Paleopsychoda jarzembowskii, AZAR & MAKSOUD, 2022

AZAR, DANY & MAKSOUD, SIBELLE, 2022, Paleopsychoda jarzembowskii, a new Lower Cretaceous species of moth flies from Lebanese amber (Diptera: Psychodidae: Psychodinae), Palaeoentomology 5 (3), pp. 262-268 : 263-264

Paleopsychoda jarzembowskii sp. nov.

( Figs 1–4 )

Etymology. The species epithet is in honor of Prof. Edmund Jarzembowski, a friend and a great authority in palaeoentomology.

Diagnosis. Eye-bridge incomplete; antenna with 15 flagellomeres, the last one being reduced; mouthparts toothed, well-developed and of phlebotomine-type; maxillary palp four-segmented, with last palpomere twice as long as others and presenting a constriction in its basal third; anterior sub-basal part of costal vein inflated, from either side of end of humeral vein, allowing as such larger surface, with insertions of a basal wing tuft of setae(specific male character); R1 reaching costa beyond level of radial fork; M3 and M4 [CuA 1] meeting basally for a very small distance; CuA [CuA 2] well-developed, reaching wing margin beyond half of wing; male genitalia with stylus bearing two apical spines; a specialized long seta strongly curved in its middle part arising between gonocoxite and gonostylus; parameres paired with apically series of four strong setae with incurved apices; surstyli joined basally, bearing apically two strong setae on each.

Locality and horizon. Mdeyrij-Hammana , Caza (= District) Baabda (Central Lebanon), lower Barremian ( Granier et al., 2016; Maksoud et al., 2017).

Description. Head 0.27 mm large; mouthparts well developed, with sharp toothed mandibles and laciniae ( Fig. 2A ), palp 0.28 mm long, with four palpomeres ( Fig. 2B, F ), with last palpomere almost twice as long as others and presenting a constriction in its basal third, palpomeres I–V lengths respectively 0.052-0.055- 0.067-0.105 mm; eyes forming an incomplete eye bridge, separated by distance of 0.05 mm; antenna 0.86 mm long, with 15 flagellomeres ( Fig. 2E ); first flagellomere comparatively short, almost as long as following flagellomere; last flagellomere short, almost half of its precedent and drop like ( Fig. 2C ); flagellomere I–XV lengths respectively: 0.064-0.063- 0.059-0.059-0.059-0.056-0.056-0.056-0.050-0.047-0.047- 0.044-0.041-0.041-0.023. Scape nearly cylindrical, 0.035 mm long and 0.044 mm wide. Pedicel ellipsoid, 0.061 mm long and 0.041 mm wide; all flagellomeres bearing curved setae, two of them distinctly elongate at basal quarter of the flagellomere (perhaps ascoids).

Thorax 0.362 mm long, 0.394 mm high. Pronotum strongly gibbous. Legs distinctly longer than entire body. Wings incomplete, nearly 1.170 mm long, 0.410 mm wide, hyaline ( Fig. 3A, B ). Humeral vein reaching costal margin at 0.228 mm from wing base; anterior subbasal part of costal vein inflated, from either side of end of humeral vein, allowing as such larger surface, with insertions of a basal wing tuft of setae; subcostal vein (Sc) distally fused with R1, 0.531 mm from wing base, and with crossvein reaching costal margin. R1 reaching costal margin 0.965 mm from wing base; Rs fourbranched, with all its branches extending to wing margin. Rs bifurcating into R2+3 and R4+5 0.512 mm distad of wing base. R2 and R3 separating 0.835 mm distally; R4 and R5 almost straight; M1 and M2 bifurcating 0.775 mm distally; M1 distally nearly straight; M2 slightly shorter than M1; M3 reaching wing margin at nearly 0.917 mm from wing base; M4 [CuA 1] reaching wing margin 0.822 mm distad wing base. CuA [CuA 2] (Cu after Byers et al., 1989; Krzemiński & Krzemińska, 2003) well-developed, sigmoidal, curved distally, reaching wing margin at 0.664 mm distally; CuP [A] (A1 after Byers et al., 1989; Krzemiński & Krzemińska, 2003) well-developed and reaching posterior margin of wing. All main veins and wing margin bearing long macrotrichiae. Halteres 0.200 mm long; knob fusiform 0.105 mm long and 0.026 mm wide.

Abdomen 0.476 mm long excluding genital appendages, dorsal surfaces of all abdominal segments bearing few setae. Male genital appendages ( Fig. 4A, B ) with stylus (0.214 mm) bearing two apical spines; a specialized long seta strongly curved in its middle part arising between coxite (0.205 mm) and stylus; parameres paired with apically series of four strong setae with incurved apices; surstyli joined basally, bearing apically two strong setae on each.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Paleopsychoda jarzembowskii sp. nov., male, holotype number 1615A (D. Azar collection). Microphotograph of habitus. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 2. Paleopsychoda jarzembowskii sp. nov., male, holotype number 1615A (D. Azar collection). A, Microphotograph of toothed mouthparts. B, Microphotograph of palp. C, Microphotograph of detail of antenna apex. D, Microphotograph of detail of basal part of anterior side of costal margin. E, Line drawing of antenna. F, Line drawing of palp. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 3. Paleopsychoda jarzembowskii sp. nov., male, holotype number 1615A (D.Azar collection), wing. A, Microphotograph. B, Line drawing. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 4. Paleopsychoda jarzembowskii sp. nov., male, holotype number 1615A (D. Azar collection), genitalia. A, Microphotograph. B, Line drawing. Cox, gonocoxite; Par, paramere; Sty, gonostylus; Sur, surstylus. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.