Mulleroconis hyalina 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 : 141-143

Mulleroconis hyalina gen. et. sp. n. Figures 1, 2

Holotype.

BUB 2907; lowermost Cenomanian amber ( Shi et al. 2012); Myanmar, Kachin, Hukawng Valley; preserved in a polished, transparent yellow piece of amber (5.68 × 5.00 × 1.09 mm), deposited in the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin (ex. coll. Patrick Müller). The holotype is in amber syninclusion with one representative of the Auchenorrhyncha.

Etymology.

The specific epithet is after the hyaline forewing membrane.

Diagnosis.

As for the genus (vide supra).

Description.

Male. Body length ca. 1.17 mm (measured from tip of head to tip of genitalia). Head poorly preserved, only the last three segments of one maxillary palp are visible and the terminal segment is distinctly broader and longer than two remaining. Length of terminal palpomere ca. 0.09 mm. Thorax length ca. 0.28 mm.

Forewing ca. 1.46 mm long, ca. 0.65 mm wide; ScP1 long and parallel to costal margin; Scp2 present; division of R into RA and RP at about one-third wing length; RA simple distally connected to ScP2, parallel to ScP1; RP forked; rp-ma markedly sinuate, near the fork RP1 and RP2, connected to MA; stem of M running close to stem of R, briefly connecting each other, M distally branched into MA and MP, without stiff setae; crossveins 1 m–cua and 2m-cua present, 1 m–cua near the base of wing, between M and CuA, 2m-cua slightly sinuate, between M and CuA, situated slightly behind midwing; CuP separated from CuA near the base of wing; cua-cup present, located at level of division veins RA and RP; crossveins 1cup-a1 and 2cup-a1 present, 1cup-a1 connected to CuP near to fork of CuA and CuP, 2cup-a1 almost aligned with cua-cup; A1 and A2 clearly connected near the base of wing, a1-a2 present. Hindwing ca. 1.25 mm long, ca. 0.55 mm wide with venation very similar to forewing, differing in position of sinuate crossvein rp2-ma; crossvein m-cua partially preserved and basal part of wing with hardly recognizable venation pattern. Legs slender; fore femora (only left femur is visible) a bit shorter and wider than femora of second and third pair of legs; tibias covered with setae; tarsi five-segmented; first tarsomere distinctly longer than remaining tarsomeres; fifth tarsomere elongated with two apical claws. Abdomen large, length 0.64 mm, width 0.22 mm, including genitalia, with widest part approximately in middle of its length, greatly tapering to narrow apical segments; abdominal plicatures absent. Genital structures hardly discernible, presumably below projection of gonarcus, ultimate apices of parameres visible from dorsal view.

Discussion.

Mulleroconis gen. n. can be attributed to the Coniopteryginae based on the following combination of forewing characters: M is bifurcate (a trait occurring in almost all members of this subfamily) ( Makarkin and Perkovsky 2019), the absence of two macrosetae on the media, the presence of only one crossvein between RP and M (in our species between RP and MA), and the absence of the abdominal plicatures. The Mesozoic record of Coniopteryginae currently comprises four genera, i.e. Jurasiatypus Kaddumi, 2005; Libanosemidalis Azar et al. 2000; Paranimboa Engel, 2016 and Phthanoconis Engel, 2004 (see list below). All four genera share the presence of two basal crossveins in the costal space, unlike Mulleroconis gen. n. In addition, Libanosemidalis , Paranimboa and Jurasiatypus differ from Mulleroconis gen. n. in the presence of one crossvein between RA (ScP2) and RP. Libanosemidalis , described from the Lower Cretaceous amber of Lebanon, differs from Mulleroconis gen. n. in the presence of rp2-ma while in Mulleroconis gen. n. the crossvein rp-ma is shifted proximally, followed by a single crossvein between M and CuA and the presence of crossvein a2 connecting A2 and the hind margin of the wing ( Azar et al. 2000). Paranimboa and Phthanoconis are both known from the Cenomanian amber of Myanmar ( Engel 2016; Sziráki 2016, 2017). Paranimboa has a simple RP unlike in Mulleroconis gen. n. where the RP has two terminal branches. Furthermore, it differs in the position of the crossvein between RP and M and in the position of crossvein 1cup-a1 which is branching off from point where Cu is divided into CuA and CuP and in the presence of crossvein a2 ( Engel 2016; Sziráki 2016, 2017).

Phthanoconis and Jurasiatypus both differ from Mulleroconis gen. n. in the presence of a single crossvein between M and CuA and in the complete absence of crossveins between CuA and CuP, CuP and A1, as well as between A1 and A2. Moreover, Phthanoconis differs from Mulleroconis gen. n. in the absence of a crossvein between RP and M ( Engel 2004). Jurasiatypus was based on single found specimen (holotype) from the Lower Cretaceous amber of the Kurnub in Jordan ( Kaddumi 2005). It differs from Mulleroconis gen. n. in the position of the crossvein between RP2 and MA ( Kaddumi 2005).