Cretarophalis patrickmuelleri, Wichard, 2017

Lu, Xiumei, Xia, Fangyuan, Wang, Bo, Aspöck, Ulrike & Liu, Xingyue, 2018, Taxonomic notes on Cretarophalis patrickMUelleri Wichard, 2017 (Insecta: Neuroptera: Nevrorthidae) from the mid-Cretaceous of Myanmar, and its phylogenetic significance, Zootaxa 4370 (5), pp. 591-600 : 593-597

Re-description of CretarOPHalis PatriCKmuelleri Wichard, 2017

( Figs. 1–13 )

Female. LPAM BA17002. Body length 4.18 mm; forewing 5.52 mm long, 2.13 mm wide; hindwing 4.88 mm long, 1.71 mm wide. Integument of body generally yellowish brown.

Head with vertex moderately domed, densely setose. Compound eyes globally bulging. Antenna moniliform, brown, setose; scape larger than pedicel and flagellum, subcylindrical; pedicel slightly smaller than scape; flagellum with 30 segments. Mouthparts chewing-mandibulate; labrum ovoid; maxillary palpus five-segmented, with terminal segment acutely tapering; labial palpus three-segmented, with terminal segment acutely tapering.

Prothorax slightly longer than head; pronotum nearly 1.5 times as long as wide, with lateral margins convex and bearing several spinous cuticular processes, which have long setae. Meso- and metathorax slightly larger than prothorax, bearing long setae on anterior part of mesonotum. Legs slender, densely setose; two tibial spurs present; tarsus five-segmented, tarsomere 1 slightly longer than each of remaining tarsomeres, tarsomere 2-4 gradually shortened, tarsomere 5 about 2.0 times as long as tarsomere 4; two simple tarsal claws present; a short empodium present between tarsal claws. Wings elliptical, transparent, densely setose on veins and wing margins; trichosors present on distal half of wing margin; nygmata absent; forewing with several small pigmented spots on some crossveins and forking points of longitudinal veins; hindwing immaculate.

Forewing venation: Costal space distinctly broadened near wing base; costal crossveins simple; ScP and RA distally connected by a short crossvein; 1scp-ra also present; RA distally with pectinate branching; RP+MA originating from R near wing base; RP with three main branches, each of which has marginal fork; three ra-rp crossveins present; MA dichotomously forked about from distal 1/4; MP diverging into two long branches, MP1 dichotomously forked about from distal 1/3, MP2 with only marginal fork; a short r-mp crossvein present; Cu diverging about from its midpoint; CuA with three branches, each of which has a marginal fork; CuP with only marginal fork; a short, oblique 1mp-cu crossvein present; no cua-cup crossvein; both A1 and A2 pectinate near wing margin; oblique cu-a1 and a1-a2 crossveins present; A3 simple; J present; outer gradate series of crossveins (= crossvein gradate series 4 in Wichard 2016) present; median gradate series of crossveins (= crossvein gradate series 3 in Wichard 2016) incomplete by lack of proximal crossvein between posterior two RP branches (= crossvein 3rp3+4-rp 2 in Wichard 2016).

Hindwing venation: Costal space rather narrow proximally, but slightly broadened distad; costal crossveins simple and only distinct on proximal half of costal space; ScP and RA distally connected by a short crossvein; 1scp-ra absent; RA distally obscure, with pectinate branching; stem of RP+MA rather weak, almost undetectable; RP with three main branches, each of which has a marginal fork; three ra-rp crossveins present; MA dichotomously forked about from distal 1/4; MP diverging into two long branches, MP1 dichotomously forked about from distal 1/ 4, MP2 with only marginal fork; Cu diverging near wing base; CuA with distal half nearly parallel to posterior margin of hindwing, with pectinate branching; CuP simple; an oblique cua-cup crossvein present; A1 with a marginal fork; A2 simple; an long, oblique a1-a2 crossvein present; only outer gradate series of crossveins present.

Abdomen subcylindrical, slightly setose. Genital segments gradually narrowed terminally. Sternum 7 broadly rectangular in ventral view, with truncate posterior margin. Tergum 8 short, nearly half of tergum 7 in length. Fused gonocoxites 8 slightly longer than tergum 8, nearly rectangular in ventral view, with posterolateral corners slightly produced; posterior margin truncate; posteromedian portion with a longitudinal depression. Gonapophyses 8 present posteriad fused gonocoxites 8, subtriangular, with lateral ridges more distinct. Only lateral parts of tergum 9 discernible, strongly directed and narrowed posteriad. Gonocoxites 9 flat, narrowly foliate, almost vertically directed dorsad, distally slightly curved; gonostyli 9 undetectable. Ectoproct slightly longer than tergum 9, subquadrate in lateral view, laterally with a circular area of trichobothria. Anus distinctly protruding from ectoprocts, membranous, tubular.

Re-description of putative final-instar larva. PCXJ BA-0009. Body ca. 9.85 mm long (caudal part of abdomen not preserved), elongate and slender. Integument of head dark brown, with gula and antennae slightly paler; integument of cervix and prothorax brown; integument of meso- and metathorax as well as abdomen pale yellow; legs pale yellowish brown.

Head capsule 0.70 mm long excluding jaws, and 0.50 mm wide; flat and nearly rectangular, posteriorly narrowed into a “neck”, laterally with four long setae discernible; a large, elongate gula present, anteriorly produced. Antenna glabrous, ca. 0.85 mm long, distal part distinctly segmented, with pseudosegments nearly as long as wide; terminal two antennomeres considerably longer than wide, terminal antennomere rather slender, subdistal antennomere with an elongate sensorium. Rostrum strongly produced anteriad, with two short setae laterally and two minute setae distally; jaw (mandible + maxillary stylet) length 0.70 mm, proximally broad, and distally narrow and slightly incurved at tip, with a short seta slightly anteriad its midpoint on inner margin; proximal and intermediate maxillary elements flat and broad; labium with narrow submentum (about 1.5 times as long as wide), broadened subtrapezoidal mentum and prementum; labial palpus length 0.57 mm, five-segmented, with second palpomere longest.

Cervix 0.37 mm long and 0.35 mm wide, nearly completely sclerotized, anteroventrally with two pairs of protrusions laterally and medially, one pair of long setae present laterally.

Prothorax 0.75 mm long and 0.50 mm wide, anteroventrally slightly sclerotized, laterally with three pairs of long setae discernible. Meso- and metathorax much more robust than prothorax, each laterally with two long setae discernible. Legs short and slender, mid and hind leg slightly longer than foreleg; several spines on femur and tibia of all legs, mostly on distal half; two tarsal claws present, empodium indistinct.

Abdomen generally as robust as meso- and metathorax, with segments 2 and 3 slightly more robust; each segment with a few long and medium-length setae, most of which are present posterolaterally.

Materials examined. BA17002 (LPAM), amber piece preserving an almost complete adult female of C. patrickmuelleri (large parts of fore and hindwing not preserved); it is polished in the form of a subquadrate cabochon, transparent, with length×width about 14.1×15.0 mm, height about 7.2 mm. PCXJ BA-0009, amber piece preserving an almost complete larva of C. patrickmuelleri (terminal part of abdomen not preserved, rather obscure in dorsal view of the larva due to presence of numerous minute particles); it is polished in the form of a suboval cabochon, transparent, with length×width about 15.2× 11.6 mm, height about 3.2 mm.

Remarks. The identification of our materials as C. patrickmuelleri was based on the possession of the following characters: the forewing with pigmented spots, the absence of proximal crossvein between posterior two forewing RP branches, and the absence of forewing cua-cup, which are diagnostic characters of C. patrickmuelleri ( Wichard 2017) . Moreover, the larva herein described and that in Wichard (2017) are probably conspecific considering the relatviely short and broad cervix.

Figures

FIGURES 1–3. Cretarophalis patrickmuelleri Wichard, female (LPAM BA17002). 1. Habitus photograph, dorsal view; 2. Habitus photograph, ventral view; 3. Photograph of head, ventral view.Scale bar:1.0 mm (1, 2); 0.5 mm (3).

FIGURES 4–5. Wing venation of Cretarophalis patrickmuelleri Wichard, female (LPAM BA17002). 4. Right forewing drawing; 5. Right hindwing drawing.Scale bar:1.0 mm.

FIGURES 6–9. Genitalia of Cretarophalis patrickmuelleri Wichard, female (LPAM BA17002). 6. Photograph of genitalia, lateral view; 7. Photograph of genitalia, ventral view; 8. Drawing of genitalia, lateral view; 10. Drawing of genitalia, ventral view. Arrow indicates the longitudinal depression of fused gonocoxites 8. T: tergum; S: sternum; e: ectoproct; a: anus; gx: gonocoxite;gp:gonapophyses.Scale bar:0.5 mm.

FIGURES 10–13. Putative final-instar larva of Cretarophalis patrickmuelleri Wichard (PCXJ BA-0009). 10. Habitus photograph, ventral view; 11. Habitus drawing, ventral view; 12. Photograph of head, ventral view; 13. Photograph of antenna, ventral view.Arrow indicates the elongate sensorium of subdistal antennomere.Scalebar: 1.0mm (10, 11);0.25 mm(12);0.10 mm (13).