Culex ekaterinae, Giłka & Harbach & Perkovsky, 2021

Giłka, Wojciech, Harbach, Ralph E. & Perkovsky, Evgeny E., 2021, Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in Eocene amber from the Rovno region, Ukraine, Zootaxa 5016 (2), pp. 257-270 : 258

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5016.2.6
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:38A6AB65-BC1E-461F-8851-8648B6EBBED5
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/74519104-A47C-4A85-98BD-80C2269524A7
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:74519104-A47C-4A85-98BD-80C2269524A7
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Culex ekaterinae
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Culex ekaterinae View in CoL sp. nov.

LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:74519104-A47C-4A85-98BD-80C2269524A7

Figs 1A–D View FIGURE 1 ; 2A, B, D, E, H, I View FIGURE 2 ; 3A, B, D View FIGURE 3

Derivation of the name. The specific name is a feminine patronym commemorating the Russian palaeontologist Ekaterina Alekseevna Sidorchuk (1981–2019).

Type material. Holotype, adult male, right hindleg broken, tarsomeres incomplete or missing, preserved in a subtriangular piece of amber 28.5 × 20.5 × 7.5 mm ( SIZK LKV-178 , Fig. 1A View FIGURE 1 ), Veselukha river valley, Rovno region, Ukraine; Eocene , Priabonian (33.9–37.8 Mya). Syninclusions: LKV-178 /I, Sciaridae ; SIZK LKV-179 , Dolichopo- didae.

Description. Adult male (holotype). Colour: Dark brown to black, with proximal abdominal segments slightly lighter ( Fig. 1B View FIGURE 1 ). Size: Body length 5.2 mm (excluding proboscis), body + proboscis 7.0 mm, thorax + abdomen 4.7 mm ( Fig. 1B View FIGURE 1 ). Antenna ( Fig. 1C View FIGURE 1 ): Length including pedicel 1.97 mm, flagellum 1.85 mm; flagellomeres 12 and 13 longest (0.44 and 0.47 mm, respectively), their combined length slightly less than total length of preceding flagellomeres (ratio 0.97); whorls well developed, flagellomeres 1–12 each with whorl of many long setae, flagellomere 13 with whorl of few shorter setae and short conical apical prolongation; antenna about 1.11 x length of proboscis. Proboscis ( Fig. 1D View FIGURE 1 ): Length 1.77 mm, distinctly shorter than maxillary palpus (ratio 0.65), with a distinct constriction 0.67 from base; labella with well-defined proximal and distal sclerites; forefemur/proboscis ratio 0.84. Maxillary palpus ( Fig. 1D View FIGURE 1 ): Length 2.72 mm, much longer than proboscis (ratio 1.54); palpomeres 1–3 ankylosed (combined length 1.65 mm), about 0.93 length of proboscis; palpomere 4 (0.57 mm) longer than palpomere 5 (0.50 mm), ratio 1.14; palpomeres 1–3 slender, broadening toward apex of palpomere 3; palpomere 4 broadest, palpomere 5 tapering toward narrow apex (cf. Culex erikae : Fig. 1E View FIGURE 1 ). Wing ( Fig. 2A, B View FIGURE 2 ): Length 2.90 mm; veins R 2 and R 3 distinctly longer than vein R 2+3 (R 2 /R 2+3 = 3.00, R 3 /R 2+3 = 3.16); arrangement of veins in area of radiomedial and mediocubital crossveins as shown in Fig. 2B View FIGURE 2 ; mediocubital crossvein [base of M 3+4 of Harbach & Knight (1980)] unusually short, with media and vein M 3+4 both indented at point of attachment with the crossvein (cf. Culex erikae : Fig. 2C View FIGURE 2 ); cubitus posterior [plical vein of Belkin (1962)] developed as strongly as cubitus anterior, with scales on at least proximal part; anal vein (1A) ending 0.67 of distance between intersection of mediocubital crossvein and cubitus and base of M 3+4 toward wing apex. Legs ( Fig. 2D, E, H, I View FIGURE 2 ; length of segments in Table 2): Entirely dark-scaled; foreleg with ungues strongly curved apically; ungues equally long on foreleg (110 μm), unequal on midleg (90 and 50 μm), equal on hindleg (50 μm); anterior unguis of fore- and midlegs with medial tooth: minute on foreleg ( Fig. 2D, E View FIGURE 2 ; cf. Culex erikae : Fig. 2F, G View FIGURE 2 ) and stout on midleg ( Fig. 2H View FIGURE 2 ), posterior unguis of fore- and midlegs without teeth; ungues of hindleg simple (for length of leg segments see Table 2). Genitalia ( Fig. 3A, B, D View FIGURE 3 ): Observed in lateral view; length of gonocoxite 300 μm, subapical lobe prominent, undivided, with 2 groups of setae: proximal group comprised of 3 long, stout closely appressed setae (setae a, b, c), narrowed distally with retrorse or hooked apices; distal group of partially fused shorter setae (setae d–g) with spoon-shaped apices ( Fig. 3B, D View FIGURE 3 ; cf. Culex erikae : Fig. 3C, E View FIGURE 3 ); length of gonostylus 190 μm, evenly curved, slightly enlarged distally, with long apical gonostylar claw.