Cretoxyla azari Grimaldi & Cumming

Grimaldi, David A., Arillo, Antonio, Cumming, Jeffrey M. & Hauser, Martin, 2011, Brachyceran Diptera (Insecta) in Cretaceous ambers, Part IV, Significant New Orthorrhaphous Taxa, ZooKeys 148, pp. 293-332 : 297

Cretoxyla azari Grimaldi & Cumming sp. n. Fig. 2

Diagnosis.

As for genus.

Description.

Head: Largely preserved, visible in oblique dorsal and ventral views. Head slightly flattened dorsoventrally, wider than deep, but exact proportions unclear since head seems somewhat distorted. Eyes large, bare, facets not differentiated; dorsal margins of eyes widely separated, by distance approximately 3x width of ocellar triangle. Gena/postocciput with fine pilosity; frons bare. Antenna large and thick; length equal to length of head, thickest portion of antenna near middle (width 0.25 × length of antenna). Flagellomeres difficult to discern, apparently 7, all but distal 2 are wider than long; flagellomere “2” [which may be 2 flagellomeres - if sulcus is present it is very obscure] twice the length of other flagellomeres; apical flagellomere small and conical. Mouthparts slightly prognathous, elements separated but difficult to discern; pair of stiff, stylate maxillae apparent, other elements probably include a labrum or hypopharynx, the labium and/or palps (segmentation of possible palps cannot be discerned).

Thorax: Pronotum fairly large, collar-like; mesonotum large, relatively flat; mesonotum, apical 2/3 of mesoscutellum, and anepimeron with homogeneous vestiture of fine, stiff setulae, each setula having a slightly raised, papilla-like base; row of such setulae just above wing base. Only fore leg preserved sufficiently; without spines or spurs even at apex of tibia. Empodium pulvilliform. Halter slender. Wing: Distal quarter lost at surface of amber. Sc complete, meeting C slightly beyond level of crossvein r-m. Vein h in line with short m-cu. Vein R1 straight. Vein R2+3 lost. Cells br and bm virtually equal in size, bisected by weak vein M. Cell m3 spindle-shaped, very small, approximately half the length and width of discal cell; vein M3+CuA1 incomplete (not reaching wing margin) and long, length only slightly less than length of cell m3. Cell cup very large, considerably thicker than and extended well beyond apical levels of cells br and bm. Vein A1 complete, A2 not apparent; alula present, but not particularly large.

Abdomen: Poorly preserved, genitalia lost.

Type.

Holotype, sex unknown, Lebanon (Early Cretaceous, Neocomian): "Hammana/Mdeiru, Aptien inférieur,” in Azar Collection no. 391, temporarily deposited in Musee National d’histoire Naturelle, Paris. The specimen is partially preserved, missing the right side of the body, most of the legs, and the right wing at the surface of the amber. It is mounted in a shallow glass well in Canada balsam on a glass slide.

Etymology.

Patronym, for Dany Azar, for his extensive contributions to the paleontology of Lebanese amber.