Papiliontina Shcherbakov, 2022

Shcherbakov, D. E., 2022, New Palaeontinidae (Cicadomorpha) from the Triassic of Central Asia: the earliest intimidating eyespots in Hemiptera, Russian Entomological Journal 31 (4), pp. 352-358 : 354

Papiliontina Shcherbakov , gen.n.

TYPE SPECIES. Papiliontina dracomima Shcherbakov , sp.n .

DIAGNOSIS. Forewing subtriangular; costal margin moderately arched; apical margin concave, festooned; welldeveloped tornus much projecting beyond line continuing commissural margin. Costal area with shallow depression along midline. Pterostigmal area wider than interradial area, with one slanting RA branch. Basal cell narrow, CuA stem abruptly bent at its apex and arched beyond it. Sc adjacent to R (except base) up to R fork. R forked distally (not earlier than 2/3 way from basal cell to nodal line), R fork narrow, RP nearly straight at nodal line. Prenodal m-cu weak, Y-shaped; nodal m-cu feebly arched or nearly straight. CuA2 straight beyond nodal line. Commissural margin with high carina. Basal cell closed with X-junction of M and CuA, and/or large eyespot on M branches. Hind wing subtriangular with radiating veins; R and CuA forks and long oblique r-m and m-cu close to wing base, M 3-branched near basal cell. Fore and hind wing membrane minutely granulate, near apical margin finely striate. Marginal membrane very narrow.

COMPOSITION. Three new species described below.

COMPARISON. The Triassic genus Hallakkungis is similar to Papiliontina gen.n. in the R stem forked distally, the wide pterostigmal area with a slanting RA branch (‘RA1’), and the tornus projecting beyond continuation of the commissural margin, to P. dracomima sp.n. in the clavus truncate, and to P. machaon sp.n. in the nodal m-cu connecting MP and CuA stems before their forks. However, in Hallakkungis the costal margin is deeply arched near base, the apical margin is straight, the basal cell is wider and closed with rather long arculus, R bifurcates at the nodal line, CuA stem is not bent at the nodal line, and CuA2 is arched forwards beyond it. The new genus differs from Jurassic and Cretaceous genera in the structure of the basal cell and the CuA stem, and in the distal R bifurcation in the forewing, and 3-branched M in the hind wing.

ETYMOLOGY. From generic names Papilio and Palaeontina ; gender feminine.