Cretaconiopteryx grandis, Liu & Lu, 2017

Liu, Xingyue & Lu, Xiumei, 2017, A remarkable new genus of Cretaceous dustywings (Neuroptera: Coniopterygidae) in amber from northern Myanmar, Zoological Systematics 42 (3), pp. 380-389 : 382-385

Cretaconiopteryx grandis sp. nov. ( Figs 1–3 )

Diagnosis. Mostly as for the genus. The forewing with six distinct, ovoid, pigmented spots may be an important diagnostic character of the new species.

Description. Female. Body length 5.27 mm; integument dark brown, with abdomen slightly paler.

Head longer than wide, with prominent compound eyes; frons well-sclerotized between antennal insertions; gena elongated; vertex feebly domed. Antenna with scape stouter than pedicel and flagellomeres, scape distinctly longer than pedicel, pedicel about twice as long as wide; flagellomeres each subquadrate, nearly as long as wide, but terminal flagellomere bullet-shaped; flagellomeres with numerous, minute, suberect setae. Mouthparts chewing mandibulate; labrum subquadrate, anterolaterally rounded, and anteromedially slightly concaved; maxilla with galea segmented, terminal maxillary palpomere elongate elliptical, much longer and broader than preceding palpomeres; terminal labial palpomere elongate conical, much longer and broader than preceding palpomeres.

Prothorax slightly narrower than meso- and metathorax. Legs slender, with numerous, short setae; profemur nearly equal in length to mesofemur but shorter than metafemur, and slightly more swollen than meso- and metafemora; protibia shorter than meso- and metatibiae; tarsi 5-segmented; basitarsus longest tarsomere, about as long as combined lengths of remaining tarsomeres; tarsomere 4 apically expanded, marginally with a row of setae; pretarsal claws short, simple; arolium absent.

Forewing length 6.67mm, maximal width 2.22 mm; membrane hyaline, slightly brownish throughout, with six distinct, ovoid, pigmented spots, respectively located at cells between RA and RP+MA, RP and MA, RP+MA and MP, MP1 and MP2, MP and CuA, and CuP and A1; an additional smaller spot present at distal cell between RP+MA and MP at least in left forewing; a short, simple, recurrent humeral veinlet present; costal space proximally with two costal crossveins, while also with eight subcostal veinlets on distal half; ScP largely parallel to costal margin, distally curved posteriad; one scp-ra present at distal 1/4 of subcostal space; RA distally curved posteriad and connected with anteriorly curved RP, forming a loop; one ra-rp present distad scp-ra; origin of RP+MA near wing base; RP simple, distally curved anteriad; MA simple and straight; one rp-ma present distad ra-rp; MP bifurcated at about distal 1/3; one r-mp, two or three rp+ma-mp, and one mamp present; one mp1-mp2 present; RP/MA fork and MP1/MP2 fork generally similar in shape and size; stem of M nearly touching Cu; Cu forked near wing base; CuA straight and simple; CuP simple, proximally zig-zagged; two cua-cup present; A1 simple; three cup-a1; A2 with a long, distally bifurcated anterior branch and a short, strongly curved posterior branch; two a1-a2 present; distal-most crossveins among longitudinal veins from RA to A2 arranged into a gradate series; marginal setae present, and those on hind margin much more widely spaced than those on costal margin.

Hind wing length 5.89 mm, maximal width 1.85 mm, similar to forewing, but immaculate; costal space distally with at least four subcostal veinlets; ScP largely parallel to costal margin, terminally abruptly bending toward RA (or alternatively interpreted as connected by a crossvein with RA); RA distally feebly curved posteriad; one ra-rp+ma and one ra-rp present; origin of RP+MA near wing base; RP simple, distally feebly curved anteriad; MA simple and straight, a short oblique stem of MA present near wing base; one rp-ma present distad ra-rp; MP bifurcated at about distal 1/3; two rp+ma-mp, and one ma-mp present; one mp1-mp2 present; RP/MA fork and MP1/MP2 fork generally similar in shape, but the latter fork slightly smaller than the former one; stem of M nearly touching R; Cu forked near wing base; CuA and CuP both straight and simple; two closely spaced cua-cup present; A1 simple; two cup-a1; A2 distally bifurcated, with a short crossvein between stem of A2 and hind margin; distal-most crossveins among longitudinal veins from RA to CuA arranged into a gradate series; marginal setae present, and those on hind margin much more widely spaced than those on costal margin.

Abdomen large, broad, greatly tapering to narrow apical segments; plicatures present at least on segments 3–4. Genital structures only visible in ventral view; putative gonocoxites 8 fused as a short, transverse subgenital plate; tergum 9 broad, slightly prominent posteriad; gonocoxites 9 much shorter and narrower than tergum 9, slightly depressed medially; ectoproct short, with obtuse posterolateral corners; an acutely pointed sclerite present beneath ectoproct, possibly being part of segment 10.

Male. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype. CAM BA-0008 (amber piece preserving a complete adult female of C. grandis sp. nov. and two midges; it is polished in the form of a nearly elliptical transparent cabochon, with length×width about 10.2×8.0mm, height about 5.3 mm), Lowermost Cenomanian , Tanai Village, Hukawng Valley, northern Myanmar.

Etymology. The specific epithet grandis refers to the large body-size of the new species among known dustywings.

Figures

Figure 1. Cretaconiopteryx grandis gen. & sp. nov., holotype female. A. Habitus photo, dorsal view. B. Photo of forewing apex, showing loop formed by RA and RP (indicated by an arrow). C. Photo of protarsus. D. Photo of head, dorsal view. E. Terminal segments of antenna. F. Drawing of head, dorsal view.Abbreviation: gl—galea; lb—labrum; lp—labial palp; mp—maxillary palp; t— tarsomere. Scale bars:A–B, D, F=1.0mm; C=0.25mm; E=0.5mm.

Figure 2. Cretaconiopteryx grandis gen. & sp. nov., holotype female. A. Habitus photo, ventral view. B. Lateral portion of abdominal segment 3 (as located on A) showing plicature (indicated by an arrow), ventral view. C. Drawing of genitalia (arrow indicated putative element of segment 10), ventral view. Abbreviation: e—ectoproct; gx—gonocoxite; pl—plicature; T—tergum. Scale bars: A, C = 1.0mm; B=0.5mm.

Figure 3. Drawings of fore- and hindwings of Cretaconiopteryx grandis gen. & sp. nov., holotype female.A. Right fore- and hindwing; B. Left fore- and hindwing. Arrows: 1, stem of hind wing MA; 2, forewing humeral veinlet; 3, loop formed by forewing RA and RP; 4, zig-zagged proximal part of forewing CuP; 5, abrupt curve of hind wing ScP (or distal scp-ra crossvein); 6, gradate-like arrangement of distal crossveins. Scale bar =1.0mm.