Lukotekia

Drohojowska, Jowita & Szwedo, Jacek, 2013, The first Aleyrodidae from the Lowermost Eocene Oise amber (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha), Zootaxa 3636 (2), pp. 319-347 : 332

Lukotekia sp.

( Figures 47–57 )

Description. Measurements given in Table 1 . Head with compound eyes narrower than pronotum (0.92×). Vertex trapezoid, with anterior margin widely arcuate, posterior margin widely triangulate incised; vertex about twice as wide at base as long in mid line. Compound eyes not bulking, but rather aligned with the anterior margin of head. Antennae 8-segmented; pedicel huge and massive, slightly bulbous, almost half as long as segment III; segments V and VI of similar length; VII segment longer than VIII segment; VIII segement tapering from ½ of its length. Pronotum wide, wider than mesoscutum; anterior margin widely, triangulately directed cepahalad; lateral portions longer than length of pronotum in mid line. Mesoscutum M-shaped, with anterior angles rounded, posteromedian margin almost straight. Margins of hind wing tuberculate; less than basal ½ of costal margin with irregularly dispersed spinules. Hind tibia with almost evenly dispersed setae on ventral margin. Ovipositor (?) massive, stout.

Remarks. This specimen is preserved in quite poor condition, lacking numerous crucial features, precluding formal description. However, in respect to the characters accessible for analysis, it is tentatively placed in the genus Lukotekia gen. n.. These features are: III rd antennal segment 3 times as long as IV th antennal segment; hind tibia with dense setation hind wing with spinules covering less than ½ of basal hind wing length. It differs from Lukotekia menae sp. n. by the shape of lateral portions of mesoscutum delimited by oblique furrows, which are narrower and acutely terminated (bluntly terminated in L. menae ). In addition, the length of the body is shorter than that of Lukotekia menae sp. n.; vertex with a transverse concavity in posterior portion (this could be an artifact due to the preservation of the specimen in resin); abdomen strongly deformed; apex of genital segment unusually shaped, (this could also be an artifact due to the preservation in resin) and the accessible features are unsatisfactory to make the specific diagnosis. The wings are rumpled and the venational characters are not clearly visible, but resemble those of Lukotekia gen. n.

Age and occurrence. Lowermost Eocene, c. 55−53 Ma, Ypresian (Sparnacian), level MP7 of the mammal fauna of Dormaal (Feugueur 1963; De Ploëg et al. 1998; Nel et al. 1999, Cavagnetto 2000, De Franceschi & De Ploëg 2003, Nel et al. 2004, Nel & Brasero 2010). Department Oise, France, 43°N, 2.7°E; palaeocoordinates 44.8°N, 0.1°E; palaeocoordinates based on nearby landmark (Paleobiology Database 2013).

Material. Specimen No. MNHN PA 1671 ¾. Sex hard to determine due to preservation, probably female.

Figures

FIGURES 47 – 50. Lukotekia sp. 47 — body, dorsal view; 48 — antenna; 49 — hind leg; 50 — basal part of fore wing.

FIGURES 51 – 57. Lukotekia sp. 51 — body, ventral view; 52 — body, dorsal view; 53 — head and thorax, dorsal view; 54 — abdomen, dorsal view; 55 — antenna; 56 — hind tibia; 57 — hind tarsus.