Palerasnitsynus vilarinoi, Wichard, 2023

Wichard, Wilfried, 2023, Fossil Trichoptera embedded in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, Contributions to Entomology 73 (2), pp. 167-179 : 167

Palerasnitsynus vilarinoi sp. nov.

Fig. 4

Types.

A small Burmese amber contains three males, which are the holotype and two paratypes attesting to the new species. The amber is deposited Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany, inventory no.: ZFMK-TRI000836 (BUB 3585 ex coll. Patrick Müller).

Preservation.

Two males, preserved in varying condition, are embedded in a single amber (Fig. 4A ). The holotype is completely preserved, from dorsal and ventral view. From ventral the pair of the genital inferior appendages is clearly visible. The paratype shows the genital laterally, although not absolutely clear. Forewings and hind wings are spread apart in the paratype.

Etymology.

The new species is dedicated to Albane Vilarino, Brasil, who pointed out that the extinct genus Palerasnitsynus may belong to the family Xiphocentronidae .

Description.

Male, adult with general characters of the genus, forewing length ca. 2 mm, antennae with about 20 cylindrical flagellomeres, plus scapus and pedicellus.

Genitalia: In ventral view (Fig. 4B ), the inferior appendages are almost parallel, the separation of the basal coxopodite and the attached harpago is only weakly indicated, possibly they are fused. The inside flanks of the inferior appendage are loosely equipped with long and strong setae. The basal coxopodite is somewhat elongated and baso-laterally rounded, the harpago probably only slightly longer than the coxopodite. The apex of each harpago bears a dark spiny head with densified spines of nearly equal length. The needled heads of the adjacent harpagoes face each other (Fig. 4B ). In lateral view (Fig. 4C ), the male genital shows a pair of parallel intermediate processes (int pro) which in length barely reach the level of the medio-lateral process (med pro) which originated from the coxopodite is elongate-round and bears a bush of long setae. The intermediate process is needle-shaped, somewhat broadened in the middle, and tapers toward the apex to a ventrally inclined dark tip. The pair of short preanal appendages and a short needle-like process with dark tip, dorsally inclined, are not clearly visible.

Diagnosis:

Palerasnitsynus vilarinoi sp. nov. is exclusively characterized by the latero-apical dark sporns at the 3rd maxillary palp segments and by the presence of forks II, IV, V in forewings and by the presence of forks II and V in hind wings. The new species is distinguished from all other species of Palerasnitsynus by the typical dark spiny head of each harpago apex facing each other with their spiny heads (Fig. 4B ). The elongate needle-like intermediate processes terminate in a ventrally inclined tip. However, they do not extend longitudinally beyond the medio-lateral process of the coxopodite (Fig. 4C ).

Figures

Figure 4. Palerasnitsynus vilarinoi sp. nov. in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber (inventory no.: ZFMK-TRI 000836). A. Holotype (left) and paratype (right); B. Holotype inferior appendages in ventral view; C. Paratype male genitalia in lateral view.