Gedanotropis sontagae, Szwedo & Stroiński, 2017

Szwedo, Jacek & Stroiński, Adam, 2017, Who’s that girl? A singular Tropiduchidae planthopper from the Eocene Baltic amber (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha), Palaeontologia Electronica 16 (2), pp. 1-20 : 9

Gedanotropis sontagae sp. nov.

Figures 2-4

zoobank.org/ 911FDE86-67E7-4AF3-9D7C-524F2F920843

Type material. Holotype: female, Baltic amber inclusion, MAI UG 508762 ; deposited in Museum of Amber Inclusions , University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.

Etymology. The specific name is dedicated to our great friend, Dr. Elżbieta Sontag, eminent specialist on fossil and recent Diptera : Ceratopogonidae, Curator of Museum of Amber Inclusions, University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.

Type horizon. Middle Eocene (Lutetian).

Type locality. Baltic amber (secondary deposit, Gulf of Gdańsk area ) .

Diagnosis. Lateral margins of vertex about 1.3 times as long as vertex in mid line. Tegmen with 9 terminals of branch ScP+RA, 10 terminals of branch RP, 15 terminals of branch MP. Cell C1a shorter than cell C1b; cell C3a slightly shorter than cell C3b, cell C5’ open to the margin; cells C2 and C4 closed, with transverse veinlets well anteriad of half of tegmen length. Combined length of hind leg mid- and apical tarsomere exceeding length of basitarsomere.

Description. Plane of vertex at right angle to plane of frons. Metatibio-tarsal formula 8: 7: 2[+ setiferous lobe]. Hind wing with stem MP reaching margin with 7 terminals, branch CuA 1 with 3 terminals, branch CuA 2 with 3 terminals. Female anal tube slightly longer than broad.

Measurements (measurements could be slightly biased due to optical properties of amber): Total length 16.5 mm, length of body 12.8 mm. Head with compound eyes 3.3 mm; vertex at anterior margin 18.75 mm, at posterior margin 2.0 mm, 0.48 mm long at mid line, 0.62 mm long measured at lateral margin. Frons at mid line 2.35 mm long, at lateral margin 2.7 mm long; clypeus 0.96 mm long. Rostrum 2 mm long, subapical segment 1.05 mm, apical segment 0.6 mm long. Pronotum 0.75 mm long at mid line, 3.85 mm wide. Mesonotum 3.5 mm long at mid line, 3.2 mm wide. Tegmen 14.7 mm long, 6.8 mm wide at widest point. Profemur 2.5 mm long, protibia 3.0 mm long, protarsus 1.15 mm long, basitarsomere 0.3 mm, mid tarsomere 0.35 mm, apical tarsomere with claws 0.75 mm; Mesofemur 2.7 mm long, mesotibia 3.4 mm long, mesotarsus 1 mm long, basitarsomere 0.35 mm, mid tarsomere 0.35 mm, apical tarsomere with tarsal claws 0.75 mm. Metafemur 2.55 mm long, metatibia 4.6 mm long, metatarsus 1.5 mm long, basitarsomere 0.85 mm long, midtarsomere 1.25 mm long, apical tarsomere 1.25 mm long, combined length of basi- and mitarsomeres 1 mm.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Gedanotropis sontagae gen. et sp. nov. 1, Head, pronotum and mesonotum, dorsal view; 2, face, ventrolateral view; 3, tegmen (venation partly reconstructed); 4, hind wing (visible portion); 5, left hind leg; and 6, female genital block.

FIGURE 3. Gedanotropis sontagae gen. et sp. nov. tegmen venation with veins, cells and areas indicated.

FIGURE 4. Gedanotropis sontagae gen. et sp. nov. 1, Anterior portion of the body; 2, head in lateral view; 3, habitus of the specimen; 4, tegmen and hind wing; 5, body in lateroventral view; and 6, female genital block (ventrolateral view).