Akmazeina santonorum, Szwedo, 2009

Szwedo, Jacek, 2009, First discovery of Neazoniidae (Insecta, Hemiptera, Fulgoromorpha) in the Early Cretaceous amber of Archingeay, SW France, Geodiversitas 31 (1), pp. 105-116 : 107-110

Akmazeina santonorum n. sp. ( Figs 1-3 )

HOLOTYPE. — Specimen MNHN ARC 186.2 (nymph of probable Vth instar), syninclusion: holotype of Antodicranomyia azari Perrichot, Nel & Krzemiński, 2007 ( Perrichot et al. 2007). Deposited in the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris ( MNHN).

ETYMOLOGY. — Specific epithet is derived from Latin name of the Gallic tribe – Santones, inhabiting the area of Carantonus Maritimus – Gallia Celtica (present departement Charente-Maritime) during Roman times.

TYPE LOCALITY AND HORIZON. — Archingeay-Les Nouillers, Charente-Maritime, SW France. Lower Cretaceous, uppermost Albian, lithological subunit A1sl2 (sensu Néraudeau et al. 2002).

DIAGNOSIS. — Body dorso-ventrally flattened, elongately ovoid. Lateral margins of vertex elevated; vertex in midline longer than pronotum in midline. Frontoclypeal suture nearly straight, with trapezoid process in the middle. Anterior margin of pronotum arcuate. Fore femur longer than fore tibia; mid-femur shorter than mid-tibia.

DESCRIPTION

Total length of body c. 4.55 mm. General shape elongately ovoid, flattened dorso-ventrally, with tip of rostrum exceeding apex of abdomen.

Head with compound eyes 1.06 mm wide. Vertex subtriangular, a bit shorter (0.43 mm) than wide at base (0.54 mm), anterior margin acutely converging, posterior margin arcuate, lateral margins elevated. Disc of vertex slightly concave; mid-dorsal ecdysial line distinct. Trigons distinct, delimited by elevated carinae, with posterior angle reaching anterior ¼ of length of compound eye. Frons about 1.76 times as long as broad at frontoclypeal suture, 0.86 mm long in midline, slightly wider at level of sensory pits (0.51 mm) than at frontoclypeal suture (0.43 mm), angularly rounded at apex, with lateral margins subparallel.Lateral carinae slightly elevated laterad, extending to level of frontoclypeal suture and continuing only in very basal portion of clypeus. Submedian carinae fused since the frontoclypeal suture, slightly diverging in upper portion at level of sensory pits. Disc of frons slightly concave.Two quadruplets of sensory pits in upper portion of frons, slightly below anterior margin of head. Clypeus about 0.83 mm long in midline, without median carina; obsolete lateral carination only as continuation of lateral carinae of frons near frontoclypeal suture. Lora narrow, not distinctly delimited from clypeus, about as wide as gena. Antennal fovea distinct, with margin not distinctly elevated; scape subcylindrical, wider than long (0.08 mm), shorter than pedicel; pedicel elongate, subconical, about 0.1 mm long; first flagellomere globular, narrower than pedicel; arista elongate, about 0.51 mm long. Rostrum with tip exceeding apex of the body, subapical segment about 1 mm long, apical segment about 1.6 mm long.

Thoracic nota divided by longitudinal mid-dorsal ecdysial line into three pairs of plates. Pronotum wider than head with compound eyes, anteriorly produced to the level of basal ¼ of compound eyes length, with distinct anteromedian lobes, anterior angle slightly protruding anteriorly, lateral margins distinctly diverging posteriorly, posterior margin weakly triangularly incised. Pronotum in midline 0.36 mm long, shorter than vertex in midline, 0.57 mm as whole, 1.12 mm wide between anteromedian lobes, 1.58 mm wide at posterior angles. Disc of frons delimited by semicircular, elevated carinae anteriorly; two pairs of triplets of sensory pits present laterad of mid-dorsal ecdysial line, one in anteromedian portion, second in posterolateral portion of disc. Pair of triplets of sensory pits present in posterolateral angle of pronotum.

Mesonotum with wing pads 0.72 mm long in midline, 2.29 mm wide at posterior angle of wing pads, disc slightly elevated, delimited by lateral carinae diverging posteriad, anterior margin widely triangular anteriad, lateral margins diverging posteriad, posterior margin deeply excavate, with posterior margin of disc slightly convex posteriad; pair of triplets of sensory pits present on disc, near laterodiscal carina.

Metanotum with wing pads in midline shorter (0.5 mm) than mesonotum, as wide as mesonotum with wing pads, posterior margin distinctly excavate; disc of metanotum with pair of triplets of sensory pits.

Prothoracic leg with coxa shorter (0.71 mm) than femur (1 mm), femur slightly flattened, longer than tibia (0.88 mm), tibia subquadrangular in cross section, with margins with short setae along, first tarsomere short (0.14 mm), shorter than apical tarsomere (0.25 mm), apical tarsomere with distinct pulvilla and tarsal claws.

Mesothoracic leg with coxa shorter (0.83 mm) than femur (0.93 mm), femur slightly flattened, shorter than tibia (1.14 mm), tibia subquadrangular in cross section; tarsus 0.43 mm long, first tarsomere shorter (0.14 mm) than second tarsomere (0.33 mm), tarsal claws and arolium distinct.

Metathoracic coxa about 0.75 mm long, conical, femur 0.71 mm long, tibia slender elongate over 1.43 mm long, with distinct knee lateral tooth, rounded in cross section with short setae along.

Abdomen with pygofer 2.3 mm long in midline, 1.85 mm wide, 9-segmented, slightly narrower at base than preceding thoracic segment. Abdominal tergites IV-VII with single sensory pit at posterolateral angles, elevated near mid-dorsal ecdysial line, delicately carinate at ₁⁄₅ of distance from midline to lateral margin. Abdominal tergite VIII with pair of triplets of sensory pits at posterolateral angle. Abdominal sternites subrectangular, sternite VIII more chevron-shaped, with posterior margin triangularly incised.

Pygofer (segment IX) triangular, 0.74 mm long in midline, 0.8 mm wide, with posterior margin dorsally excavate, with distinct, narrow median incision on ventral margin, reaching ½ of its length; pair of triplets of sensory pits on lateral lobes, about ½ of pygofer length. Pair of finger-like processes of IXth abdominal sternite (“anal combs”) visible. Anal segment (segment X), subrectangular, with distinct median carination.

Figures

FIG. 1. — Akmazeina santonorum n. gen., n. sp.: A, body; B, face; C, left fore leg; D, left middle leg; E, left hind leg (incomplete, tip of tibia and tarsus missing); F, pygofer in dorsal view; G, lobes of pygofer in ventral view. Scale bars: A, 1 mm; B-G, 0.5 mm.

FIG. 2. — Akmazeina santonorum n. gen.,n. sp.: A, general ventral view;B, face;C, general dorsal view;D, head and pronotum;E, head and thorax. Scale bars: A, C, 1 mm; B, E, 0.5 mm; D, 0.2 mm.

FIG. 3. — Akmazeina santonorum n. gen., n. sp.: A, antenna; B, fore and middle legs; C, legs; D, pygofer in posterodorsal view; E, situ- ation of the specimen in piece of amber (note Limoniidae fly – Antodicranomyia azari Perrichot, Nel & Krzeminski, 2007). Scale bars: A, 0.1 mm; B-D, 0.5 mm; E, 1 mm.