Cratotabanus cearensis Carmo and Sampronha, 2022

do Carmo, Daniel Dias Dornelas, Sampronha, Stephanie, Santos, Charles Morphy D. & Ribeiro, Guilherme Cunha, 2022, Cretaceous Horse flies and their phylogenetic significance (Diptera: Tabanidae), Arthropod Systematics & amp; Phylogeny 80, pp. 295-307 : 295

Cratotabanus cearensis Carmo and Sampronha sp. nov.

Figs 3 , 4

Examined material.

Holotype female: CCNH 567, NE Brazil, Crato Formation , Aptian, Lower Cretaceous.

Preservation.

Preserved in lateral view. Frons and occiput visible. Notopleuron, anepisternum, katepisternum and scutellum preserved. Fore, mid and hind leg preserved. Wings partially preserved. Tergites of abdomen and female cercus preserved.

Diagnosis.

Frons apparently convergent; apex of R1 near to the same level of end of cell d; R4 strongly curved at posterior half; vein m-cu two times longer than the origin of M4 to the m-cu insertion; M2 and M3 sub-parallel; suture at sternite I+II strongly marked.

Description.

Holotype female. Measurements: Moderate size, body 9.6 mm, wing 6.9 mm. - Head: Frons apparently convergent bellow; ocellar triangle developed with ocelli; basal callus absent. - Legs: hind leg with two tibial spurs; - Wings: Apex of R1 near to the same level of cell d apex; R2+3 straight (insertion in C not visible); vein R4 strongly curved at posterior half; no appendix at R4; cell r5 open; M1 curved, parallel to M2; M3 sub-parallel to M2; cell m3 open; m-m three times longer than fork of M1 and M2 to the m-m insertion; m-cu two times longer than origin of M4 to the m-cu insertion; wing ca. 3 times longer than wide. - Abdomen: tergite X undivided; - Terminalia: Cercus two-segmented, anterior segment an inverted triangle, posterior segment ovoid.

Etymology.

The name of the species refers to the state of Ceará (NE Brazil) where the Araripe Basin is located.

Comments.

Cratotabanus cearensis sp. nov. has a two--segmented cercus, a character also visible in C. asiaticus Grimaldi ( Grimaldi 2016) and Araripus crassitibialis gen. nov. et sp.nov., which follows the ‘bauplan’ of Tabanomorpha . Tergite X is visible in lateral view, apparently undivided as in C. asiaticus . Cratotabanus cearensis sp. nov. differs from C. stonemyomorphus by the vein m-cu two times longer than the joint between the discal cell and the base of M4 (against three times in C. stonemyomorphus ), and vein R4 strongly curved at posterior half. From C. newjerseyensis Grimaldi, C. cearensis sp. nov. differs by the veins M2 and M3 almost parallels and m-m three times longer than the distance between the bases of M1 and M2 - in C. newjerseyenis they are nearly the same size ( Grimaldi 2016). C. cearensis sp. nov. differs from C. asiaticus by having the apex of R1 inserting in C near to the same level of cell d apex. The specimen here described is preserved in lateral view, with seven visible abdominal sternites. In all known extant and fossil Tabanidae , the sternites I and II are fused. In most species, however, a remnant suture of variable prominence in the resultant fused segment is apparent. In C. cearensis sp. nov. a clear division between segments I and II is present.

Figures

Figure 3. Cratotabanus cearensis sp. n. Holotype female. A Lateral habitus. B Head and thorax. C Terminalia. Scale bars: 2 mm (A); 1 mm (B); 0.5 mm (C)

Figure 4. Cratotabanus cearensis sp. nov. Holotype female. A Illustration of lateral habitus. B Wing venation. C Female terminalia. Scale bars: 2 mm (A, B); 0.1 mm (C).