Dolichoraphidia aspoecki, Liu, Xingyue, Lu, Xiumei & Zhang, Weiwei, 2016

Liu, Xingyue, Lu, Xiumei & Zhang, Weiwei, 2016, New genera and species of the minute snakeflies (Raphidioptera: Mesoraphidiidae: Nanoraphidiini) from the mid Cretaceous of Myanmar, Zootaxa 4103 (4), pp. 301-324 : 303-306

Dolichoraphidia aspoecki sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–2 )

Diagnosis. Mostly as for the genus. Specific diagnosis: Antenna extremely long, nearly twice as long as body length, with ~100 flagellomeres; pterostigmal crossvein absent; two forewing discoidal cells present.

Description. Holotype EMTG BA-001002. Male. Body length 6.0 mm. Body generally dark brown, but venters of head, thorax, and abdomen much paler; legs pale.

Head ovoid, 0.8 mm long, with portion posterior to compound eyes slightly shorter than eye length and tapering caudad. Compound eyes large and ovoid, separated by distance slightly greater than compound eye length. Ocelli absent. Antennae inserted at anterior tangent of compound eyes; antenna length ~11.0 mm; scape subcylindrical, strongly robust; pedicel subcylindrical, about half length of scape, and distinctly thicker than neighboring flagellomere; flagellum extremely long, with ~100 flagellomeres, bearing sparse, minute setae. Maxillary palp slightly shorter than mandible, with four palpomeres that are gradually enlarged distad.

Prothorax 0.7 mm long, meso- plus metathorax 1.0 mm long; pronotum nearly as long as head, with a constant height along its entire length. Legs slenderly elongate, densely setose; all tibiae swollen and distally bearing a row of spines; tarsomere 3 bilobed; pretarsal claws simple, with a basal enlargement; arolium reduced.

Wings hyaline, veins dark, with short setae. Forewing mostly not preserved; forewing length 5.3 mm; costal space narrow (at widest point costal space ~1.1× width of pterostigma); three costal crossveins visible, but at least a proximal one present by estimation; Scp terminating into C at wing midpoint; pterostigma elongate (1.0 mm long), ~1/5× forewing length, with constant width along its entire length, and without pterostigmal crossvein; pterostigma starting 0.4 mm (~4.0× pterostigmal width) beyond termination of ScP, proximally closed by a crossvein and distally closed by anterior veinlet of RA; RA distally bifurcated, with posterior branch continuous with its stem; RP with two branches; MA with two branches. Hindwing length 4.4 mm, maximum width 0.9 mm; costal space distinctly narrower than that of forewing; two costal crossveins visible, but at least a proximal one present by estimation; pterostigma elongate (1.1 mm long) with constant width along its entire length, and without pterostigmal crossvein; pterostigma starting 0.3 mm (slightly more than 2.0× pterostigmal width) beyond termination of ScP, proximally closed by a crossvein and distally closed by anterior veinlet of RA; RA distally bifurcated, with posterior branch slightly zig-zagged with its stem; RP with two branches; MA with two branches, stem of MA proximally fused with MP; three radial cells and one discal cell present; MP with two long, distally bifurcated branches; one discoidal cell present; an oblique proximal mp-cua present; CuA distally bifurcated.

Abdomen length 3.4 mm. Genitalia: Tergum 9 and sternum 9 seemingly not fused with each other; sternum 9 nearly semicircular, bearing long hairs; a pair of long, digitiform projections (putative gonocoxites or gonostyli 9) present, directed posterolaterally, bearing long hairs; a large dorsal sclerite (ectoproct) present, subquadrate in lateral view; a membranous sac-like structure (putative endophallus) present at genital opening.

Paratype EMTG BA-002179. Female. Body length 5.0 mm (measured without ovipositor) and 8.7 mm (measured with ovipositor). Head length 0.6 mm; antennae partially preserved, about 4.4 mm long; prothorax length 0.6 mm; meso- plus metathorax length 1.0 mm; forewing length 4.6 mm, maximum width 1.3 mm; hindwing length 4.1 mm, maximum width 0.9 mm; abdomen length 2.5 mm (measured without ovipositor) and 6.2 mm (measured with ovipositor); ovipositor length 3.7 mm, thick 0.05 mm.

Configuration of body and wings same to that of holotype male. Genitalia with a subtrapezoidal, hairy dorsal sclerite (i.e. ectoproct), which is much longer than tergum 9; ovipositor distally tapering, with digitiform gonostyli.

Paratype EMTG BA-002253. Body length 5.2 mm (measured without ovipositor). Head length 0.6 mm; antennae partially preserved, about 4.1 mm long; prothorax length 0.7 mm; meso- plus metathorax length 1.1 mm; forewing length 4.6 mm, maximum width 1.0 mm; hindwing length 3.9 mm, maximum width 0.9 mm; abdomen length 2.6 mm (measured without ovipositor); ovipositor mostly damaged. Configuration of body and wings same to that of holotype male.

Type materials. Holotype: EMTG BA-001002: amber piece preserving an almost complete adult male of D. aspoecki (forewings mostly not preserved), a nymph of stick insect, and a midge; it is polished in the form of a semi-ellipsoid cabochon, clear and transparent, with length×width about 20.9× 5.1 mm, height about 6.0 mm. Paratype: EMTG BA-002179: amber piece preserving an almost complete adult female of D. aspoecki (distal parts of antennae and right hindwing not preserved); it is polished in the form of a semi-ellipsoid cabochon, clear and transparent, with length×width about 14.0× 7.8 mm, height about 5.5 mm. Paratype: EMTG BA-002253: amber piece preserving an almost complete adult female of D. aspoecki (distal parts of antennae and most parts of right fore- and hindwings not preserved) and a thrips; it is polished in the form of a semi-ellipsoid cabochon, clear and transparent, with length×width about 9.9× 4.2 mm, height about 5.9 mm.

Etymology. The new species is dedicated to Dr. Horst Aspöck for his tremendous contribution to the systematics of Raphidioptera .

Remarks. The new species differs from its congeneric species D. engeli sp. nov. by the presence of two forewing discoidal cells and the absence of pterostigmal crossvein. In D. engeli sp. nov. there is only one forewing discoidal cell and a weak pterostigmal crossvein in both fore- and hind wing.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Dolichoraphidia aspoecki gen. et sp. nov. A. Holotype EMTG BA- 001002, habitus in dorsal view; B. Same specimen, habitus in lateral view; C. Same specimen, head and thorax in lateral view; D. Paratype EMTG BA- 002179, habitus in dorsal view; E. Paratype EMTG BA- 002253, habitus in dorsal view. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 2. Dolichoraphidia aspoecki gen. et sp. nov. A. Holotype EMTG BA- 001002, drawing of fore- and hindwing; B. Paratype EMTG BA- 002179, drawing of fore- and hindwing; C. Holotype EMTG BA- 001002, drawing of head, dorsal view; D. Same specimen, photograph of male genitalia, lateral view; E. Same specimen, drawing of male genitalia, lateral view; F. Paratype EMTG BA- 002179, drawing of female genitalia, lateral view. Scale bar = 1.0 mm (A – C, E – F) and 0.5 mm (D).