Palaeontinodes reshuitangensis Wang & Zhang

Wang, Bo, Zhang, Haichun & Fang, Yan, 2007, Palaeontinodes reshuitangensis, a new species of Palaeontinidae (Hemiptera, Cicadomorpha) from the Middle Jurassic of Reshuitang and Daohugou of China, Zootaxa 1500, pp. 61-68 : 63-67

Palaeontinodes reshuitangensis Wang & Zhang , sp. nov.

Figs. 1–3

2006 Palaeontinodes cf. angarensis Becker-Migdisova & Wootton ; Wang et al., 2006a, pp. 120–122, figs. 1H, 2A–D.

Diagnosis. Forewing triangular and large (length 46–55 mm); branch ScA obsolete but distinguishable; crossvein r+m-cua subtransverse; crossvein m-cua curved; crossvein m4-cua slightly curved; marginal membrane obscure.

Hindwing small; costal area wide, widest in basal 2/5; nodal indentation at about basal 0.4 wing length; branch RP fused with branch M1 for a long distance; stem M2+3+4 branching into veins M2 and M3+4 just basad of stem R initial division.

Description. Holotype, NIGP143707. Body poorly preserved, length about 27 mm.

Left forewing complete, and right forewing deformed strongly. Forewing triangular, length 48.8 mm, width 19.5 mm. Indentation at basal 0.45 wing length. Branch ScA distinguishable. Branch ScP straight near wing base, arched at basal 0.15 wing length, and fused with vein RA at basal 0.3 wing length. Vein R branching from stem R+M slightly beyond the initial curve of vein ScP. Branch RA free for a very short distance after arising from stem R, and fused with vein ScP, subparallel to anterior margin beyond nodal line, ending in anterior margin near apex of wing. Branch RP running gradually apart from vein ScP+RA until nodal line, curved anteriorly for remaining part, connected with branch M1 by crossvein r-m. Stem M straight, branching into veins M1+2 and M3+4 at basal 0.33 wing length. Branch M1+2 forking into veins M1 and M2 at about midpoint of wing length. Branch M3+4 dividing into veins M3 and M4 a little basal of the level of indentation.

Crossvein r+m-cua long and transverse. Crossvein m-cua long and strongly curved. Crossvein m4-cua oblique, connected with vein CuA slightly basal of the level of initial division of stem M. Discal cell large, length 13.5 mm, width 6.5 mm along nodal line; ratio of length to width about 2.1. Stem Cu bifurcating into veins CuA and CuP at wing base. Branch CuA curved anteriorly at junction with crossvein r+m-cua, nearly straight and parallel to vein M3+4 until meeting crossvein m4-cua, branching into veins CuA1 and CuA2 after a short distance to the connection of crossvein m4-cua with vein CuA. Vein CuP curved posteriorly and terminally. Vein Pcu slightly curved. Branch A1 nearly straight. Branch A2 short, fused with branch A1 basally. Nodal line traceable as a crease across ScP+RA and RP to M slightly beyond its initial division, and then almost equally separating 2nd discal cell into two parts; it continuously crossing m4-cua basally, following stem CuA and basal section of vein CuA2 and reaching the distal end of clavus. Colour pattern not preserved.

Hindwing. Anterior part of left hindwing overlapped by forewing. Length about 23 mm, width about 18 mm. Stem R branching into veins RA and RP at basal 0.2 wing length. Branch RA curved anteriorly. Branch RP fused with vein M1 for 5 mm. Stem M branching into veins M1 and M2+3+4 at wing base. Branch M2+3+4 branching into veins M2 and M3+4 just basal of R initial division. Branch M2 almost straight. Branch M3+4 connected with vein CuA by crossvein m-cua just beyond M2+3+4 fork, and then bifurcating at basal 0.4 wing length. Branch CuA curved anteriorly at junction with m-cua, dividing into veins CuA1 and CuA2 a little basal of M3+4 division. Branch CuP simple. Colour pattern not preserved.

Paratype NIGP143708. Complete adult in ventral aspect with two incomplete forewings preserved at each side of the body. Body robust, length 29.1 mm. Head rhomb-shaped, length 5.2 mm, width 4.8 mm; rostrum obscure. Thorax obscured by mesonotum. Abdomen pointed posteriorly, length about 15.8 mm, 6 segments visible. Forewing almost the same as the holotype in respect to venation pattern. Colour pattern not preserved. Forewing length about 50 mm, width 20.5 mm.

Paratype NIGP143709. Body poorly preserved, length about 30 mm. Head rhomb-shaped, length about 5.9 mm, width about 7.0 mm; rostrum as preserved 9.4 mm; postclypeus well-developed; eyes large. Thorax length 11.1 mm. Abdomen partly preserved, length 14.4 mm, 6 segments visible. Forewing with distal part and clavus destroyed; hindwing overlapped by forewing with distal part and extreme basal part missing. Forewing and hindwing almost the same as the holotype in respect to venation pattern. Forewing membrane pale, darkened along veins. Hindwing color pattern not visible, but probably like in forewing: membrane pale, darkened along veins. Forewing length as preserved 40 mm, width as preserved 14 mm. Hindwing length as preserved 18 mm, width as preserved 15 mm.

Paratype NIGP143710. Adult in ventral aspect with incomplete forewings and hindwings preserved at each side of the body. Body robust, with abdomen destroyed, length as preserved 31 mm. Forewing membrane pale, darkened along veins, near wing base and in costal and subcostal areas. Forewing length about 55 mm, width about 25 mm.

Other material. NIGP143711. Incomplete adult in dorsal aspect with right forewing and hindwing partly preserved. Mesonotum large, length 9.8 mm, width 13.9 mm. Forewing membrane pale, darkened along veins. Forewing length about 50 mm, width about 21 mm.

NIGP143712. Complete but obscure adult in ventral aspect with forewings and hindwings preserved at each side of the body. Body robust, length about 30 mm. Forewing almost the same as the holotype in respect to venation pattern. Forewing incomplete, length about 50 mm, width about 23 mm. Hindwing with only shape clear, length 28.2 mm, width 19.8 mm.

Some specimens (NIGP 140543, NIGP 140544, NIGP 140545, NIGP 140546 and 140547) have been described and figured previously under Palaeontinodes cf. angarensis Becker-Migdisova & Wootton, 1965 ( Wang et al., 2006a).

Etymology. Specific epithet is after the type locality, Reshuitang Village.

Material. Holotype: NIGP 143707. Paratypes: NIGP 140543 and 140544, NIGP 143708, NIGP 143709, NIGP 143710. Other Material: NIGP 140545, NIGP 140546 and 140547, NIGP 143711, NIGP 143712. All specimens are deposited in the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology ( NIGP), Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Age and occurrence. Middle Jurassic. The holotype is from Wubaidingyingzi, Reshuitang Village, Wanyuandian Town, Lingyuan City, Liaoning Province, China. Others are from Daohugou Village, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia, China.

Remarks. Some specimens presented before are nominated as Palaeontinodes cf. angarensis Becker- Migdisova & Wootton ( Wang et al., 2006a). Palaeontinodes angarensis Becker-Migdisova & Wootton is a synonym of Palaeontinodes suchanovae ( Becker-Migdisova, 1950) . Therefore, Palaeontinodes cf. angarensis Becker-Migdisova & Wootton is an incorrect name, and those specimens (described in Wang et al. 2006a) should be nominated as Palaeontinodes cf. suchanovae ( Becker-Migdisova, 1950) .

The forewing length/width ratio of this species is 2.2–2.5. This character is not included in the diagnosis, because the linear rock deformation widespread in Daohugou and Reshuitang area probably changes the length/width ratio to a certain extent (Wang et al., in preparation).

The new species differs from P. suchanovae in a forewing with vein ScA obsolete but distinguishable, crossvein m-cua curved and vein CuP arising from stem Cu more basally. These characters together with others as diagnosed above make this species discernable from other congeneric species.

Considering the difference between the Daohugou specimens and P. suchanovae and the similarity of Daohugou ones to P. reshuitangensis , it is reasonable to transfer Palaeontinodes cf. angarensis Becker-Migdisova & Wootton, 1965 (sensu Wang, Zhang & Fang, 2006) to P. reshuitangensis .

P.? haifanggouensis Hong, 1983 is similar to P. reshuitangensis by the curved crossvein m-cua and the wide shape of the forewing. However, judging from the original photograph of the holotype ( Hong, 1983, pl. 13, fig. 4), the forewing is so strongly damaged basally that some important characters at the specific level are unavailable. Therefore, a detailed comparison between them is impossible unless better-preserved specimens are discovered.

The discovery of P. reshuitangensis suggests that the Reshuitang deposits are most probably the same as the Middle Jurassic Daohugou deposits in age.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Palaeontinodes reshuitangensis sp. nov., holotype. A, photograph of NIGP 143707; B, illustration based on NIGP 143707. Both to scale.

FIGURE 2. Palaeontinodes reshuitangensis sp. nov., paratype. A, photograph of NIGP 143709; B, illustration based on NIGP 143709. All to scale.

FIGURE 3. Palaeontinodes reshuitangensis sp. nov.. A, photograph of NIGP 143710; B, photograph of NIGP 143708; C, photograph of NIGP 143711. Scale bars represent 10 mm.