Mesopsyche liaoi, Lian & Cai & Huang, 2021

Lian, Xinneng, Cai, Chenyang & Huang, Diying, 2021, New species of Mesopsyche Tillyard, 1917 (Mecoptera: Mesopsychidae) from the Triassic of northwestern China, Zootaxa 4995 (3), pp. 565-572 : 569

Mesopsyche liaoi sp. nov.

Figure 3

Etymology. The species name is dedicated to the late Palaeontologist Zhuoting Liao for his extraordinary contributions to the geology of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Diagnosis. Forewing oval, relatively small, with dark spots, crossveins faint and devoid of pigment. Pterostigma separated from the adjacent spots. Sc with three branches and reached into the pterostigma. Rs 1+2 and Rs 3+4 forked at the same level, and M 1+2 stem three times as long as M 3+4 stem.

Materials. Holotype, NIGP173366 a, b, forewing, part and counterpart ( Fig. 2A, B ), posterior part of wing not preserved well.

Type locality and horizon. Upper Triassic Huangshanjie Formation , a locality near the Korjay Township , Toksun County, Turpan City , the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwestern China .

Description. Forewing relatively broad, length 7.3 mm, width 3.0 mm, length/width ratio 2.4; posterior margin rounded; wing with dark spots resemble M. liaoi in distribution, crossveins weak and generally devoid of pigment; Sc long, with three branches, apex slightly bent and extended into pterostigma; Sc 2 distinct, pigment undetected; R 1 slightly bent at pterostigma, a crossvein connecting R 1 and Sc; pterostigma in dark colour; Rs parallel to C, fork of Rs 1+2 and Rs 3+4 almost at same level; M with four branches, M 1+2 stem ca. three times as long as M 3+4 stem, M 1+2 stem and Rs 3+4 stem connected by a crossvein; m-cua slightly curved, connected M 4 for a relatively long distance from the base; posterior section of stem M invisible, M fused with CuA for a long distance; CuA slightly curved at posterior section; CuP straight, apically curved; two crossveins between CuA and CuP; wing slightly concaved at the apex of CuP; 3 anal veins visible, both CuA and A 1, A 1 and A 2 connected by a crossvein respectively.

Remarks. The new species, M. liaoi sp. nov., strongly resembles M. jinsuoguanensis , but we considered them as separated species based on the following: 1) The two fossils are not yielded in the same locality and stratum. 2) Most of the crossveins of M. liaoi are faint and devoid of pigment, whereas in M. jinsuoguanensis they are distinctly pigmented. 3) The crossvein sc-r 1 of M. liaoi is located at the middle of Sc 1 instead of about 2/3 of Sc 1, and the different distributions of the crossveins results in the pterostigma of M. liaoi being separated from the adjacent coloured spots, whereas the pterostigma is fused with the adjacent spots in M. jinsuoguanensis . 4) Rs 1 of M. liaoi runs parallel to C, instead of tilting upwards as in M. jinsuoguanensis . 5) Crossvein m-cua of M. liaoi is connected to M 4 a relatively long distance from its base, rather than very close to its base in M. jinsuoguanensis . 6) Crossvein cup-a 1 of M. liaoi is located in the middle between the fork of M and CuA and crossvein a 1 -a 2, instead of near to the fork of M and CuA as in M. jinsuoguanensis .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Forewing of Mesopsyche jinsuoguanensis sp. nov. from Tongchuan Formation in Shaanxi Province. A. Holotype (NIGP173731). B. Line drawing. Scale bars represent 1 mm in A–B.

FIGURE 3. Forewing of M. liaoi sp. nov. from Huangshanjie Formation of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.A–B. Part and counterpart, NIGP173366a, b, moistened with 70% ethanol. C. Line drawing. Scale bars represent 1 mm in A–C.