Proneuronema, Makarkin, Vladimir N., Wedmann, Sonja & Weiterschan, Thomas, 2016

Makarkin, Vladimir N., Wedmann, Sonja & Weiterschan, Thomas, 2016, A new genus of Hemerobiidae (Neuroptera) from Baltic amber, with a critical review of the Cenozoic Megalomus - like taxa and remarks on the wing venation variability of the family, Zootaxa 4179 (3), pp. 345-370 : 346-347

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4179.3.2
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:717A61EB-0FCC-49C9-AD1B-A37D8E4D97D0
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5665738
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/932B87D6-FFE4-DF2E-118F-0C27FF35F020
treatment provided by	Plazi (2016-11-01 07:35:03, last updated 2024-11-27 11:57:19)
scientific name	Proneuronema
status	gen. nov.

Treatment

Genus Proneuronema View in CoL gen. nov.

Type species. Proneuronema minor sp. nov.

Diagnosis. May be distinguished from other hemerobiid genera by a combination of the following character states: in forewing, [1] ScP and RA separate distally; [2] at least four subcostal crossveins; [3] additional pre-3ra-rp [=pre-3ir1] crossveins absent; [4] crossveins proximad third gradate series between RP branches absent; [5] two to three ORBs; [6] distal-most ORB strongly pectinate; [7] ORB1 pectinate, with anteriorly-directed branches; [8] branches of CuA very long; [9] crossveins between branches of CuA continue in outer (fourth) gradate series; in hind wing, [10] basal 1r-m crossvein entering RP slightly distad origin of RP1; [11] two to four crossveins in second gradate series.

Species included. Proneuronema wehri ( Makarkin et al., 2003) , comb. nov., from the early Eocene of North America; P. gradatum sp. nov., and P. minor sp. nov. from the late Eocene Baltic amber.

Etymology. From the Greek pro, before, and Neuronema , a genus-group name, in reference to the most closely related extant genus. Gender neuter (ICZN, Article 30.1.2).

Remarks. The new genus is most closely related to the extant Asian genus Neuronema McLachlan, 1869 , based on the similarity of the male and female terminalia and wing venation (see below for details).

The early Eocene ‘ Cretomerobius ’ wehri Makarkin et al., 2003 from the North America Okanagan Highlands (Republic locality) probably belongs to this new genus. Its assignment to Cretomerobius was erroneous. All the forewing diagnostic character states are present in this species, except character state #4. However, this latter might be intraspecific variability as in one additional specimen of this or a closely related species the crossveins proximad third gradate series between RP branches are also absent (i.e., character state #4 is present) (S.B. Archibald, pers. comm.). Therefore, we assign the species to this genus, as Proneuronema wehri ( Makarkin et al., 2003) , comb. nov., the venation of which is most similar to that of P. gradatum sp. nov.

Some unnamed hemerobiid specimens reported from the early Eocene of Europe belong to this new genus. The majority of these are from the Mo-clay of Denmark, most are probably from the Fur Formation ( Henriksen 1922: Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 ; Larsson 1975: Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 ; Rust 1999b: Fig. 81, Pl. 24b,c), and one each from Havighorst ( Illies 1941: Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 ) and Greifswalder Oie Island ( Obst & Ansorge 2012: Fig. 10 View FIGURE 10 ), both in northern Germany. In general, hemerobiids from the Mo-clay are numerous (perhaps 400– 500 specimens: Ansorge 1997b; Rust 1999a), but only these few have been described or figured. Also, hemerobiids are quite common in the Greifswalder Oie deposits, and these are mainly conspecific with the Danish Mo-clay species (J. Ansorge, pers. comm.). The venation of all these figured early Eocene members of Proneuronema gen. nov. is clearly more similar to P. minor sp. nov. than to P. gradatum sp. nov.

References

Ansorge, J. (1997 b) Insekten in Geschieben - Uberblick uber den Kenntnisstand und Beschreibung von Neufunden. In: Zwanzig, M. & Loser, H. (Eds.), Berliner Beitrage zur Geschiebeforschung. CPress, Dresden, pp. 113 - 126.

Obst, K. & Ansorge, J. (2012) Exkursionsfuhrer Geologie und Landschaftsentwicklung der Greifswalder Oie (Exkursion D am 12. April 2012). Jahresberichte und Mitteilungen des Oberrheinischen Geologischen Vereins, N. F., 94, 213 - 264.

Henriksen, K. L. (1922) Eocene insects from Denmark. Danmarks Geologiske Undersogelse, 2 (37), 1 - 36.

Illies, H. (1941) Das Insekten fuhrende Alttertiar von Havighorst. Vorlaufige Mitteilung. Zeitschrift fuer Geschiebeforschung und Flachlandgeologie, 17, 16 - 24.

Larsson, S. G. (1975) Palaeobiology and mode of burial of the insects of the Lower Eocene Mo-clay of Denmark. Bulletin of the Geological Society of Denmark, 24, 193 - 209.

Makarkin, V. N., Archibald, S. B. & Oswald, J. D. (2003) New Early Eocene brown lacewings from western North America (Neuroptera: Hemerobiidae). Canadian Entomologist, 135, 637 - 653. http: // dx. doi. org / 10.4039 / n 02 - 122

McLachlan, R. (1869) New species, & c., of Hemerobiina; with synonymic notes (first series). Entomologist's Monthly Magazine, 6, 21 - 27.

Rust, J. (1999 b) Biologie der Insekten aus dem altesten Tertiar Nordeuropas. Habilitationsschrift zur Erlangung der venia legendi fur das Fach Zoologie in der biologischen Fakultat der Georg-August-Universitaat Gottingen, Gottingen, 482 pp.

Rust, J. (1999 a) Fossil insects from the Fur and Olst Formations ( mo-clay ) of Denmark (upper Paleocene / lowermost Eocene). In: Proceedings of the First Paleoentomological Conference, Moscow 1998. AMBA projects AM / PFICM 98 / 1.99, Bratislava, pp. 135 - 139.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Proneuronema minor gen. et sp. nov., specimen SMF Be 2535 as preserved. A, right side. B, left side. Scale bar = 3 mm (both to scale).

FIGURE 5. Proneuronema minor gen. et sp. nov., wing venation of the specimen SMF Be 2535. A, right forewing. B, right hind wing. C, left forewing. D, left hind wing (C, D converted to standard right dorsal view). Scale bar = 1 mm (all to scale).

FIGURE 6. Proneuronema minor gen. et sp. nov., apex of abdomen of the male specimen SMF Be 2535 (lateral view). A, photograph. B, line drawing. cc, callus cerci; ect, ectoproct; S 7, S 8, S 9, 7 th to 9 th sternites; T 8, T 9, 8 th and 9 th tergites. Scale bar = 0.3 mm.

FIGURE 10. Proneuronema gradatum gen. et sp. nov., wing venation of the paratype SMF Be 376 a. A, right forewing. B, right hind wing. Scale bar = 1 mm (both to scale).