Zippelia, RASNITSYN & MÜLLER, 2023

RASNITSYN, ALEXANDR P. & MÜLLER, PATRICK, 2023, Identity of the insect larva described by Zippel et al. (2022) in the mid-Cretaceous Burmese (Kachin) amber (Hymenoptera, Tenthredinoidea, Blasticotomidae = Xyelotomidae syn. nov.), Palaeoentomology 6 (1), pp. 13-16 : 14

Genus Zippelia gen. nov.

Type species. Zippelia engeli gen. et sp. nov.

Species included. Type species only.

Etymology. Genus name is derived from the name of the first author of the original larval description.

Diagnosis. Larva (probably an early one because of small size). Body segments soft, smooth, naked, with only head capsule and ninth and particularly tenth abdominal terga sclerotised. Head position oblique (semiprognathous). Stemma small, touching antennal foramen dorsally. Antenna setiform, 7-segmented, touching mandibular base or nearly so. Mandibles with at least three teeth. Maxillary and labial palps 4- and 3-segmented, respectively, with large palpigers. 9 spiracles visible (on pronotum and abdominal segments 1–8). Legs setiform, 6-segmented, with terminal segment (pretarsus) long but apparently soft, not claw-like.Abdominal terga with three (basal ones) through no (8 th to 10 th) transverse folds. Separated lateral lobes bearing spiracles and so nonhomologous to those in other symphytan larvae; delimited area below them apparently participating in incipient prolegs distinct at least in segments 5–8 (basal segments are not visible from below). Sternal area (between incipient prolegs) variable in having two, one or no transverse folds. Tergum 9 distinctly sclerotised, convex, tergum 10 strongly sclerotised, concave, pentagonal, with two lateral prongs and long posteromedial tooth, recalling incipient concavity of terga 9–10 in larval Blasticotomidae . Sternum 10 with elongate subanal lobe bearing lateroapically two-segmented appendages long enough to be visible dorsally.