Cretaceomma libanensis Rasnitsyn & Azar, 2022

RASNITSYN, ALEXANDR P., MAALOUF, MOUNIR, MAALOUF, RAMY & AZAR, DANY, 2022, New Serphitidae and Gallorommatidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Microprocta) in the Early Cretaceous Lebanese amber, Palaeoentomology 5 (2), pp. 120-136 : 130

Cretaceomma libanensis Rasnitsyn & Azar , sp. nov.

( Figs 9 , 10 )

Type material. Holotype, specimen no 1922, Azar collection, well preserved female; from Mdeirij-Hammana amber outcrop; Mouhafazet Jabal Loubnan (Governorate Mount Lebanon), Caza (= District) Baabda, Central Lebanon; lower Barremian. Type material is deposited in the Natural History Museum of the Lebanese University, Faculty of Sciences II, Fanar, Lebanon . Holotype.

Etymology. Specific name is after the country of origin.

Diagnosis. Same as for the genus and head elongate with eyes small, claval segments all elongate, probasitarsus with row of long setae, and first petiolar segment three times longer than high.

Locality and horizon. Mdeirij-Hammana outcrop (33°48′13″N, 35°43′45″E, elev. 1,340 m), Caza (= District) Baabda , Central Lebanon, lower Barremian .

Description. Colour dark, integument with weak metallic shine. Head and most of mesosoma mainly with transverse sculpture (finely distantly costulate to use terms by Harris, 1979), shining between costulae, with propodeal dorsum smooth, shining, legs and gaster dull. Prominent vestiture on antennae, legs, wings and metasomal apex.

Head some 1.5× as long as wide ( Fig. 10A ), eye some half as long as head, weakly convex, distant from head posterolateral end for about its length, not reaching dorsal head surface, with some 6×10 rows of ommatidia; ocelli not distinct; antennal attachments well above upper eye margin, less than their diameters apart; frons very high (possibly with clypeus which base not distinct). Antenna 14-segmented ( Fig. 10B ), with segment length rates (scape without radix) = 1: 0.77: 0.51: 0.51: 0.60: 0.60: 0.70: 0.77: 0.71: 0.70: 0.75: 0.73: 0.66: 0.77: 0.86, scape and pedicel some 1.5× as wide as funicular segments (except somewhat wide ultimate one) and some 0.7 as wide as claval segments, all segments longer than wide including claval ones; claval segments with trichoid sensilla and thicker, bent, semiprocumbent ones. Mouthparts not visible.

Mesosoma ( Fig. 10C ) with pronotum visible from above as narrow strip, apparently reaching wing bases, with lateral lobes longitudinally costulate, with ventral angles short,wide.Propleura not forming neck,prosternum external, both smooth. Mesonotum convex, smooth with sparse transverse costulae, lacking notauli and apparently parapsids; mesoscutellum subquadrate, with two basal foveae, metanotum half as long as mesoscutellum, entire, apparently smooth; metapostnotum weakly differentiated at propodeal base, propodeum transversely costate, evenly bent toward metasomal base. Mesopleura convex laterally, with longitudinal impression through its entire length, apparently smooth. Forewing ( Fig. 10D ) stalked, with only tubular R reaching basal wing quarter only, with membrane surface not distinctly modified, densely setose except for stalk, non-stalk margin entirely setose, with no single individualized seta, with distal and posterior setae very long and deeply rooted in membrane except those less long and short rooted in basal half of hind margin, with fore margin bearing both long and short setation, short setae being basal to long ones. Hind wing short, with stalk only (no membrane), with details obscured by attached tiny segmented object of obscure nature. Legs elongate (femora slightly inflated), ordinary except that fore coxa transverse costate; femora (dorsal), tibiae and tarsi setose, each tibia with one spur, fore spur straight, bent at distal third, bifid ( Fig. 10E ); all tarsomeres much longer than wide, basitarsi barely or not at all as long as two next segments combined, fore basitarsus concave over all ventral surface, with row of 12 or so long setae, claw small, simple, arolium long, narrow; fore tarsomere length ratio = 1: 0.50: 0.51: 0.51: 0.63, mid one = 1: 0.61: 0.55: 0.54: 0.63.

Metasoma with narrow petiolar segments ( Fig. 10F ), first 2.9× as long as high, slightly narrowing to both ends, second 1.5× as long as high, slightly narrowing anterior, 0.4× as long as first, attaching to gaster from below; gaster ( Fig. 10G ) with first tergum slightly longer than petiolar segments combined, taking half gaster length, twice as long as second one, following terga short externally. Ovipositor scarcely visible externally, cerci with long setae.

Measurements. Body length 0.69 mm, head length 0.14 mm, antenna length 0.47 mm, mesosoma length 0.24 mm, forewing length, 0.53 mm, width, 0.18 mm, petiolar segments 1, 2, 0.16 mm and 0.10 mm, respectively.

Remarks. New species differs from the only congener Cretaceomma turolensis ( Ortega-Blanco et al., 2011a) in body longer (0.7 vs. 0.5 mm) and more elongate, with head elongate (vs. semiglobose) and eyes small (vs. taking most of head sides), claval segments all elongate (vs. quadrate to transverse), probasitarsus with row of long (vs. short) setae, and first petiolar segment three times (vs. scarcely twice) longer than high.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Cretaceomma libanensis Rasnitsyn & Azar, gen. et sp. nov., holotype, specimen no 1922, habitus. A, Photograph of dorso-lateral view. B, Photograph of ventro-lateral view. C, Drawing of dorsal view. Scale bars in A, B = 0.1 mm, in C = 0.3 mm.

FIGURE 10. Cretaceomma libanensis Rasnitsyn & Azar, gen. et sp. nov., holotype, specimen no 1922, photographs. A, Head, dorso-lateral view. B, Antenna. C, Thorax, dorso lateral view. D, Forewing. E, Cleaning apparatus. F, Petiole. G, Gaster, ventral view. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.