Hennigophora pria (Grimaldi and Cumming), 2018

Grimaldi, David A., 2018, Basal Cyclorrhapha In Amber From The Cretaceous And Tertiary (Insecta: Diptera), And Their Relationships: Brachycera In Cretaceous Amber Part Ix David A. Grimaldi, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2018 (423), pp. 1-97 : 1-97

Hennigophora pria (Grimaldi and Cumming) ,

new combination

Figures 18 , 46C , 47A

Archiphora pria Grimaldi and Cumming, 1999: 97 .

SUMMARY: The original (holotype) specimen of H. pria is covered with a milky coating that obscures many surface details, critically the acrostichals, as well as the presence/absence of a median furrow on the frons, and terminalia, though portions of larger macrosetae protrude through the coating. A new specimen in New Jersey amber, AMNH NJ-Ch1, has some critical features that are better preserved, but this specimen lost the left side of the head and thorax before or during fossilization, and the abdomen has a thin milky coating. A few acrostichals can be seen in left profile, which appear to be in one (or possibly several) rows and are significantly smaller than those in H. robusta (whose acrostichals are about as large as the flanking dorsocentrals; fig. 19). Male genitalic structure cannot be compared to H. robusta since this specimen is female. Most importantly, the stridulatum is present in AMNH NJ-Ch1, with a scraper very visible on the mesal surface of the right profemur, and a file on the lateral surface of the left procoxa. The location, arc, and length of the stridulatum are just as in living sciadocerines, but the number and structure of ridges and teeth are not visible. A stridulatum was also observed in H. robusta based on a file on the right procoxa of a male specimen, AMNH Ba-JH58 (fig. 19) (this specimen also lacks a median furrow on the frons).

Hennigophora pria is similar to H. robusta in venation (proportions and lengths of main veins, a tubular stem of M; fig. 47A, B), setation of legs; and a broad frons (judging from the preserved right half in AMNH NJ-Ch1). It differs from H. robutsa by having a pair of reclinate interfrontals, near the frontal margin of the frons (vs. absent); also, setae are shorter, especially the acrostichals, supraalars, postalars, and scutellars. In agreement with Brown (2007a), Archiphora should be restricted to the sole living species.

Figures

FIG. 18. Hennigophora pria (Grimaldi and Cumming) (Phoridae), new female specimen in Late Cretaceous amber from New Jersey, AMNH NJ-Ch1. A. Right lateral habitus. B. Head and thorax, lateral. C. Wing, abdomen, legs, left lateral. Legs and thorax appear to be natural coloration; light abdomen is due to milky coating.

FIG. 46. Sciadocerinae in Eocene Baltic amber (A, B) and Late Cretaceous amber from New Jersey (C). A. Eosciadocera pauciseta, AMNH Ba-Je565, frontal view of head. B. Hennigophora robusta, AMNH Ba-JH58, oblique frontal view of head. C. Hennigophora pria, AMNH NJ-Ch1, lateral view of head and thorax.

FIG. 47. Wings of Sciadocerinae preserved in Eocene Baltic amber (B, D), and Cretaceous ambers (A, C), to different scales.A. Hennigophora pria in New Jersey amber, AMNH NJ-Ch1. B. Hennigophora robusta in Baltic amber, AMNH Ba-JH51. C. Prophora dimorion in Burmese amber, JZC Bu242. D. Eosciadocera pauciseta in Baltic amber, AMNH Ba-JVe565.