Cretagaster raritanensis, Dikow & Grimaldi, 2014

Dikow, Torsten & Grimaldi, David A., 2014, Robber flies in Cretaceous ambers (Insecta: Diptera: Asilidae), American Museum Novitates 3799, pp. 1-19 : 11

† Cretagaster raritanensis , new species

Figure 7

ZooBank LSID: 91E3654F-24EC-4432-8865-02 C5F6DC63F2

(http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:91E3654F-24EC-4432-8865-02C5F6DC63F2 ).

ETYMOLOGY: The specific name refers to the Raritan Formation of the northeastern United States, from which this species has been recovered.

DESCRTPTION Grimaldi and Cumming (1999): Torax length = 2.63 mm. Head (fig. 7B): large; compound eyes with fairly large, flat, frontal surface, but no differentiation of frontal and lateral ommatidia, bare; vertex not excavated, probably bare; ocellar triangle raised only slightly; compound eyes widely separated frontally, distance between inner margin 0.28 width of head; inner margins with slight emargination just below antennal bases; face with very simple mystax, composed of only 2 stouter, light-colored setae, plus several finer, slightly shorter setae; proboscis of moderate length; hypopharynx with 3 sharp spicules on dorsal surface that are set far apart; maxillary palpus short and bare, two-segmented. Antenna (fig. 7A): pedicel cup shaped, postpedicel drop shaped, stylus two-segmented, short proximal segment (presence difficult to discern) and longer distal segment, tipped with apical “setalike” sensory element.

THORAX (fig. 7A): Pronotum fairly large; 2 fine, stiff supraalar (spa) setae; row of 3 fine, stiff postalar (pal) setae; scutum and scutellum largely bare.

WING (fig. 7A): Alula small, but base of wing folded, obscuring bases of veins M and Cu.

LEGS (fig. 7C): Prothoracic tibia with approximately six stiff, long macrosetae and numerous finer, shorter setae (legs very difficult to observe).

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Unique holotype of unknown sex ( AMNH NJ-558 ) collected by Debra Abernathy at the White Oaks (Old Crossman’s) Clay Pits, Sayreville, New Jersey. The specimen is in a milky amber and only most of the head, thorax, portions of some legs, and the proximal quarter of the wings are preserved .

Figures

FIG. 7. †Cretagaster raritanensis (holotype AMNH-NJ-558). A. Incomplete specimen in dorsolateral view (with enlarged structure of hypopharynx). B. Head in anterior view. C. Leh prothoracic leg in lateral view (reproduced from Grimaldi and Cumming, 1999)