Jeholopsyche liaoningensis, Ren, Dong, Shih, ChungKun & Labandeira, Conrad C., 2011

Ren, Dong, Shih, ChungKun & Labandeira, Conrad C., 2011, A well-preserved aneuretopsychid from the Jehol Biota of China (Insecta, Mecoptera, Aneuretopsychidae), ZooKeys 129, pp. 17-28 : 18-20

Jeholopsyche liaoningensis sp. n. Figs 19

Etymology.

The specific name refers to Liaoning Province, which includes the site of the fossil’s discovery.

Holotype.

An almost complete male specimen with well-preserved body and wings, part and counterpart, specimen numbers CNU-M-LB-2005-002-1 and CNU-M-LB-2005-002-2. Forewing length (preserved part) at least 21.5 mm, width 6 mm; body length (excluding antennae and proboscis) minimally 23 mm; proboscis length 6.8 mm; antenna length (preserved part) minimally 10 mm.

Paratype.

A poorly-preserved specimen of unknown sex with body and wings, lateral view, specimen number CNU-M-LB-2005-001 ( Ren et al. 2009, Fig. 2G).

Locality and horizon.

Huangbanjigou Village, Shangyuan Township, Beipiao City, Liaoning Province, China. Yixian Formation, of Early Cretaceous (late Barremian) age.

Description.

Male: The specimen shows details of a nearly complete insect (Figs 1-5). A pair of forewings is almost symmetrically arranged, but hindwings are obscure.

Head: Oviform in dorsal view, mouthparts opisthognathous or possibly hypognathous. Eyes large, widely separated. Between eyes, frons and clypeus well-developed. Proboscis ca. 6.8 mm long (proboscis length of paratype, 5.8 mm), straight, composed of indistinct labrum proximally and mostly labium, the latter with a distinct, fleshy pseudolabellum apically; mouth ellipsoidal and subterminally placed (Figs 7-8). Proboscis siphonate, stylets absent; covered with annulate dense hairs or microtrichia. Antennae distinctly longer than proboscis, flagellum multiarticulate, with annulate hairs.

Thorax: Pronotum small; meso- and metanotum more or less similar to each other; both scutum and scutellum not discernible.

Legs: Coxae smaller than those in typical scorpionflies. The legs entirely covered with annulate pubescence. Tarsi 5-segmented. The fore- and midlegs short, almost equal to antennae in length; their basitarsus distinctly shorter than remaining four segments combined in length. The hindlegs somewhat longer and slender, almost equal to forewing in length, with at least 1 apical spur; the basitarsus longest, almost equal to remaining four segments combined in length. All pretarsi with a pair of distinct claws, each developing a reduced and thickened pulvillus (Fig. 9).

Wings: Forewing slender (length/width ratio about 3.5:1); apical margin obscure, probably rounded; membrane delicate. A humeral vein present at the base of costal area. Sc long, reaching wing margin almost at same level as the MA bifurcation, with three inclined anterior branches; Sc area with some circular pale spots. Pterostigma probably absent. Both Rs and MA with two endings at or near the apical wing margin; Rs forking later than MA; MP forking later than where MA originates from Rs, with 4 long branches. Thyridium untraceable. Anal area broadened distinctly; A1 well developed. Forewing venational details is depicted in Fig. 6; hindwing untraceable.

Abdomen: elongate, tapering apically, with 9 visible segments. Basitergum (T1) small and closely associated with the metathorax; segments 2-6 distinctly longer. Segments 7-8 more slender than 2-6 (Figs 2, 5); segments 9-11 obscure but enlarged, indicating male sex. Cerci unknow n.