A New Fishfly Species (Megaloptera: Corydalidae: Chauliodinae) from Eocene Baltic Amber
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Palaeoentomology 003 (2): 188–195 ISSN 2624-2826 (print edition) https://www.mapress.com/j/pe/ PALAEOENTOMOLOGY Copyright © 2020 Magnolia Press Article ISSN 2624-2834 (online edition) PE https://doi.org/10.11646/palaeoentomology.3.2.8 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:20A34D9A-DC69-453E-9662-0A8FAFA25677 A new fishfly species (Megaloptera: Corydalidae: Chauliodinae) from Eocene Baltic amber XINGYUE LIU1, * & JÖRG ANSORGE2 1College of Life Science and Technology, Hubei Engineering University, Xiaogan 432000, China �[email protected]; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9168-0659 2Institute of Geography and Geology, University of Greifswald, Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahnstraße 17a, D-17487 Greifswald, Germany �[email protected]; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1284-6893 *Corresponding author. �[email protected] Abstract and Sialidae (alderflies). Species of Megaloptera have worldwide distribution, but most of them occur mainly in The fossil record of Megaloptera (Insecta: Holometabola: subtropical and warm temperate regions, e.g., the Oriental, Neuropterida) is very limited. Both megalopteran families, i.e., Corydalidae and Sialidae, have been found in the Eocene Neotropical, and Australian Regions (Yang & Liu, 2010; Baltic amber, comprising two named species in one genus Liu et al., 2012, 2015a). The phylogeny and biogeography of Corydalidae (Chauliodinae) and four named species in of extant Megaloptera have been intensively studied in two genera of Sialidae. Here we report a new species of Liu et al. (2012, 2015a, b, 2016) and Contreras-Ramos Chauliodinae from the Baltic amber, namely Nigronia (2011). prussia sp. nov.. The new species possesses a spotted hind Compared with the other two orders of Neuropterida wing with broad band-like marking, a well-developed stem (Raphidioptera and Neuroptera), the fossil record of of hind wing MA subdistally with a short crossvein to MP, a Megaloptera is considerably scarce. Thus, the early single straight RP branch separated between 1ra-rp and 2ra- rp in hind wing, and the hind wing A3 with anterior branch evolution of this order is little known. Jepson & Heads proximally touching A2. A tentative placement of the new (2016) presented a comprehensive overview on the fossil species in Nigronia Banks, 1908, which is an extant genus Megaloptera of the world. However, the extinct families endemic to eastern North America, is discussed in detail. Our listed as Megaloptera in Jepson & Heads (2016), i.e., finding provides new evidence indicating that the fishflies Parasialidae and Corydasialidae, have been removed related to the extant species from eastern North America had out of Megaloptera in recent studies (Liu et al., 2017; occurred in Europe during the Early Tertiary. Engel et al., 2018). Parasialidae is considered to be stem group Raphidioptera (Wang et al., 2017; Engel et Keywords: Neuropterida, Nigronia, fossil, Europe, Tertiary al., 2018), while Corydasialidae belongs to Neuroptera, being close to Chrysopoidea (Liu et al., 2017). Thus, the oldest fossil of definite Megaloptera known so far Introduction is Dobbertinia reticulata Handlirsch, 1920 (Sialidae) from the Lower Jurassic of Germany (Ansorge, 2001), The order Megaloptera (dobsonflies, fishflies, and while the oldest fossil of Corydalidae is recorded from alderflies) belongs to the superorder Neuropterida and the Middle Jurassic of China, including two genera and is the second smallest order of Holometabola. Within two species of Chauliodinae (Wang & Zhang, 2010; Liu Neuropterida, adult megalopterans are characterized et al., 2012). Totally, there have been 21 named fossil by the prognathous head and the broad anal area of species of Megaloptera, including nine species in nine hind wing, while their larvae are exclusively aquatic, genera from the Mesozoic and 12 species in six genera campodeiform, with seven or eight pairs of lateral from the Cenozoic (Jepson & Head, 2016; Huang et al., tracheal filaments on elongate abdomen (New & 2016). Among them, eight species in seven genera belong Theischinger, 1993). Currently, there are nearly 380 to Corydalidae, while the remaining 13 species in eight described species of Megaloptera worldwide (Oswald genera belong to Sialidae. & Machado, 2018). Extant Megaloptera consist of only The Eocene Baltic amber is a major source yielding two families, i.e., Corydalidae, with two subfamilies megalopteran fossils. Currently, there are six named Corydalinae (dobsonflies) and Chauliodinae (fishflies), species and two undetermined species respectively of 188 Submitted: 15 Feb. 2020; accepted by D.-Y. Huang: 13 Mar. 2020; published: 30 Apr. 2020 Indosialis Lestage, 1927 and Chauliodes Latreille, 1796 Genus Nigronia Banks, 1908 (Hagen, 1856; Wichard, 1997, 2002, 2003; Wichard & Nigronia Banks, 1908: 30. Engel, 2006; Wichard et al., 2009). Chauliodes is the only known corydalid genus from Baltic amber, with two Type species. Chauliodes serricornis Say, 1824: 304, by named species, i.e., Chauliodes priscus Pictet in Hagen, subsequent designation (van der Weele, 1910: 70). 1856 and Chauliodes carsteni Wichard, 2003. Included species. Two extant species: Nigronia In this paper, we describe a new species of serricornis (Say in Keating, 1824) and Nigronia fasciata Chauliodinae (Corydalidae) from the Eocene Baltic (Walker, 1853) from eastern U.S.A. and eastern Canada. amber, which was first mentioned by Ansorge (2007). One extinct species: Nigronia prussia sp. nov. from The new species is tentatively placed in the extant fishfly Eocene Baltic amber. genus Nigronia Banks, 1908 that is endemic to eastern Diagnostic characters. Adults small to medium- North America, namely Nigronia prussia sp. nov.. Our sized (forewing length 19–28 mm). Body generally finding provides a new case that the ancestor of North blackish brown. Antennae pectinate or subserrate in male, American corydalids had occurred in Europe during the serrate or subserrate in female. Wings blackish brown, Early Tertiary. with some whitish markings, which usually form a whitish band-like marking at middle on forewing in extant species; transparent with dark markings at least in hind wing in Material and methods extinct species, i.e., Nigronia prussia sp. nov.. Forewing: RP with four simple branches, posterior branch proximally The Baltic amber forest grew sometime in the Eocene straight, only one RP branch separated between 1ra-rp in southern Fennoscandia. During the Lutetian (Middle and 2ra-rp crossveins; MA simple; MP with two long Eocene, ca. 45 Ma) the amber was re-deposited into the simple branches; A2 with both branches strongly sinuate, marine silt and clay of the Blue Earth Formation, which and with anterior branch not fused with A1. Hind wing: is mined in the Jantarnyi (Palmnicken) quarry in the Venation mostly same to that of forewing; stem of MA Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation. During present as a long, slightly sinuate veinlet, subdistally with Neogene and Pleistocene Baltic amber was redeposited a short 1ma-mp crossvein (but sometimes absent); cua- all over the North European plain. Since Baltic amber is cup crossvein nearly vertical to CuA; A3 with anterior also a trading good, the whereabouts of a certain piece are branch proximally connecting A2 by a short crossvein often unknown, as in our case. For a general overview on or a short fusion. Male genitalia: Tergum 9 longer than Baltic amber see Weitschat & Wichard (2002). wide, anteriorly concaved, distinctly produced ventrad, Images of the wing were taken with a Nikon Coolpix posterodorsal portion in lateral view angularly convex; 4500 camera with reflected and translucent light. The sternum 9 posteriorly with a membranous lobe; ectoproct drawing is based on a camera lucida sketch and the short, subquadrate in lateral view, with a feebly prominent photographs. callus cercus; gonocoxites 10 fused into a single sclerite, The examined specimens of extant fishflies with a pair of short lateral arms; gonocoxites 11 fused are deposited in the Entomological Museum, China into an arcuate sclerite beneath anus. Female genitalia: Agricultural University (CAU), Beijing, China, and the Gonocoxites 8 fused into a large plate; gonapophyses Fumio Hayashi collection, Tokyo Metropolitan University, absent; gonocoxite 9 distally with a very tiny gonostylus; Tokyo, Japan. ectoproct subtriangular, not bilobed, with a feebly Abbreviations used for wing veins are as following prominent callus cercus. based on the terminology in Kukalová-Peck & Lawrence (2004): A, anal vein; Cu, cubitus; CuA, cubitus anterior; Nigronia prussia sp. nov. CuP, cubitus posterior; MA, media anterior; MP, media (Figs 1–3) posterior; RA, radius anterior; RP, radius posterior; ScP, subcosta posterior; crossveins in small characters. Type material. Holotype RD 300, German Amber Museum, Ribnitz-Damgarten: Amber piece with a nearly complete hind wing of Nigronia prussia sp. nov., eight sciarids (Diptera: Sciaridae), and five mymarids Systematic palaeontology (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) as syninclusions. Etymology. The name derives from Latin Prussia, Class Insecta Linnaeus, 1758 the former duchy of Prussia (Herzogtum Preußen) a Order Megaloptera Latreille, 1802 region in the East Baltic, now Kaliningrad (Königsberg) Family Corydalidae Leach, 1815 region of Russian federation, where most of the Baltic Subfamily Chauliodinae van der Weele, 1909 A NEW fishfly SPECIES Palaeoentomology 003 (2) © 2020 Magnolia Press • 189 wide at middle. Largely transparent, but with distinct dark markings; costal space with a small