Cretaconiopteryx grandis Liu & Lu, 2017

Li, Hongyu, Wang, Bo & Liu, Xingyue, 2019, First description of the male of Cretaconiopteryx grandis Liu & Lu, 2017 (Neuroptera: Coniopterygidae) from the Cretaceous Burmese amber, Zootaxa 4674 (4), pp. 482-490 : 483-485

Cretaconiopteryx grandis Liu & Lu, 2017

( Figs. 1–3 )

Cretaconiopteryx grandis Liu & Lu, 2017: 382 .

Description of male. Body ( Figs. 1A, B ) length 4.3 mm; integument dark brown.

Head ( Fig. 1C ) nearly as long as wide, with prominent compound eyes; frons well-sclerotized between antennal insertions; gena elongated; vertex slightly domed. Antenna with scape stouter and longer than pedicel and flagellomeres, about twice as long as wide; pedicel nearly as long as wide; flagellum with 30 flagellomeres, each flagellomere subcylindrical, moderately setose, nearly as long as wide, but terminal flagellomere bullet-shaped, over three times longer than wide; mouthparts chewing mandibulate; terminal maxillary palpomere elongate elliptical, much longer and broader than preceding palpomeres; terminal labial palpomere elongate elliptical, much longer and broader than preceding palpomeres.

Prothorax slightly narrower than meso- and metathorax and slightly longer than wide. Legs slender, with numerous, short setae; pro- and mesotibiae nearly equal in length to pro- and mesofemora; metatibia longer than metafemur; profemur nearly equal in length to mesofemur but shorter than metafemur; protibia also nearly equal in length to mesotibia but shorter than metatibia; tarsus 5-segmented; tarsomere 1 longest, nearly equal to combined length of remaining tarsomeres; tarsomere 4 ( Fig. 1D ) distally expanded and flattened, marginally with a row of setae; pretarsal claws short, simple; arolium absent.

Forewing ( Figs. 1E, F , 2A, C ) length 6.0 mm; membrane hyaline, slightly brownish throughout, with six distinct, ovoid, dark spots, respectively located at cell between RA and RP+MA, RP and MA, RP+MA and MP, MP1 and MP2, MP and CuA (or reaching MP slightly), CuP and A1; costal space proximally with two costal crossveins and several costal crossveins on distal half; Sc almost parallel to costal margin, terminally abruptly bending toward RA (or alternatively interpreted as connected by a crossvein with RA); two sc-r, one sc-ra present at distal 1/4 of subcostal space; RA distally curved posteriad and connected with anteriorly curved RP forming a loop; one or two ra-rp present distad sc-ra; origin of RP+MA near wing base; RP simple, distally curved anteriad; MA simple and curved posteriad slightly; one rp-ma present distad ra-rp; MP bifurcated at about distal 1/3; one or two r-mp, two rp+ma-mp and one ma-mp present; one mp1-mp2 present; RP/MA fork and MP1/MP2 fork generally similar in length, shape and size; stem of M nearly touching Cu; Cu fork near wing base; CuA straight and simple; CuP simple, proximally slightly protruding proximally in right forewing but not zig-zagged or protruding in left forewing (probably due to preservation condition); one mp-cua present on right forewing, absent on left forewing; one mp2-cua present on right forewing; two cua-cup present; A1 simple; three cup-a1 present; A2 with a long, distally bifurcated anterior branch and a short, strongly curved posterior branch; one a1-a2 present; distal-most crossveins among longitudinal veins from RA to A2 arrange into a gradate series; marginal setae present, and those on posterior margin much more widely spaced than those on costal margin.

Hind wing ( Figs. 2B, D ) length 4.2 mm, similar to forewing, while immaculate; costal space proximally with two costal crossveins and at least five costal crossveins on distal half; Sc largely parallel to costal margin, terminally abruptly bending toward RA (or alternatively interpreted as connected by a crossvein with RA); one sc-ra present; RA distally slightly curved posteriad; two ra-rp+ma and one ra-rp present; origin of RP+MA near wing base; RP simple, distally feebly curved anteriad; MA simple, slightly curved posteriad; one rp-ma present distad ra-rp; MP bifurcated at about distal 1/3; at least one rp+ma-mp and one ma-mp present; one mp1-mp2 present; RA/MA fork and MP1/MP2 fork generally similar in shape and size, while length of former fork is slightly longer than that of latter one; Cu forked near wing base; two mp-cua and one mp2-cua present; CuA and CuP both simple and slightly curved anteriad; four cua-cup present; A1 simple, slightly curved anteriad; two cup-a1 present; two a1-a2 present; A2 distally bifurcated, with a short crossvein between stem of A2 and posterior margin; distal-most crossveins among longitudinal veins from RA to CuA arranged into a gradate series; marginal setae present, and those on posterior margin much more widely spaced than those on costal margin.

Abdomen ( Figs. 1G , 3A, B ) with plicature invisible. Genital segments largely preserved except tergum 9. Putative ectoproct unpaired, broad and rounded, slightly domed in dorsal view. Sternum 9 with short and rectangular, medially longitudinally elevated (probably not natural condition). Hypandrium glabrous, present as a posteiorly expanded, subtriangular sclerite, which is bifid posteriorly and posterolaterally bears a pair of lobes, each lobe rounded distally. Gonocoxites 9 present as a pair of large, external sclerites, which are probably connected with tergum 9 proximally; distal half of gonocoxite 9 distinctly expanded into a subquadrate lobe, medially curved, with a secondary elevated lobe with sparse setae on inner surface, distal margin densely setose. Putative gonapophyses 10 [(= parameres in Meinander (1972)] at least with posterior part paired, slender, laterally curved, and slightly inflated into an obtuse tip. Putative gonostyli 10 (= penis) present as a long, narrow sclerite, slightly narrowed posteriad; apex modified into an ovoid structure, with a pair of tiny subquadrate processes at tip and a hole in dorsal view, laterally with slightly sclerotized expansion and internally with paired slender rods.

Material examined. Holotype, CAM BA-0008 , female, it is polished in the form of a nearly elliptical transparent cabochon, with length×width about 10.2×8.0 mm, height about 5.3 mm, Lowermost Cenomanian , Tanai Village , Hukawng Valley , northern Myanmar . NIGP 171206, amber piece with a complete male adult and a psocid, a beetle, a cockroach, a caddisfly, four aphids, a spider, and a scorpion. It is polished in the form of ovoid cabochon, transparent, with length×width about 37.52× 22.01 mm, height about 6.30 mm, Lowermost Cenomanian , Tanai Village, Hukawang Valley, northern Myanmar.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Cretaconiopteryx grandis Liu & Lu, male, NIGP 171206.A. Habitus photo, dorsal view; B. Habitus photo, ventral view; C. Photo of head, dorsal view; D. Photo of protarsus; E-F. Photos of apex of left (E) and right (F) forewings, arrow 1 indicates Sc terminally abruptly bending toward RA (or alternatively interpreted as connected by a crossvein with RA), arrow 2 indicates the loop formed by forewing RA and RP; G-H. Photo of genitalia, ventral view. gp: gonapophyses; gst: gonostylus; gx: gonocoxite; lp: labial palp; mp: maxillary palp; t: tarsomere.

FIGURE 2. Drawings of fore- and hind wings of Cretaconiopteryx grandis Liu & Lu, male, NIGP 171206. A. Left forewing; B. Left hind wing; C. Right forewing; D. Right hind wing.

FIGURE 3. Cretaconiopteryx grandis Liu & Lu, male, NIGP 171206. A. Drawing of genitalia, dorsal view; B. Drawing of genitalia, ventral view. T: tergum; S: sternum; epr: ectoproct; gp: gonapophyses; gst: gonostyli; gx: gonocoxites; hyp: hypandrium.