Epignopholeon sophiae, Makarkin, 2017

Makarkin, Vladimir N., 2017, Oldest new genus of Myrmeleontidae (Neuroptera) from the Eocene Green River Formation, Zootaxa 4337 (4) : -

Epignopholeon sophiae sp. nov.

Figs 1–5

Holotype. UCM 88421a,b (part, counterpart), collected in 2010 by David Kohls, and deposited in the collections of UCM. An incomplete female specimen, with three preserved wings (two forewings, one hind wing).

Type locality and horizon. UCM locality 2009063 ( Claudia’s Place ), situated between East Fork and Middle Fork of Parachute Creek; Garfield County, Colorado, U.S.A. Parachute Creek Member of the Green River Formation ; early Eocene (late Ypresian).

Etymology. From the first name of Sophia Elizabeth Kohls, grand-daughter of the collector of the specimen.

Description. Female. Length of body ca. 16 mm.

Head poorly preserved except for large eyes (ca. 1 mm in diameter); vertex slightly elevated; mouthparts not preserved; antennae ca. 5 mm long, dilated apically.

Thorax poorly preserved; prothorax probably short; mesothorax large.

Legs fragmentarily preserved. Forelegs: protibia covered with fine short setae, few strong acute setae. Midlegs: mesofemur moderately stout, with several long strong setae; mesotibia densely covered with fine short setae, several long strong setae. Hind legs: metafemur covered with fine short setae, apparently with few long strong setae; metatibia densely covered with fine short setae, several long strong setae; tibial spurs not detected. Tarsus of all legs poorly preserved, probably similarly constructed; at least four proximal tarsomeres short, covered with fine dense setae, ventrally apparently with pair of rather long, strong setae.

Abdomen complete, but rather poorly preserved. Basal segments poorly or not preserved. Tergites 4–6 longer than others, covered with fine, rather short setae. Sternites 4–6 long, but very poorly preserved. Tergite 7 short, much shorter than sternite 7, covered with fine, rather short setae. Sternite 7 very long, covered with rare, rather strong, elongated setae ( Fig. 3B , sS7). Tergite 8 poorly preserved, short. Boundaries of process of sternite 8 (according of Badano et al. 2017a; = anterior gonapophyses of Stange 1994) not discernible, but its presumed fourfive setae strong, elongated ( Fig. 3B , spS8). Boundaries of gonocoxites 8 (= posterior gonapophyses of Stange, 1994) not discernible; their setae fine, dense, very long ( Fig. 3B , sgx8). Tergite 9 very poorly preserved; its boundaries not discernible. Boundaries of ectoproct not discernible; its distal setae dense, rather strong, elongated; three digging (fossorial) setae very stout, blunt-pointed, directed upwards ( Fig. 3B , dse). Boundaries of gonocoxites 9 (= lateral gonapophyses of authors) not discernible, but their presumed setae long, fine; among these several strong, elongate pointed digging setae.

Forewing narrow, dilated in distal part; ca. 19.7 mm long, 4.5 mm wide at its widest. Costal space very narrow basally, gradually dilated towards apex, strongly dilated after fusion of ScP and RA. Subcostal veinlets widely spaced proximally becoming increasingly closely spaced towards pterostigma; all veinlets simple proximad pterostigma (left wing) or two distal veinlets proximad pterostigma forked (right wing); all subcostal veinlets once forked within pterostigma. Proximal part of pterostigma dark brown. ScP and RA fused; ScP+RA entering margin well beyond wing apex. All veinlets of ScP+RA forked at least twice; five (right wing) to seven (left wing) crossveins between veinlets of ScP+RA detected, forming gradate series; some of them narrowly margined with dark brown. Subcostal space poorly preserved, narrow, without crossveins. One presectoral crossvein detected, other possible. In RA space (between RA and RP), six crossveins proximad fusion of ScP and RA (right wing); no crossveins detected distad this fusion, although one may be present within rather large dark spot; hypostigmal cell long. Origin of RP far from wing base (ca. at 0.36 of wing length). Pectinate RP with eight branches; RP1 originates rather far from origin of RP (four crossveins between RP and M/MA proximad origin of RP1), rather deeply dichotomously branched; RP2–RP3 once to twice forked; RP4–RP8 poorly preserved. Crossveins between branches of RP not numerous, most of them arranged in two gradate series. Distal gradate series consists of eight crossveins, all markedly margined with dark brown. Five crossveins between RP1 and MA detected. M forking into MA and MP markedly distad origin of CuA1. MA with few distal branches, forked twice. Basally, MP appears as oblique crossvein then fused with CuA. Eight crossveins detected between MA and anterior trace of MP+CuA. CuA forked slightly distad origin of RP; distal part of CuA1 strongly arched, with three branches, connected by three crossveins. Two-three long crossveins between anterior trace of MP+CuA and CuA1. MP+CuA pectinate, with five branches, forked once to twice, connected by one to three crossveins (distal-most branch simple). Intracubital space slightly divergent distally. Two crossveins between CuA1 and CuP+AA1 (or CuP). CuP+AA1 (or CuP) distant from and nearly parallel to posterior margin, reaching it distad origin of CuA1, with several simple branches (six detected). Color pattern: transverse spot at pterostigma; all distal gradate series between branches of RP, several gradate series between veinlets of ScP+RA markedly margined with dark brown; rather large spot in distal part of RA space; elongated spot at crossvein between CuA1 and CuP+AA1, adjoining part of CuA1.

Hind wing very narrow, ca. 18.0 mm long, 3.5 mm wide as preserved (actual width slightly greater as wing crumpled). Costal space very narrow basally, gradually slightly dilated towards apex, strongly dilated after fusion ScP and RA. Subcostal veinlets widely spaced proximally becoming increasingly more closely spaced towards pterostigma; all veinlets simple proximad pterostigma, once forked within pterostigma. Proximal part of pterostigma dark brown. ScP and RA fused; ScP+RA entering margin well beyond wing apex. All veinlets of ScP+RA once to twice forked; two crossveins between veinlets of ScP+RA detected, forming gradate series. Subcostal space poorly preserved, narrow, without crossveins. No presectoral crossveins detected. In RA space, five crossveins proximad fusion of ScP and RA detected; one distad fusion; hypostigmal cell long. RP originates far from wing base (ca. at 0.34 of wing length). Pectinate RP with eight branches; RP1 originates rather far from origin of RP (three crossveins between anterior traces of RP and MA proximad origin of RP1), rather deeply dichotomously branched (primary fork at fuscous spot); RP2–RP4 once forked; RP5–RP8 simple. Few crossveins between branches of RP detected, all not margined with dark brown. Six crossveins between RP1 and anterior trace of MA. Fork of M not detected, probably near wing base; MA with one, rather long terminal fork. MP strongly pectinate; with 11 branches, once forked (when preserved) except two simple distal-most branches; connected by one crossvein (four crossveins detected). Origin of MP1 slightly distad origin of RP. CuA poorly preserved; its distal part distant from, parallel to posterior margin; distal branches probably widely spaced, simple. CuP and anal veins not preserved. Color pattern: transverse spot at pterostigma, and rounded spot at primary forks of RP1 and MA.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Epignopholeon sophiae gen. et sp. nov., holotype UCM 88421, specimen as preserved (dry). A, part. B, C, counterpart. Scale bars are 2 mm (B, C to scale).

FIGURE 2. Head and thorax of Epignopholeon sophiae gen. et sp. nov., holotype UCM 88421 (wetted with ethanol). A, head and thorax of the part. B, head of the counterpart. ant, antennae; msfe, mesofemur; msta, mesotarsus; msti, mesotibia; mtta, metatarsus; mtti, metatibia; pta, protarsus; pti, protibia. Scale bars are 1 mm.

FIGURE 3. Abdomen of Epignopholeon sophiae gen. et sp. nov., holotype UCM 88421 (wetted with ethanol). A, distal segments (lateral view). B, setation of terminal segments. dse, digging setae of ectoproct; dsg, digging setae of gonocoxites 9; ect, ectoproct; gx 9, gonocoxite 9; sgx 8, fine long setae of gonocoxites 8; sS 7, terminal setae of sternite 7; spS 8, strong setae of process of sternite 8; S 7, 7 th sternite; T 4 – T 9, 4 th to 9 th tergites. Scale bars are 1 mm (A), 0.5 mm (B).

FIGURE 4. Wings of Epignopholeon sophiae gen. et sp. nov., holotype UCM 88421 (wetted with ethanol). Scale bar is 1 mm.

FIGURE 5. Wing venation of Epignopholeon sophiae gen. et sp. nov., holotype UCM 88421. A, right forewing; B, left forewing (converted to standard view, with apex to the right); C, right hind wing. Scale bar is 1 mm (all to scale).