Ablabesmyia (Karelia) eocenica, Published, 2007

Published, First, 2007, Chironomid midges from early Eocene amber of France (Diptera: Chironomidae), Zootaxa 1404, pp. 1-66 : 19-20

Ablabesmyia (Karelia) eocenica n. sp.

( Fig. 15)

Etymology: This species is named for the Eocene age of the fossil.

Diagnosis: Gonostylus elongate and narrow, with characteristic cochleariform megaseta pointed; wing hyaline; no trace of coloured bands on legs.

Description: Male head deformed; ocelli absent; antenna 1.08 mm long, much longer than head, distinctly hairy, with 13 flagellomeres with long setae (shortest 0.02 mm long, longest 0.46mm long), pedicel broad and short, with few setae; 12 th flagellomere long (0.5 mm), 13 th with distinct apical nipple; eye bare but deformed, with apically expanded dorsomedial exptention; all palpomeres with numerous setae, no frontal setae, 2 postocular setae, inner vertical and outer vertical setae not visible, probably absent. Thorax 0.62 mm long, 0.16 mm wide, 0.75 mm high; postnotum bare, with longitudinal median groove; numerous long setae on surface of scutellum; scutal tubercle not visible, may be absent; supraalar and prealar setae not visible; no anterior acrostichals visible, numerous long dorsocentral setae. Wing macropterous, 1.24 mm long, 0.37 mm wide, hyaline, with macrotrichia, covered with microtrichia; anal vein An 2 absent; radius with 3 branches R 1 and R 4+5, R 2+3 apically forked into R 2 and R 3; R 2 ending in R 1, R 3 ending in costa; costa not produced after last branch of radius; only M 1+2 and M 3+4 present; cross­vein MCu present; MCu beyond cubital fork; cross­vein RM 0.06 mm long. Halter not visible. Fore femur 0.6 mm long, tibia 0.62 mm long, mid femur 0.7 mm long, tibia 0.62 mm long; tarsus 1.24 mm long, hind femur 0.5 mm long, tarsus 1.37 mm long; all tibial spurs with lateral teeth, comb­like; 2 hind leg tibial spurs, respectively 0.01 mm long and 0.02 mm long; ta4 cylindriform; hind tibial comb of 1 row. Abdomen 0.5 mm long, 0.08 mm wide; gonostylus elongate and narrow, megaseta clochleariform with pointed subterminal setae, 0.07 mm long, 0.008 mm wide; gonocoxite with long setae on outer surface, 0.09 mm long, 0.06 mm wide; anal point and volsellae not visible.

Discussion: In the key to dipteran families of McAlpine (1981), this fossil falls in the Tanypodinae . In the keys to Nearctic tanypodine tribes and genera of Fittkau (1962) and Oliver (1981) and the key to Holarctic genera of Murray & Fittkau (1989), Ablabesmyia (Karelia) eocenica is in the Pentaneurini because of the following characters: tarsomere 4 of all tarsi cylindrical, comb of hind tibia with single row of bristles, R 2 and R 3 present and joined, FCu proximal to or opposite MCu, costa not produced after last branch of radius, no posterior anepisternals or preepisternals, and posnotum always bare. Ablabesmyia (Karelia) eocenica would fall in the recent genus Ablabesmyia Johannsen, 1905 , based on the character ‘gonostylus elongate and narrow, with characteristic cochleariform megaseta’ and in the subgenus Karelia Roback, 1971 , based on the character ‘subterminal setae of gonostylus pointed’. Ablabesmyia (Karelia) eocenica has some similarities with Coffmania Hazra & Chaudhuri, 2000 , in the shape of its tibial spurs and long gonostylus, but the latter has a strong apical spur on its gonostylus, very different from the cochleariform megaseta of Ablabesmyia (Karelia) eocenica ( Hazra & Chaudhuri 2000) . It is not possible to compare our fossil to all the recent species of Ablabesmyia subgenus Karelia because they differ in the detailed shape of the apex of their gonostyli. Nevertheless, we prefer to name this species because it is the oldest representative of this genus. Grund (2005) described Ablabesmyia electrohispaniola from the Miocene Dominican amber, which has pigmented bands on the wings, unlike A. (K.) eocenica . Recent species of Karelia are known from the Holarctic, Neotropical, Afrotropical, and Oriental regions. Thus, it is probably an ancient group, and its discovery in the early Eocene is not surprising.

Material: Holotype PA 534, (male).