Eminespina, Chen & Zhang & Shi, 2021

Chen, Xin-Yu, Zhang, Hua-Chuan & Shi, Xiaoxiao, 2021, A new species and genus of Alienopteridae (Blattodea) from mid-Cretaceous amber of northern Myanmar, Zootaxa 4941 (4), pp. 580-586 : 581

Genus Eminespina gen. nov.

Zoobank

Type species. Eminespina Burma sp. nov.

Etymology. The generic name is a combination of the Latin “ emine ” (meaning “prominent”) and “ spina ” (meaning “spine”) referring to the three prominent spines on the pronotum.

Diagnosis. Female with hypognathous strongly transversal head. Compound eyes strongly convex (hemispherical), protruding. Antennae, slender and filiform. Neck broad, pronotum elongated, wide, cylindrical. Three unique spines distributed anterior quarter of pronotum from longer posterior part. Forewings long and apparently hardened, covering almost all parts of hind wings; hind wings fully developed, narrow, with thickened and strongly sclerotized veins and transparent membrane, surpassing tip of abdomen; pterostigma distinct. Legs moderately long. Femora slightly tapering distally, ventral surface of profemur without one row of dense setae along midline, and profemoral brush not developed. Tarsus five-segmented.

Comments. The fossil is distinguished from other genera in having long, cylindrical pronotum and three distinct stout spines distributed anterior quarter of pronotum from longer posterior part. It is similar to Alienopterix and Vzrkadlenie in having fully developed forewings (hardened tegmina), but differs from the latter two in having the separated posterior area of the pronotum and relatively thin body. Aside from the different head shape, Eminespina gen. nov. is considerably larger than Aethiocarenus and possesses a long pronotum and wings with the second pair extending to the tip of the abdomen, while Aethiocarenus (at least the female) has a narrow entire pronotum and is apterous. Alienopterus is significantly less cercomeres compared with Eminespina gen. nov.. Eminespina gen. nov. differs from Alienopterella by the following characters: total body length larger (6.5 mm vs 7.4 mm); cerci composed of less cercomeres (five vs at least thirteen). It differs from Caputoraptor in lacking pronotum with sawlike edge with sharp teeth. Eminespina gen. nov. distinctly differs from Meilia in having the long head, pronotum and broader neck. It also differs from the Teyia in lacking the triangular-shaped head (widest portion at apex), constricted neck.