Cretapsyche palpinova sp. nov., 2019

Wichard, Wilfried & Neumann, Christian, 2019, A new bizarre dysoneurid species (Insecta, Trichoptera) in Burmese amber, Fossil Record 22 (2), pp. 51-56 : 52-53

Cretapsyche palpinova sp. nov.

Figs. 1–2 .

Holotype

Kept in the amber collection of the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin (MfN: holotype inventory number MB.I. 7340 coll., former Patrick Müller collection, BUB 2587). Fossil from Upper Cretaceous, Cenomanian. Embedded in Burmese amber, body well preserved; forewing in dorsal view, hind wing covered dorsally by forewing. Antennae and legs present. Male genitalia visible in ventral view.

Etymology

Cretapsyche palpinova sp. nov. is named for its novel maxillary and labial palpi.

Diagnosis

Scapus about as long as the head and bearing a brush of long setae; the pedicellus short, thickened at end; first flagellomere almost twice as long as the following flagellomeres and basally thickened. The new species is distinguished from other dysoneurid species by the maxillary and labial palps: maxillary palps five-segmented; second segment longest, narrow, and slightly bent; third segment hairy, pin-shaped pendant (pilifer); third to fifth segments successively decreasing in size. Labial palps three-segmented; the terminal segment long, oval, and flattened, with an apicolateral bulge.

Description

Male head without ocelli. Each flagellum about 4 mm in length, consisting of 26 rod-shaped flagellomeres; scapus strong, narrow, distally slightly broader than basally, about 0.5 mm in length and slightly longer than head, hairy, apically with tuft of hair; pedicellus short, thickened at ends; first flagellomere twice as long as following flagellomeres, basally thickened. Maxillary palpus five-segmented: first segment long but shorter than second segment; second segment longest, slim and slightly curved, longer than third, fourth, and fifth segments together. Rod-shaped appendage (pilifer) originating from third segment. Labial palpus three-segmented: first segment longest, almost as long as second and third segments together; third segment about as long as second segment but wider, flattened, oval, rounded margin, apicolaterally with small rounded tongue.

Forewings each 3 mm in length ( Fig. 1b ). Apical forks I and IV absent; II, III, and V present; fork III petiolate; fork V probably slightly petiolate. Crossveins r and s not clearly visible, r -m short and aligned diagonally, m absent. Discoidal and median cells open, thyridial cell long and closed. Cu2 running to Cu1b and reaching desclerotized crossvein connecting Cu1b to margin; this crossvein not clearly visible. Hind wings smaller than forewings, each with wing venation and setation as follows (in ventral view, so far as visible): fork III clearly visible, petiolate; crossvein r -m also clearly visible; fork II absent; forks I and V probably present; dorsal surface covered with small scale-shaped hairs.

Male genitalia visible in ventral view ( Fig. 2c, d ). Inferior appendages two-segmented, each consisting of coxopodite and harpago; small subtriangular accessory appendage basoventrally; coxopodite strong, about 0.2 mm in length, about as long as harpago; harpago originating from coxopodite, basally narrow, thicker mesally near middle, and tapered apically; curved mesad, enclosing central phallic apparatus. Tergum X with mesodorsal lobe divided apparently into two small parallel processes covering phallic apparatus dorsally. In ventral view dorsolateral preanal appendages also deeply behind central phallic apparatus, each forming small, elongate, triangular spatula.

Figures

Figure 1. Cretapsyche palpinova sp. nov. (a) Male in ventral view. (b) Forewing venation: II, III, and V denote apical forks II, III, and V; TC denotes thyridial cell.

Figure 2. Cretapsyche palpinova sp. nov. (a) Drawing of the scapi, pedicelli, and first antennal segments; the five-segmented maxillary palps (max palp), the three-segmented labial palps (lab palp); and a pair of pilifers arising from the maxillary palps. (b) Head with palps and antennae in ventral view. (c) Male genitalia in ventral view. (d) Drawing of the male genitalia in ventral view with the inferior appendages (inf ap) consisting of the basal coxopodite and the apical harpago, with the preanal appendages (pre ap) and with tergum X divided in two apical lobes (X ap).