Kinitocelis patrickmuelleri, Mey & Wichard, 2023

Mey, Wolfram & Wichard, Wilfried, 2023, Tarachoptera: The extinct and enigmatic cousins of Trichoptera and Lepidoptera, with descriptions of two new species, Contributions to Entomology 73 (2), pp. 137-146 : 137

Kinitocelis patrickmuelleri sp. nov.

Figs 1 , 2 , 6

Material.

Holotype, male, Burmese Amber, deposited in the Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany, inventory no.: ZFMK-TRI000838 (ex coll. Patrick Müller, BUB 4498).

Preservation.

The fossil is embedded in a flattened, oval piece of amber. The male is completely preserved, but in an unfavorable position with wings overlapping and covering the body (Fig. 6 ). Head, thorax, and abdomen partly macerated. Several air bubbles are present in the inclusion.

Etymology.

The species is named in honor of Patrick Müller, collector and promoter of research on Burma amber inclusions.

Description.

Length of body 2.2 mm, forewings 2.9 mm; head with a triangular, frontal process; eyes hemispherical; scape and pedicellus slender, not as broad as following flagellomeres (Fig. 1 ); 24 flagellomeres, broad, flat, quadrangular, with hairs or scales shorter than flagellomere diameter (Figs 6c , 6d ).

Male genitalia (Figs 2 , 6 ): dorsal plate long, tapering to round apex; ventral comb on sternum IX with 10 stiff spines.

Diagnosis.

By using the identification key of Wichard and Mey (2021), the new species comes out as Kinitocelis . The new species can be distinguished from all congeners by the triangular, pointed anterior margin of the head and by the very broad flagellomeres of the antennae.

Figures

Figure 6. Microphotographs of Kinitocelis patrickmuelleri sp. nov., male holotype. a. Male habitus, dorsal view; b. Abdominal tip, left ventrolateral view; c. Apical part of antenna; d. Basal part of antenna.

Figures 1 - 5. Tarachoptera new species, 1, 2. Kinitocelis patrickmuelleri sp. nov., male holotype: 1. Head and antennae, dorsal view; 2. Tip of abdomen, left ventrolateral view. 3 - 5. Tarachocelis emmarossae sp. nov., male holotype: 3. Head, frontal view; 4. Right antenna; 5. Terminal segment with ventral comb, ventral view. Scale bar: 0.5 mm (1 - 4).