Palaeoconis azari gen. et.

Ruzickova, Dominika, Nel, Andre & Prokop, Jakub, 2019, New dustywings (Neuroptera, Coniopterygidae) from mid-Cretaceous amber of Myanmar reveal spectacular diversity, ZooKeys 827, pp. 139-152 : 143-146

Palaeoconis azari gen. et. sp. n. Figures 3, 4

Holotype.

BUB 2914; lowermost Cenomanian amber ( Shi et al. 2012); Myanmar, Kachin, Hukawng Valley; preserved in a polished, transparent yellow piece of amber (9.18 × 6.77 × 2.18 mm), deposited in the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin (ex. coll. Patrick Müller). The amber piece contains also one syninclusion of an imago of Diptera .

Etymology.

The specific epithet honors Prof. Dany Azar (Lebanese University, Fanar, Lebanon), friend and colleague of AN and JP and worldwide known palaeoentomologist.

Diagnosis.

As for the genus (vide supra).

Description.

Male. Body length ca. 1.93 mm (measured from tip of head to tip of genitalia). Head hypognathous, ca. 0.34 mm. Compound eyes well developed, 0.22 mm x 0.14 mm (from lateral view). Antennae 21-segmented (with 19 flagellomeres), scape and pedicel stouter, longer and broader than flagellomeres, first flagellomere longer and wider than remaining flagellomeres, flagellomeres subquadrate, nearly as long as wide, terminal flagellomere conical. Maxillary palps five-segmented, fifth segment distinctly larger than other palpomeres, length of fifth segment ca. 0.12 mm. Labial palps three-segmented, third segment larger than remaining. Thorax well developed. Prothorax narrower and overall smaller than meso- and metathorax.

Forewing ca. 2.19 mm long, ca. 0.93 mm wide; two distinct apical crossveins in costal area; division of ScP1 and ScP2 0.31 mm from wing apex; R branching into RA and RP 0.48 mm from wing base; RA simple, distally ending connecting with branch of ScP2; RP branched into RP1 and RP2; ra-rp1 present; first spot on basal abscissa of RP2 near RP1 (near place where is RP forked); crossvein rp-m oblique crossing dark spot about mid-length; M with three branches (MA, MP1 and MP2), M with one stiff seta near crossvein rp-m (Figs 3A, 4C); crossvein rp2-ma relatively long, approximately as long as basal abscissa of RP2; crossvein 1 m–cua near rp-m, but not aligned; crossvein 2mp2-cua near to wing apex, with third spot over it; crossveins cua-cup and a1 present. Hindwing ca. 2.12 mm long, ca. 0.92 mm wide; venation pattern very similar to forewing with exception of only single crossvein between C and ScP, wing membrane in hindwing hyaline without any pigmented spots; crossveins ra-rp1 and rp2-ma present; basal part of hindwing without clearly recognizable venation.

Legs long and slender; femora covered with fine and sparse setae; tibiae covered with stiff and dense setae; tarsi five-segmented, first tarsomere distinctly longer than remaining tarsomeres, terminal tarsomere elongated ending with two claws, tarsi covered with fine dense setae. Abdomen large and broad, tapered to the end (visible from lateral view only); plicatures present on sternites II-IV; length of abdomen including genitalia 1.22 mm, width 0.54 mm. Structures of external genitalia hardly discernible with exception of domed and well-sclerotized ectoproct in lateral view and the caudal projection of gonarcus below.

Discussion.

Palaeoconis gen. n. can be attributed to the Aleuropteryginae based on the presence of two crossveins between RP and M and also the presence of plicatures on abdominal sternites II-IV. Nevertheless, Zimmermann et al. (2009) considered this last character as a symplesiomorphy of the Coniopterygidae . However, Palaeoconis does not possess in the forewings two long stiff setae on M, which is the diagnostic character for Aleuropteryginae. In contrast to this, the absence of these setae on the media and the presence of three-branched media are considered as plesiomorphic characters typical for Mesozoic Coniopterygidae (Engel 2002). In addition, Palaeoconis possesses in forewing crossvein a1 connecting A1 to posterior wing margin. According to Engel (2016) the subfamily Aleuropteryginae contains 14 genera (Mesozoic and Cenozoic), i.e., Achlyoconis Engel, 2016; Alboconis Nel et al., 2005; Apoglaesoconis Grimaldi, 2000; Archiconiocompsa Enderlein, 1910; Archiconis Enderlein, 1930; Garnaconis Perrichot and Nel in Perrichot et al., 2014; Geroconiocompsa Engel, 2010; Glaesoconis Meinander, 1975; Hemisemidalis Meinander, 1972; Juraconiopteryx Meinander, 1975; Libanoconis Engel, 2002; Neoconis Enderlein, 1930; Pararchiconis Nel, 1991, and Spiloconis Enderlein, 1907.

Achlyoconis , Alboconis , Apoglaesoconis , Glaesoconis , and Libanoconis share the presence of two distinct basal crossveins in the costal area, and in addition Achlyoconis , Alboconis and Libanoconis share the presence of crossvein a1-a2, vein A2 and crossvein a2. These traits separate these genera from Palaeoconis gen. n. In addition, Glaesoconis described from the Lower Cretaceous Myanmar amber differs from Palaeoconis gen. n. by a distinctly shorter crossvein rp2-ma, single crossvein m–cua, presence of A2 and four pigmented spots on wing membrane instead of three in Palaeoconis ( Engel 2004). Libanoconis , known from the Lower Cretaceous amber of Lebanon, differs from Palaeoconis gen. n. in the positions of crossveins between M and CuA (1 m–cua is near to wing base; 2 m–cua approximately at mid-length of wing), and lack pigmented spots on membrane (Engel 2002; Nel et al. 2004). Achlyoconis described from the Upper Cretaceous amber of northern Myanmar differs from Palaeoconis gen. n. in the presence of seven thickenings with specialized setae on M, positions of crossveins 1m-cua and 2m-cua, presence of a single crossvein between CuP and A1, and four pigmented spots ( Engel 2016). Alboconis , described from the Lower Cretaceous French amber, differs from Palaeoconis gen. n. by a two branched media bearing two long setae, crossvein between CuA and R+M, and two crossveins between CuP and A1 ( Nel et al. 2004). Apoglaesoconis and Garnaconis share the following features such as M with two long setae, presence of crossveins cup–a 1; a1-a2, vein A2 and absence of pigmented spots on wing membrane. Apoglaesoconis , from the Late Cretaceous amber of New Jersey, differs from Palaeoconis gen. n. by one crossvein between RP and M, branches RP2 and MA forming a cross, and by a single crossvein between M and CuA (Engel 2002). Garnaconis , from the Late Cretaceous amber of Vendée in northwestern France, differs from Palaeoconis gen. n. in the remote positions of separated transverse ScP2 and crossvein between RA+ScP2 and RP1 (see Fig. 3), unlike both being aligned in Garnaconis . Palaeoconis gen. n. bears two crossveins beween RP and M, a two-branched media with setae instead of only one crossvein between RP2 and MA and a three-branched media without setae in Garnaconis ( Perrichot et al. 2014). Juraconiopteryx , Upper Jurassic of Kazakhstan, represents the oldest record of Coniopterygidae . Wing venation of Juraconiopteryx is very poorly preserved ( Meinander 1975), therefore we are unable to make a reliable comparison with Palaeoconis .