Alavesia magna, Sinclair & Grimaldi, 2020

Sinclair, Bradley J. & Grimaldi, David A., 2020, Cretaceous diversity of the relict genus Alavesia Waters and Arillo (Diptera: Empidoidea: Atelestidae), American Museum Novitates 2020 (3961), pp. 1-40 : 26-28

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.1206/3961.1

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5462043

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B94C5B-FFD5-3C5D-67CB-3352FE0177E6

treatment provided by

Carolina

scientific name

Alavesia magna
status

sp. nov.

Alavesia magna View in CoL , new species

Figures 1E View FIGURE , 3B View FIGURE 3 , 5B View FIGURE 5 , 6D–E View FIGURE 6 , 8C–D View FIGURE 8 , 10A View FIGURE 10 , 11B–C View FIGURE 11 , 15A–B

DIAGNOSIS: One of two largest species of genus (fig. 15A, B), wing length 3.0 mm; wing linear, long and slender, L/ W 2.97; R 4+5 and M 1+2 entirely parallel; apex of CuA not recurved; postpedicel slender, L/ W 3.45. Male genitalia: surstylus very slender, digitiform, with small dorsal lobe bearing stiff, short seta; postgonites+phallus long, phallus downcurved, minutely feathered at tip.

DESCRIPTION: Coloration: Yellowish portions of body: palpus, labellum, much of coxae (also with light brown portions), stem of halter, proximal halves of femora, tergites 6–8; remaining areas light to dark brown (fig. 15A, B). Female paratype slightly darker (preservational artifact?). Wing lightly tinted yellowish on costal half. Male. Head: Scape short, caplike; pedicel short, caplike, with distal ring of setulae. Postpedicel large, lanceolate (fig. 1E), tapered in distal half, L/ W 3.45; stylus of moderate length, 0.45 × L postpedicel, with 2 minute basal articles (fig. 8C, D). Palpus very small; labellum bulbous, with ~7–8 pseudotracheae.

Thorax: Macrosetae thickened (fig. 5B); acrostichals very fine, small, in irregular biserial rows; dorsocentral setae slightly larger than acrostichals, gradually longer posteriad, ending in pair of long prescutellar setae (longest setae on thorax). Two postpronotal setae (slightly larger than setulae); 8 notopleural setae of variable lengths, 3 posterior ones longest; 1 postsutural supraalar seta; 1 postalar seta; 2–3 pairs of scutellar setae, apical pair largest, crossed at midlength.

Legs (fig. 11B, C): Forecoxa with short, erect setae on anterior surface, longer ones apically. Forefemur with anteroventral row of ~40 small, spinulelike setae; short row of such setae near apices of mid and hind femora. Tibiae with long, apical ventral setae: 1–2–2. Hind tibia with 2 dorsolateral rows of thicker setae, lengths ~0.7 × width of tibia; posterior surface with slight brush of finer setae.

Wing: Length 3.0 mm (figs. 3B, 10A). Vein C terminating slightly beyond M 1+2; Sc nearly touching costal margin; R 4+5 entirely parallel to M 1+2, both very straight, crossvein r-m at apical 1/3 of cell dm; apex of M 4 about equidistant between M 1+2 and CuA+CuP; CuA arched; apex of cell cua acute, cell cua longer than cell bm; CuA+CuP virtually straight.

Abdomen: Longer than thorax; setae short, no differentiation of posteromarginal setae on tergites or sternites. Segments 1–4 very broad (2 very large), remaining segments much smaller, partially retracted. Terminalia (fig. 6D, E): observable dorsally and laterally. Epandrium complete dorsally, with setulae and marginal fringe of ~8–10 long, fine setae on ventral margin. Surstylus long, slender, digitate, with small dorsal lobe bearing small spinelike seta, apically with minute toothlike apical seta that points inward; mesal surface of surstylus with microtrichia. Postgonites highly integrated, projecting posteriad; phallus abruptly bent ventrad, apex bifid and finely feathered. Female terminalia telescoping; cerci exposed and deflexed downward.

TYPE MATERIAL: Holotype male AMNH Bu-KL2-7. Paratype, female USNM PAL 726873 About USNM .

ETYMOLOGY: In reference to the body size, being one of the largest of all the Burmese amber species, along with A. longicornuta .

AMNH

American Museum of Natural History

USNM

Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Diptera

Family

Atelestidae

Genus

Alavesia

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