Mantohelea sinica, Steber, Szadziewski & Wang, 2016

Stebner, Frauke, Szadziewski, Ryszard & Wang, Bo, 2016, Biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in Fushun amber reveal further biotic links between Asia and Europe during the Eocene, Palaeontologia Electronica 31 (9), pp. 1-9 : 2-3

Mantohelea sinica n. sp.

Figures 1.1, 1.2 , 2.1 -8

zoobank/ B37DEC3E-A6F9-4EC6-A34F-FA65B2AAD33E

Material. Holotype female NIGP156996 . Deposited at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from Latin name of China – Sina.

Diagnosis. The species is characteristic in having weakly swollen femur of foreleg armed with long slender ventral spines, fore tibia without apical prolongation, hind femur without strong setae and palpus with short palpomere 4. Males unknown.

Description. Female. Dark brown in colour. Total body length (including head) 1.3 mm.

Head. Eye separation not visible. Flagellum length 0.50 mm. AR 1.26. Antenna with 13 flagellomeres, flagellomeres 2–8 gradually increasing in length, distal 5 flagellomeres distinctly elongate ( Figure 2.1 ). Proboscis long. Palpus slender; palpal segment 4 is 0.75 the length of palpal segment 3 ( Figure 2.3 ); sensory pit absent.

PALAEO- ELECTRONICA.ORG

Thorax. Antepronotum well developed, collar like. Forelegs with femur ( Figure 2.5 ) slightly swollen (shape similar for both legs, no evidence for distortion - so this character state is regarded to be not an artefact or taphonomic result), armed with seven long and slender ventral spines; lateral spines not visible. Fore tibia ( Figure 2.4 ) somewhat arcuate with singular apical spur; apical prolongation absent. Tarsomere 5 of foreleg with basal enlargement ( Figure 2.6 ). Mid leg slender, basitarsus with four spine-like setae ( Figure 2.7 ). Hind femur and tibia slightly enlarged, tibial comb composed of at least five strong spines, hind basitarsus with complete row of palisade setae ( Figure 2.8 ). Tarsomeres 4 short, cordiform. Claws slightly unequal, simple; claws of foreleg distinctly longer that those of mid and hind legs. TR(I) 2.18, TR(II) 3.21, TR(III) 2.38. Wing length 0.8 mm, CR 0.63. Radial cell single, media with short stem ( Figure 2.2 ). Membrane without macrotrichia, microtrichia not visible.

Abdomen. Cerci short, oval. Seminal capsules not visible.

Remarks. The species resembles Mantohelea gedanica in the proportions of palpal segments 4 and 3 and in the absence of spine-like setae on the hind femur. Both species differ however in the fore femur, which is less swollen in Mantohelea sinica ( Table 1).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Photograph of Mantohelea sinica n. sp. from lower Eocene Fushun amber. 1. Mantohelea sinica n. sp., Holotype female NIGP156996. 2. Mantohelea sinica n. sp., head.

FIGURE 2. Mantohelea sinica n. sp., Holotype female NIGP156996. 1. Antenna. 2. Wing. 3. Palpus. 4. Fore tibia. 5. Fore femur. 6. Tarsus of foreleg. 7. Tarsus of mid leg. 8. Tarsus of hind leg.