Palaeoparasycorax globosus Stebner et al., 2015 from the mid-Cretaceous amber of Myanmar: Description of a mating pair
Author
Azar, Dany
State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China & Lebanese University, Faculty of Science II, Natural Sciences Department, Fanar - El-Matn, PO box 26110217, Lebanon
Author
Huang, Di-Ying
State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
text
Zootaxa
2023
2023-12-29
5396
1
94
104
https://www.mapress.com/zt/article/download/zootaxa.5396.1.14/52607
journal article
283447
10.11646/zootaxa.5396.1.14
5f91b413-59f8-4640-8df2-b6c051157350
1175-5326
10441131
10BDE7AD-B433-41A8-92C3-02B3F503CA20
Palaeoparasycorax globosus
Stebner
et al
., 2015
Figs 1‒4
Type
species.
Palaeoparasycorax globosus
Stebner
et al
., 2015
.
Other species.
Palaeoparasycorax suppus
Stebner
et al
., 2015
.
Material.
Specimen
NIGP
203548 A (male) and B (female).
FIGURE 1.
Palaeoparasycorax globosus
Stebner
et al.
, 2015
, specimen number NIGP203548.
A
,
B
, Habitus of mating pair.
C
, Head of male.
D
, Antenna of male. Scales bars = 0.5 mm in
A
,
B
, 0.1 mm in
C
,
D
.
Amended diagnosis.
Antenna with 14 flagellomeres, the apical one (apiculus) clearly distinct and half-length of the preapical one, ascoids not discernable, terminal palpus segment longest, sclerotized and distally broader than at its base; wing with Sc short and terminating in acute angle in
R
1, sc-c crossvein present; r4+5-m crossvein absent; number of visible abdominal segments reduced (
i.e.
, less than 8); male terminalia inverted; gonostylus upright, with distal portion blunt with one terminal and two subterminal long and strong spiniform setae; gonocoxite elongate, very slightly shorter than gonostylus; epandrial lobe well developed and ovaliform; female terminalia with reduced pointed cercus, slightly directed downward; 8
th
sternite well developed, concave in lateral view, with sharp pointed apex ended by an apical strong seta, upward directed and surpassing cercus level.
FIGURE 2.
Palaeoparasycorax globosus
Stebner
et al.
, 2015
, specimen number NIGP203548, wing of male.
A
, Microphotograph with compound microscope.
B
, Microphotograph with fluorescent compound microscope.
C
, Line drawing. Scale bars = 0.3 mm.
Locality and horizon.
Hukawng Valley
of the northern state of
Kachin
; latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian
.
Description of male.
Body length without head and without gonostyli:
1.05 mm
(same length as the
holotype
).
Head
. With oval eyes (
Fig. 1C
); mouthparts short, non-functional, palpus (
Fig. 1C
) 4-segmented, terminal segment slightly sclerotized increasing in width distally; antennae longer than wing, with 14 flagellomeres (
Fig. 1D
), the apical one (apiculus) clearly distinct and half-length of the preapical one, first flagellomere longest, almost double in length than the two successive ones; ascoids not discernable; scape short, pedicel subspherical, with a short but evident apical neck.
Thorax
. Mesonotum setose; legs elongate without distinctive features; wing (
Fig. 2
)
1.15 mm
long,
0.49 mm
large, with R
4+5
ending at the broad wing apex; Sc short, ending in a sharp angle in radial vein (
0.4 mm
from wing base), with a long and faint sc-c crossvein; radius with 4 veins, R4+5 fused; radial fork slightly basal to medial one; CuP [A] vein short almost not reaching wing margin.
FIGURE 3.
Palaeoparasycorax globosus
Stebner
et al.
, 2015
, specimen number NIGP203548, male and female terminalia in mating.
A
, Microphotograph with compound microscope.
B
, Microphotograph with fluorescent compound microscope.
C
, Microphotograph with confocal microscope with color-coded projection.
D
, Microphotograph with confocal microscope. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.
Abdomen
.
0.5 mm
long, with six visible segments; terminalia (
Figs 3
,
4B, 4C
) of inverted
type
, gonostylus upright, with distal portion blunt with one terminal and two subterminal long and strong spiniform setae; gonocoxite elongate, very slightly shorter than gonostylus; epandrial lobe well developed and ovaliform.
Description of female.
Body length without head:
1.5 mm
.
Head
. Badly preserved with oval eyes; mouthparts relatively short but longer than those of the male, palpus 4- segmented, terminal segment slightly sclerotized increasing in width distally as in male; antenna (only one preserved) longer than wing, with 14 flagellomeres, the apical one (apiculus) clearly distinct and half-length of the preapical one, first flagellomere longest, almost double in length than the two successive ones; ascoids not discernable.
Thorax
. Mesonotum setose; legs elongate without distinctive features; wing with same venation as male but larger.
Abdomen
.
1.12 mm
long; terminalia (
Figs 3
,
4A, 4C
) with reduced pointed cercus, slightly directed downward; 8
th
sternite well developed, concave in lateral view, with sharp pointed apex ended by an apical strong seta, upward directed and surpassing cercus level.
FIGURE 4.
Palaeoparasycorax globosus
Stebner
et al.
, 2015
, specimen number NIGP203548.
A
, Line drawing of female terminalia.
B
, Line drawing of male terminalia.
C
, Line drawing of male and female terminalia in copulation. Abbreviations: ae = aedeagus; ce = cercus; ep lb = epandrial lobe; goncx = gonocoxite; gonst = gonostylus; pm = paramere; 8th st = 8
th
sternite. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.
Remarks.
Palaeoparasycorax globosus
differs from all remaining
Sycoracinae
by the distinctive absence of r4+5-m crossvein. Male smaller and thinner than female; female 1.5x longer than male and 1.8x wider (
Fig. 1A, B
). Copulation with end-to-end opposite position during courtship (
Fig. 1A, B
). The male captures the female terminalia with its gonostyli and penetrates the two filaments of the aedeagus attached basally to the parameres, while the female upwards the 8
th
sternite to enable mating.