Owadpteron dareki, Dvořák & Pecharová & Krzemiński & Prokop, 2019

Dvořák, Tomáš, Pecharová, Martina, Krzemiński, Wiesław & Prokop, Jakub, 2019, New archaeorthopteran insects from the Carboniferous of Poland: Insights into tangled taxonomy, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 64 (4), pp. 787-796 : 791-793

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.4202/app.00614.2019
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/7D1E040D-FFD7-FFC3-4786-B69CFE99FBEB
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Owadpteron dareki
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Owadpteron dareki sp. nov.

Fig. 2 View Fig .

ZooBank LCID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3BEC8E31-32AD-4601-8799-256FD9102B23

Etymology: In honour of our colleague and collector of Carboniferous fossils Dariusz Wojciechowski (Darek diminutive of Dariusz).

Holotype: MP ISEA I− F/ MP/1488 /26a,b/08 (print and counterimprint of forewing).

Type locality: Sosnowiec-Klimontów, originally Porąbka-Klimontów Mine, Upper Silesian Coal Basin, Poland ( Krawczyński et al. 1997, 2001).

Type horizon: Langsettian (Westphalian A), Pensylvannian, Mudstone series (Załęże beds), Coal-bearing Mudstone Series (Pacyna and Zdebska 2012).

Diagnosis.—Based on fore-wing venation: broad costal area, RP ending with at least three branches, long stem of M+CuA; MP pectinate, each branch with secondary level branching; area between MP and CuA+CuPaα very broad at widest part and comparable to costal area; point connection of free part of CuA and CuPa; CuPa divides into branch CuPaα continuously attached to CuA and well separated from branch CuPaβ; CuPb anteriorly branched and ending in at least three branches.

Measurements. — Forewing fragment length 36.4 mm long, estimated forewing length 55 mm, minimum width at widest part 21.7 mm (about the level of contact between CuA and CuPa).

Description.—Based on fore-wing venation. Broad wing incompletely preserved and lacking basal part and apex. Wing membrane originally rather thick with two types of cross veins present. Regular transverse cross veins broadly spaced between main veins occur together with a dense network of fine veinlets. ScA unknown; ScP ending on RA in distal part of wing; broad costal space between anterior margin of wing and ScP markedly narrowing posteriorly, subcostal field regularly narrow; R divides into RA and RP slightly behind the division of M and CuA, RA nearly straight and probably simple, RP distally pectinate ending with at least three branches; common stem of M+CuA present, free part of MP anteriorly richly branched ending with three main branches all secondarily bifurcated, broad space between veins MP and CuA with several straight cross veins, in widest part as wide as costal space; convex CuA diverging from stem of M+CuA proximally from division of RA and RP, one terminal twig of CuA apparent; concave CuPa divides into branch CuPaα continuously attached to CuA and well separated from branch CuPaβ; CuPb anteriorly branched and ending with three branches; A1 simple.

Remarks.—It is not easy to classify this wing due to incomplete preservation and especially the missing wing base. Presence of prominent convex veinal stem located posterior of the apparent strongly convex R, which is further divided into a weakly concave MP and convex CuA, which we consider to be the common stem of M+CuA. The presence of M+CuA is considered as one of the key apomorphies of the Archaeorhoptera ( Béthoux and Nel 2002). Another important Archaeorthoptera apomorphy is the basal division of CuP into the branches CuPa and CuPb, which is also present on this wing. However, the free part of CuA does not fuse with CuPa and there is only one point connection between these two veins. This raises the question: was this situation an ancestral state for Archaeorthoptera before the complete fusion of these two veins occurred?

Due to the more distal bifurcation of R with respect to the end of AA1 on posterior wing margin and the presence wide space between branches of RA and RP, the placement to lobeattid taxa is unlikely ( Béthoux 2008). The wing venation similarly lacks the typical character of Cnemidolestodea , in which there is an anteriorly pectinate CuA+CuPa (Béthoux 2005). We have no information on the area of AP, which is well developed in Protophasmida Bethoux 2003), and the general venation in the preserved part differs considerably. So it cannot be placed in Protophasmida. There is also a weak correspondence of the venation with that of the genera Omalia , Omaliella ,

Palomastax and Coselia . Potential attribution to the clade Panorthoptera is discussed bellow.

However, the pattern in the venation of our wing resembles that in the monotypic Ampeliptera , with A. limburgica described from Namurian A in The Netherlands ( Pruvost 1927). On both wings there is a dense network of veinlets, posteriorly pectinate RP and anteriorly pectinate MP with bifurcated branches. Even the short fusion of the veins CuA and CuPa is present in both taxa. However, this fusion in Ampeliptera is a bit longer. Branched CuPb is also present in both species. Main differences are a narrower space between anterior margin of wing and ScP, and wider space between RA and RP in Ampeliptera . The branching pattern of MP is also slightly different. But the missing distal part of wing poses a problem, we do not know the exact branching pattern. Same problem concerns the branching of CuA, but there are presumably fewer branches in Owadpteron . Systematic position of Ampeliptera limburgica has been debated for long time. Béthoux and Nel (2002), after examining of the holotype, placed A. limburgica into the Archaeorthoptera and considered it to be the oldest known member of this clade at that time. This supports our idea about the antiquity of Owadpteron based on an incompletely fused CuA and CuPa.

The venation does resemble that of Nacekomia rossae described from the Pennsylvanian strata at Mazon Creek, Ilinois ( Richardson 1956), which is considered to be a member of the family Geraridae ( Kukalová-Peck and Brauckmann 1992; Béthoux and Nel 2002). Both taxa share the same organisation of the cubital area, with CuA ending in only a few branches and a similar shaped CuPb with two anterior branches. The vein CuPa is fused with a free CuA over a short distance in Nacekomia (see Fig. 3 View Fig ), whereas in Owadpteron it is a point fusion. Nevertheless, this course of the CuPa vein is generally rare in Archaeorthoptera, so we can consider this character to be relatively stable in both taxa. Another resemblance between the venation of both taxa is the wide costal field and sparse but quite regular network of simple thin cross veins. On the other hand, there are some differences, such as ScP ends on RA instead of on the anterior margin of the wing in N. rossae and there is a more distal division of the veins RA and RP. The apparent resemblance of the venation to that of Nacekomia and the presence of several differences, lead us to assign our fossil to a new genus placed presumably in Geraridae (Panorthoptera) . However, the exact taxonomic placement of N. rossae is under discussion because of the indistinct differentiation of CuPa into CuPaα and CuPaβ, which is a key apomorphy of Panorthoptera comprised of Geraridae ( Béthoux and Nel 2002) . Our re-examination of the type of N. rossae confirmed that the branches of CuPaα and CuPaβ are markedly concave, which justifies its placement in Panorthoptera (see Fig. 3 View Fig ). The bifurcation of CuPa is not clearly discernible in Owadpteron . However, the markedly different polarity of CuA from convex to neutral at its point of contact with CuPa support our notion that CuA continues as an anterior branch of CuPaα, while CuPaβ diverges separately. An interpretation that would confirm the placement of Owadpteron in Panorthoptera and most probably close to Nacekomia ( Geraridae ). Nevertheless, we need a more complete specimen of Owadpteron in order to clarify its taxonomic status.