Lebanopeza azari, Grimaldi, 2018

Grimaldi, David A., 2018, Basal Cyclorrhapha In Amber From The Cretaceous And Tertiary (Insecta: Diptera), And Their Relationships: Brachycera In Cretaceous Amber Part Ix David A. Grimaldi, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2018 (423), pp. 1-97 : 1-97

Lebanopeza azari , new species

Figures 4 , 30

DIAGNOSIS: As for genus, by monotypy.

DESCRIPTION: (male only). Entire body appears blackish, possibly velvety. Head: Eyes large (partially collapsed in unique specimen), bare, holoptic for ~10 facets; dorsal facets 2× or more the diameter of ventral ones. Ocellar triangle on tubercle, with minute pair of upright setae; small triangle of frons exposed just above antennae (bare of setulae, median furrow not apparent); interfrontal and fronto-orbital setae not observable; postocular setae appear to be minute; vibrissa absent. Antenna: Scape not observable; pedicel short, funnel shaped; arista terminal; basal flagellomere drop shaped; 3 aristomeres, 2 basal ones small, ringlike, apical aristomere fine, length ~1.5× that of rest of flagellum, with micropubescence. Mouthparts: Small, entirely recessed into depressed oral cavity, cavity occupies almost all of face; palp not visible, possibly minute. Labellum short, fully opened and flat, with ~5 pseudotracheae per lobe.

Thorax: Scutum short, arched, black (probably velvety), the few setae are short, thick, stiff. Acrostichals in uniserial row of 4 minute setulae; dorsocentrals in graded row of 4–5 setae (posterior one largest), anterior dc about same size as acrostichals. No supraalar seta; 1 short, stout postalar; 3 stout notopleural setae just anterior to transverse suture, slightly longer than dorsocentrals. Prescutellum present but small; scutellum short, with single pair of short apical setae.

Wing: Relatively slender, length 2.8× the width; with slight infuscation in Sc cell and between Sc and R 1; membrane entirely covered with micro- trichia (including all cells); pterostigma absent. No prehumeral setae on C; vein C terminates at apex of R 4+5; C with row longer, stout setae interspersed among numerous setulae. Sc short, 0.3× length of wing; R 1 0.7× wing length. Radial veins heavily sclerotized; medial veins virtually unsclerotized, faint. R 4+5 ends at wing tip; cells rm and bm nearly equal in size; crossvein dm (cell dm) absent. M 1 -M 2 fork present, veins slightly divergent, almost symmetrical; length of fork approximately equal to that of stem. Cell cup large, significantly longer than terminal vein; CuP curved; A 2 very short, apically evanescent; anal lobe well developed; alula shallow, with long setae (not flattened). Halter bulb black, large, length equal to that of stem. Legs: Dark, relatively short, slender. Protibia equal to length of profemur; meso- and metatibia shorter thatn respective femur. Mesotibia with pair of short, stout apical spurs, one 2× length of other. Tibiae and tarsi with setulae, short stout ones at apex of some podomeres. Dark, bifid scales absent from all podomeres. Metabasitarsomeres not expanded. Pulvilli well developed; empodium not observable (probably minute, setiform).

Abdomen: Short, stout, about same length as thorax; 8 well-developed tergites visible, enfolded laterally, with scattered, fine setae; sternites not observable. Male Terminalia: Apical three tergites (7, 8, and 9 [epandrium]) lateroflexed 90° to right; epandrium capsulelike; surstylus digitiform, curved, suspended ventrally; cercus small, broad; postgonites with visible portion flanking phallus; phallus curved.

SPECIMENS EXAMINED: Holotype, male, Az 715A, in the Museum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris. The fly is complete, preserved in a tiny chip of amber that is mounted in balsam on a microscope slide.

ETYMOLOGY: Patronym for Dany Azar, for his work on Lebanese amber.

Figures

FIG. 4. Lebanopeza azari, n. gen., n. sp. (Platypezidae), holotype male, Az715A, in Early Cretaceous amber from Lebanon. A, B. Dorsolateral and ventrolateral habitus. C. Detail of head and thorax. D, E. Detail of male terminalia, dorsolateral and ventrolateral views.

FIG. 30. Lebanopeza azari, n. gen., n. sp. (Platypezidae), holotype male, Az715A, in Early Cretaceous amber from Lebanon. A. Wing. B. Antenna. C. Dorsal portion of thorax. D. Male terminalia, left lateral view.