Boreofairchildia dominicana, Wagner, Rüdiger, 2017

Wagner, Rüdiger, 2017, Synopsis of extinct Bruchomyiinae (Diptera, Psychodidae) from Burmese, Baltic and Dominican amber, with descriptions of new genera and species, Zootaxa 4320 (1), pp. 100-120 : 110-111

Boreofairchildia dominicana sp. nov.

( Figs 5a–d , 8a, b )

Etymology. name based on Dominican Republic, origin of the amber piece.

Material. Holotype male, no. 1170- 4 in coll. Hoffeins.

Geological stratum. Dominican amber.

State of preservation. Excellent, head, thorax, abdomen and details of genitalia well recognizable. Palpi complete, terminal flagellomere of right antenna missing; left antenna with all segments conserved; left side mid and hind legs missing.

Syninclusions. None.

Description. Head in dorsal view about rectangular, wider than long, with roughly oval eyes, dorsally expanded, converging dorsally of antennal bases to a distance of 4 to 5 facet diameters, but a broad eye-bridge not developed. Relative length of scape, pedicel and 14 flagellomeres of the right antenna: 11-14-80 -58-59-58-56-59- 49-43-42-36-37-36-34-32; absolute length: 0.06-0.08-0.47-0.34-0.35-0.34-0.33-0.35-0.29-0.25-0.25-0.21-0.22- 0.21-0.20- 0.19 mm. All flagellomeres with a pair of tiny oval (mushroom shaped) ascoids in distal third. Palpus 4- segmented: relative length: 11-13-29-84; absolute length: 0.06-0.08- 0.17-0.49 mm.

Head length: 0.33 mm; length thorax + abdomen 3 mm; length genitalia 0.52 mm. Thorax without specific features.

Wing length approximately 3.42 mm. Sc terminates in C, short sc-r crossvein. Radial fork distal of medial fork; median basal cell elongate rectangular, extends almost to middle of wing. R2+3 originates from about middle of median cell, and is about 2.5 times longer than R2. R4 originates from front end, R5 at about middle, and M1+2 from rear end of first basal cell. M3 and M4 originate nearby from middle of second basal cell; CuA and CuP run almost parallel, distally curved towards hind wing margin.

Abdomen with 8 segments and genitalia, first segment shorter than following; segments 3 to 7 on either side with extended pleurae covered with tufts of hairs longer than abdomen diameter. Tergites 1 to 3 with a mediodorsal groove. Genitalia inverted by segments 8 and 9; 8th segment narrower than preceding segments. Hypandrium is a thin, medially broadened band seemingly not adhered to gonocoxites. Gonocoxites tube shaped, basally widest, approximately 2 times longer than basal width, converge medially but remain separate. Gonostyli shorter than gonocoxites, basal half straight tubular; distally with an elongate dent about 2/3 the length of the basal part, and a complicatedly structured strong broad appendage with about 3-4 tips pointing to different directions, pairs of tips connected by ridges. Epandrium two times longer than basal width with short distal edges, cerci oval. Tip of proctiger not discernable. Within epandrium a pair of dark elongate clasps, probably parameres; tip of one overlaps the lateral margin of epandrium, a longer part of the other is visible only in ventral view. A thinly sclerotized periaedeagal sheath surrounds aedeagus so that sclerites are invisible; surface of the sheath is covered in distal part with long blade shaped spinules, about half as long as minimum aedeagus diameter. Aedeagus extends to epandrium tip.

Comments. The new species is a close relative of B. scheveni due to the elongate wing, abdominal pleurae 3 – 7 with long setae, (not 4 – 8 as wrongly stated for B. scheveni in Wagner 2006 ), the general structure of genitalia with unfused gonocoxites, complicatedly structured gonostyli, and a pair of simple straight well sclerotized parameres.

Gonostyli in both species with cylindrical basal part and a straight morphologically ventral thorn; beside this a thin, bent and serrate side arm in B. scheveni (fig 5e), or in B. dominicana with two straight side arms increasing in width distally each with 2 tips. The periaedeagal sheath is covered with numerous stiff spinules in both species. It is an eversible delicate membrane that has been overlooked in extant Bruchomyiinae because it either was not expanded or destroyed during slide preparation.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Boreofairchildia dominicana sp. n. a. palp segments; b. apical flagellomeres; c. gonostyli, hypandrium and aedeagus; d. left gonostylus; e. Boreofairchildia scheveni (Wagner): right gonostylus. Abbreviations: aed—aedeagus; ascascoids; hyp—hypandrium; gcx—gonocoxite; gst—gonostylus.

FIGURE 8. Boreofairchildia dominicana sp. n. holotype. a. amber piece polished; b. abdomen segments 5 – 8 with extended pleurae with hair tufts, and genitalia; Hoffeinsodes longicauda sp. n. holotype: c. polished amber piece embedded in artificial resin; d. abdomen and genitalia right lateral view; H. hoffeinsi (Wagner), holotype: e. genitalia, lateroventral view; Palaeosycorax tertiariae Meunier, (specimen no 1379 from the Hoffeins collection): f. amber piece with specimen embedded in artificial resin, left lateral view; g. body; h. abdomen segments 5 – 8 and genitalia, arrow points at parameres.