Djalmabatista maillardi, Published, 2007

Published, First, 2007, Chironomid midges from early Eocene amber of France (Diptera: Chironomidae), Zootaxa 1404, pp. 1-66 : 12-14

Djalmabatista maillardi n. sp.

( Figs. 8, 9)

Etymology: This species is named for Mr. Jeoffrey Maillard, friend of the first author.

Diagnosis: MCu basal to FCu; with distance between them only slightly shorter than Cu 1; wing with few macrotrichia; comb of hind tibia with 1 row of bristles; gonostylus with sharp apical hook.

Description: Head deformed, 0.26 mm long; ocelli absent; antenna 0.66 mm long, much longer than head, distinctly hairy, pedicel broad and short, rounded; eye bare but deformed, with apically dorsomedial extension; mouthparts lacking functional mandibles; 5 palpomeres with numerous setae, palp 3 globular; pos­ tocular, frontal, inner vertical setae not visible, few outer vertical setae. Thorax 0.54 mm long, 0.3 mm wide, 0.6 mm high; postnotum bare; surface of scutellum with 5 long setae; scutal tubercle not visible; 1 supraalar seta, 4 prealar setae; anterior acrostichals present; dorsocentrals biserial; preepisternal setae absent. Wing macropterous, 1.24 mm long, 0.38 mm wide, hyaline, few macrotrichia present at tip of wing; anal vein An 2 absent; radius with 3 branches R 1, R 2+3, and R 4+5; R 2+3 well separated from R 1 and nearly to R, R 2+3 apically forked into R 2 and R 3; R 2 0.02 mm long, ending in R 1, R 3 0.11 mm long, ending in costa; costa ending just beyond insertion of last branch of radius, produced by 0.07 mm, more than length of cross­vein RM; only M 1+2 and M 3+4 present; cross­vein MCu present; cubital fork 0.15 mm distal to and beyond cross­vein MCu, crossvein RM 0.05 mm proximal to MCu; anal lobe well developed; squama fringed. Halter 0.17 mm long. Fore femur 0.4 mm long, tibia 0.54 mm long, tarsus 0.96 mm long; mid femur 0.44 mm long, tibia 0.54 mm long, tarsus 0.78 mm long, hind femur 0.44 mm long, tibia 0.52 mm long, tarsus 0.88 mm long; all tibial spurs with lateral teeth, 2 hind leg tibial spurs respectively 0.04 mm long and 0.02 mm long; 4 th tarsomeres of all legs cylindrical, not cordiform; hind tibial comb of 1 row; 2 pseudospurs present on tarsomeres 1, 2, 3 and 4 of mid and hind legs, pulvilli absent. Abdomen 0.8 mm long, 0.28 mm wide; gonostylus with short setae, narrow and elongate, 0.06 mm long, 0.008 mm wide, sharp apical hook on gonostylus; gonocoxite 0.1 mm long, 0.08 mm wide, numerous long setae on outer surface of gonocoxites; anal point broad, 0.06 mm wide at base, 0.04 mm long.

4+5

Discussion: In the key to dipteran families of McAlpine (1981), this fossil falls in the Tanypodinae because of the characters stated above. In the key to Nearctic tanypodine tribes and genera of Oliver (1981) and Fittkau (1962), and the key to Holarctic genera of Murray & Fittkau (1989), Djalmabatista maillardi falls in the Procladiini because of the following characters: tarsomere 4 of all tarsi cylindrical, comb of hind tibia with single row of bristles, R 2 and R 3 present and joined, MCu basal of FCu, with distance between them only slightly shorter than Cu 1, and maxillary palp five­segmented. It shares with the recent genus Djalmabatista the characteristic sharp apical hook of the gonostylus, supposed to be absent in the closely related genus Procladius Skuse, 1889 . We tentatively attribute our fossil species to this genus, but the recent Procladius bellus or Procladius choreus have gonostyli strongly curved at the apex, with a sharp spur ( Murray & Fittkau 1989: fig. 5.31). Thus this difference between the two genera is ambiguous. Procladius and Djalmabatista are widespread.

Among the Neotropical species, Djalmabatista director Fittkau, 1968 , differs from Djalmabatista maillardi by the presence of two very strong hooks on the gonostylus. Djalmabatista antonii Fittkau, 1968 , has a complex gonostylus with a strong basal hook. Djalmabatista ivanyae Fittkau, 1968 , has a strong basal lobe. Djalmabatista dellomei Fittkau, 1968 , has two rather small apical hooks. Djalmabatista amancii Fittkau, 1968 , has a shorter gonostylus with two subapical hooks ( Fittkau 1968). The gonostylus of D. orlandoi Oliveira & Carraro, 1997 , is also short, and it has a dark spot on veins RM and MCu ( Oliveira & Carraro 1997). Djalmabatista travassosi Carraro, Oliveira & Rego, 1992 , has few long setae on its gonocoxite, fewer than in Djalmabatista maillardi ( Carraro et al. 1992: fig. 11). The gonostylus of Djalmabatista maillardi looks similar to that of D. lacustris Paggi, 1984 , but the setae of the gonocoxite of the latter are shorter (about half as long as the length of the gonocoxite) ( Paggi 1984). The Nearctic D. pulcher Johannsen, 1908 , has a dark transverse zone on its wings, unlike in Djalmabatista maillardi . The Afrotropical species Djalmabatista reidi Freeman, 1955 , has a dark spot on vein RM and no macrotrichia on the membrane ( Freeman 1955: pl. 1, fig. l; Saether & Andersen 2000).

Material: Holotype PA 6543, (male).

FIGURE 9. Djalmabatista maillardi n. sp., holotype PA 6543, drawings of habitus (scale bar = 1 mm), and male genitalia (scale bar = 0.1 mm).