Curvus Kaddumi, 2005

Shamshev, Igor V. & Perkovsky, Evgeny E., 2022, A review of fossil taxa of Microphorinae (Diptera, Dolichopodidae sensu lato), with redescription of the Eocene genus Meghyperiella Meunier, Zootaxa 5150 (3), pp. 411-427 : 413

Curvus Kaddumi

Curvus Kaddumi, 2005: 85 ( 2007: 121) . Type species: Curvus khuludi Kaddumi, 2005 , by original designation.

Included species. Curvus khuludi Kaddumi, 2005: 85 ( 2007: 121; as “ khuludae ”, only male) ( Jordan (Lower Cretaceous)).

Remarks. Kaddumi (2005, 2007) distinguished this genus to include a single species, C. khuludi (also as “ khuludae ”), described from the amber of Jordan, Zarqa River basin, Lower Cretaceous (between 124–140 Ma). However, proper comparison of this taxon with other groups of microphorines was not provided.

According to the original description, Curvus khuludi differs from all fossil microphorines primarily by an eye covered with ommatrichia. This condition is considered as apomorphic (but highly homoplasious) in Empidoidea (e.g., Sinclair & Cumming 2006: 21, character 2). Within Dolichopodidae sensu lato this character is present in the most Parathalassiinae (except extinct Cretomicrophorus , Archichrysotus and Retinitus ), Dolichopodidae sensu stricto, as well as in some recent species of Schistostoma Becker of the microphorines ( Shamshev & Sinclair 2006; Shamshev 2020; Cumming & Brooks 2019; Brooks & Cumming 2022). The compound eyes of C. khuludi are rather dichoptic (apomorphic). The author noted that “frons narrow and decreasing in width toward antennae, eyes meet above antennae” (i.e., eye margins converging toward antennae) ( Kaddumi 2007: 122). This condition may resemble that described in Avenaphora and Pristinmicrophor . Although, in both these genera the eyes are separated by the frons above the antennae and ommatidia are equally small. In addition, C. khuludi possesses unusually short, subtriangular postpedicel. However, a similarly short postpedicel was described in the Upper Cretaceous (Burmese amber) Microphorites pouilloni ( Ngô-Muller et al. 2020) and in the recent Schistostoma indicum ( Shamshev 2020) . The wing venation of C. khuludi appears to match with that of the Microphor genera group ( Kaddumi 2007: 121, fig. 89), although the posterior part is not quite clear. The condition of the prothoracic sclerites and costal vein (circumambient versus ending near wing tip) remains unknown. Refer to additional notes under Pristinmicrophor .