff, short sensory setae along its entire length; ovipositor gonostyli most likely club-shaped.

Etymology.

In the Cantabrian mythology, the “ventolines” are tenacious and always cheerful fairy-like air beings that dwell in the depths of the sky and, when summoned, help defenseless fishermen by placidly steering their boats to the shore while embracing them with their warm green wings. The term has been singularized and feminized for combination.

Comments.

In extant snakeflies, the dense annulations of the ovipositor (cf. Fig. 7C) provide the flexibility necessary for introduction into irregular cavities, similar to a flexible metallic hose ( Mickoleit 1973). It has been noted how mesoraphidiids would have had a shorter and thicker ovipositor than Recent Raphidioptera ( Bechly and Wolf-Schwenninger 2011). The shape of the ovipositor in this specimen and also in Alavaraphidia gen. n. supports such a conclusion.