Leptotarsus reyi, Azar & Nel, 2023

Azar, Dany & Nel, André, 2023, The first Early Cretaceous representative of the fly family Tipulidae from the lower Barremian dysodiles of Lebanon (Diptera), Zootaxa 5396 (1), pp. 58-63 : 59-60

Leptotarsus reyi sp. nov.

Fig. 1

Material. Holotype F-INS-63124/5 (a complete forewing with pattern of coloration preserved), stored in the Natural History Museum of the Lebanese University, Faculty of Sciences II, Fanar, Lebanon.

Etymology. After Dr Kevin Rey, who found the specimen during the field work in Jdeidet Bkassine in October 2023.

Diagnosis. Wing characters only. A darkened zone around Sc and R/R1 up to pterostigma; area between C and Sc hyaline; a short-curved stem of Rs, as long as R2+3+4; discal cell as long as wide; R2 very short, R5 distinctly curved; M3+4 making an opened angle with part of M3 posteriorly closing the discal cell.

Locality and horizon. Jdeidet Bkassine, Caza (District) Jezzine, Mouhafazet (Governorate) South Lebanon (for map and outcrop illustrations see Azar et al., 2019: 193, fig. 1; and Maksoud et al., 2022: 712, fig. 11A and 716, fig. 15B); Lower Barremian.

Description. Wing 13.15 mm long, 3.1 mm wide, hyaline, except for a double dark line along radial and subcostal veins and an elliptic pterostigmal spot, 1 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, situated 9.7 mm from wing base; area between vein Sc and C hyaline; vein Sc appressed to R/R1, ending into R1 at base of pterostigma, almost at level of first bifurcation of Rs, and re-emerging as a very short crossvein between R1 and C; base of Rs at 8.2 mm from wing base; stem of Rs making a very open angle with R1 and a strong curve, short, as long as stem of R2+3+4; R2 very short, inclined upwards, shorter than R3, and ending into R1; R3 0.9 mm long, obliquely directed towards C; R4 longer than R3, 2.1 mm long; R5 making an opened angle at point of contact with crossvein r-m, then 4 mm long, curved and ending at wing apex; r-m 0.3 mm long; discal cell dm very short, pentagonal, longer than wide, 1 mm long, 0.5 mm wide; M1+2 0.45 mm long distal of cell dm, M1 2.1 mm long, M2 1.6 mm long, M3 1.9 mm long, M4 1.4 mm long; m-cu quite long, 1.3 mm long, not in contact with cell dm; cell bm 6.55 mm long, 1.15 mm wide; vein CuA not making a pronounced angle at base of m-cu; CuA and CuP parallel; anal lobe rather broad.

Remarks. The other late Jurassic and early Cretaceous tipulid genus Tipunia Krzemiński & Ansorge, 1995 strongly differs from the new fossil in the elongate stem of Rs ( Krzemiński &Ansorge, 1995; Ribeiro & Lukashevich, 2014).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Leptotarsus reyi sp. nov. A, Wing photograph. B, Line drawing of wing. Scale bars = 1 mm.