Eoanomala melas Greenwalt and Evenhuis

Greenwalt, Dale E., Wingerath, Jonathan G. & Evenhuis, Neal L., 2015, Two new and disparate fossil bee flies (Bombyliidae: Anthracinae) from the Americas and reassessment of Anthrax dentoni Lewis, 1969, Palaeontologia Electronica 24 (1), pp. 1-10 : 7-9

Eoanomala melas Greenwalt and Evenhuis , new species

( Figures 5-7 )

zoobank.org/ 9BB961F7-A72B-4285-B22F-6795B473C099

Differential Diagnosis. As for genus.

Etymology. The generic epithet derives from the Greek eos meaning dawn or early and anomalos meaning deviating from normal. The specific epithet derives from the Greek melas meaning black, dark.

Holotype. USNM # 595155 . [sex undetermined] ( Figure 5 ); deposited in the Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History ( NMNH), Smithsonian Institution , Washington, District of Columbia.

Type Horizon. Kishenehn Formation, middle Eocene (Lutetian).

Type Locality. Park site, Middle Fork of the Flathead River , near Pinnacle, Montana .

Description. Sex undetermined. Body length (base of scape to end of the terminus of the abdomen) 6.09 mm ( Figure 5 ).

Head. Black. Eyes black, with pronounced but gradually curved posterior indentation laterally, short line bisecting the facets, if present, not visible; eyes slightly higher than long. Face not tumid, vertex covered with 15–20 black setae ( Figure 6.1 ). Antennae black, large ( Figure 6 ). Scape large, as wide as long. Pedicel wider than long. First flagellomere conical, second flagellomere subquadrate, about 1/12 the length of the first and with a terminal style more than twice the length of the second flagellomere. Proboscis extended beyond oral margin, nearly as long as head.

Thorax. Black. Several long, stout bristles just above wing base and long thinner setae anterior to wing base.

Legs. Black. Long bristles at base of meso and procoxae. Posterolateral surface of metafemur with row of about 10 short bristles. Junctions between meta and mesofemur and tibia and junctions between individual metatarsal segments characterized by stout spines.

Wing. Hyaline ( Figure 7 ), 6.04 mm in length (left wing) and 1.72 mm maximum width; basicosta covered with short setae; r-m cross vein at proximal 1/ 4 of discal cell (cell 1m 2) and distal to origin of R 2+3 by a distance just less than the length of r-m; veins in radial field without recurrent spurs. RLI of R 2+3 = 0.115. Vein R 4 with loop in apical third, shape of loop unique in that, after its initial turn towards the wing’s apical margin, it turns posteriorly at a right angle before turning again to resume its course to the wing margin. M 1 and M 2 terminate at wing margin; length of contact between cells 1m 2 and cua 1 3.5 times that of the base of cua 1; CuP present; A 1 terminating at margin basal of CuA 2; Alula not visible.

Abdomen. Black, 3.43 mm long, 2.7 mm wide. Entire dorsum and posterior third of venter covered with long setae. Terminus of the abdomen slightly protuberant, slightly concave at apex.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Eoanomala melas gen. and sp. nov. USNM # 595155. Scale bar equals 5 mm.

FIGURE 6. Eoanomala melas gen. and sp. nov. USNM # 595155. 1. Head and proboscis; 2. Photograph of second flagellomere and terminal style; 3. Stylized line drawing of second flagellomere and style. Scale bars equal 0.5 mm (1) and 0.05 mm (2).

FIGURE 7. Wings of Eoanomala melas gen. and sp. nov. USNM # 595155. 1. Right wing. Note that this wing has been damaged and consequently, its maximum width and the shape of R4 have been affected; 2. Left wing (basal portion not visible in the fossil). Scale bar for both micrographs equals 2 mm.