Epimesoplecia ambloneura, Lin, Xiuqin, Shih, Chungkun & Ren, Dong, 2015

Lin, Xiuqin, Shih, Chungkun & Ren, Dong, 2015, Revision of the genus Epimesoplecia Zhang, 2007 (Diptera, Nematocera, Protopleciidae) with five new species, ZooKeys 492, pp. 123-143 : 132-134

Taxon classification Animalia Diptera Protopleciidae

Epimesoplecia ambloneura sp. n. Figs 9, 10

Etymology.

The epithet of ambloneura is derived from the Greek prefix “ambl-”, meaning “obtuse”, and Greek word “neura”, meaning "string or sinew", referring to the blunt caudal vein of this species. The specific epithet is a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis.

Antennae filiform. Sc very close to the level of r-m; fork of Rs at the same level of fork of M1+2; R2+3 proximad of crossvein r-m; R2+3, straight, distinctly longer than bRs and dRs combined; bRs about 6-7 times as long as dRs, the latter clearly shorter than r-m; bM1+2 significantly longer than dM1+2 (1.3-2.8 times); M2 8-11 times as long as dM1+2; bM3+4 shorter than m-cu; cell bp slightly wider than cell ba terminally.

Materials.

Holotype: male. NO. CNU-DIP-NN-2013215, in ventral view, a well-preserved specimen with partial antennae, complete wings and body (Fig. 9A). Paratype: sex unknown. NO. CNU-DIP-NN-2013208, in dorsal view, a specimen with only right wing well-preserved, but fragments of body as preserved (Fig. 10).

Horizon and locality.

All specimens were collected from the Jiulongshan Formation, late Middle Jurassic age (Late Callovian) from Daohugou Village, Ningcheng County, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in China.

Description.

Head (Fig. 9C): Oviform and very small in lateral view; antennae long, with 16 segments, scape and pedicel slightly compressed; flagellar segments slender and long, becoming thinner and shorter toward apex; maxillary palpi segments barely visible.

Thorax (Figs 9A and 10A): Scutum well-developed, arched convex; scutellum depressed; haltere not visible.

Legs (Fig. 9A): Forelegs: femur slightly thicker than tibia; almost equal to tibia; tarsi not preserved. Mid legs: femur thicker than tibia; tibial spurs minute; tarsi not preserved. Hind legs: femur expanded, almost equal to tibia; tibial spurs minute; the 1st tarsomere longer than half of tibia; tarsi 2 nd– 5th not preserved.

Wings (Figs 9B and 10B): Wing long and narrow (length: 7.4-9.1 mm, width: 3.2-3.6 mm), apex of wings not reaching the abdominal terminalia. Costal field long and thin, apex of Sc gradually tapering to the end; Rs arising almost from basal one-fifth of wing length, furcating at the same level of fork of M1+2; bRs 5 times as long as r-m; CuA slightly oblique; vein A1 nearly straight, not reaching posterior margin, exceeding the level of m-cu.

Female genitalia (Fig. 9D): Genitalia with 2-segmented cerci.

Dimensions of holotype

(in mm). [Measurements for the paratype, CNU-DIP-NN2013208 in brackets]. Holotype: male. NO. CNU-DIP-NN-2013215, body length 12.7 as preserved [5 as preserved]; antennae 1.5 as preserved. Forelegs: femur 3.5 as preserved; tibia 3.9. Mid leg: femur 3.9; tibia 4.2. Hind leg: femur 4.2, tibia 4.8. Wing: length 9.1 [7.4], width 3.6 [3.2]; R2+3 3.5 [2.9]; bRs 2.5 [1.9]; dRs 0.35 [0.3]; R4+5 4 [3.3].

Remarks.

The new species is similar to Epimesoplecia shcherbakovi Zhang, 2007, but differs from the latter in having bRs about 6-7 times as long as dRs (vs. 4.5 times); R2+3 clearly longer than bRs and dRs combined (vs. R2+3 significantly shorter than bRs and dRs combined); Rs bifurcation proximad of r-m (vs. Rs distad of r-m); M2 8-11 times as long as dM1+2 (vs. 5 times); bM3+4 shorter than m-cu (vs. bM3+4 longer than m-cu). Comparisons with other species are listed in Table 1.