Elephantomyia pulchella

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Elephantomyia pulchella
Temporal range: Middle Eocene
Elephantomyia (E.) pulchella Fig 12 body 01.jpg
E. (E.) pulchella male
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Limoniidae
Genus: Elephantomyia
Species:
†E. pulchella
Binomial name
†Elephantomyia pulchella
(Loew, 1850)
Synonyms
  • Toxorhina pulchella
  • Limnobiorhynchus pulchella

Elephantomyia (Elephantomyia) pulchella is an extinct species of crane fly in the family Limoniidae. The species is solely known from the Middle Eocene [1] Baltic amber deposits in the Baltic Sea region of Europe. The species is one of six described from Baltic amber. [1] [2]

Contents

History and classification

Elephantomyia (Elephantomyia) pulchella is known from the holotype specimen, collection number MB.J.336, along with two further adults which are preserved as inclusions in transparent Baltic amber. As of 2015, the holotype specimen was included in the collections of the Natural History Museum Humboldt University, while another was housed at the Polish Academy of Sciences, and the last resided in a private collection. [2] Baltic amber is recovered from fossil bearing rocks in the Baltic Sea region of Europe. Estimates of the age date between 37 million years old, for the youngest sediments and 48 million years old. This age range straddles the middle Eocene, ranging from near the beginning of the Lutetian to the beginning of the Pribonian.

E. pulchella is one of six crane fly species in the genus Elephantomyia described from the Baltic amber, the others being E. baltica , E. bozenae , E. brevipalpa , E. irinae , and E. longirostris . [2] All six species are placed into the Elephantomyia subgenus Elephantomyia based on the lack of tibial spurs and by several aspects of the wing morphology.

The fossil was first studied by entomologist Hermann Loew of the Germany, with his type description of the new species being published in 1851 as Toxorhina pulchella , though he published the nomen nudum name a year earlier. The species was moved to the genus Limnobiorhynchus in 1860 by Carl Robert Osten-Sacken, and later moved by Osten-Sacken again, this time to the genus Elephantomyia. The fossils were reexamined and the species redescribed in 2015 by paleoentomologist Iwona Kania of the University of Rzeszów, who examined the holotype and the two additional specimens. [2]

Description

All studied E. pulchella type specimens are preserved males, with the females of the species unknown as of 2015. The body length ranges from approximately 3.42–3.63 mm (0.135–0.143 in) long, not including the rostrum. The head has a rostrum which is similar in length to the abdomen and about ⅔ the wing length, being between 2.22–2.77 mm (0.087–0.109 in) long. This rostrum to wing and abdomen ratio is not seen in the other described Baltic amber Elephantomyia. The rostrum has elongated palpus at the tip, each composed of four segments and having a system of microtrichia hairs. [2] The basal three palpus segments are elongated cylinders, while the apical segments are shortest. The fifteen segmented antennae are small, composed of an elongated scape, widened pedicle and thirteen flagellomeres. As the flagellomeres progress from the base to the tip of the antennae they change from squat and crowded together to elongated. The five flagellomeres at the base have two long setae on them, while the next three flagellomeres have three setae. Flagellomeres ten to thirteen have four setae each, while the elongated segments fourteen and fifteen do not have any. The wings are between 3.8–4.5 mm (0.15–0.18 in) long with a pale brown pterostigma that is oval in shape. The Rs vein, as designated by the Comstock–Needham system, is slightly curved and about 5 times the length of the base segment of the R5 vein. The Rs is shorter than the length of the connected R2+3+4 vein. [2]

Related Research Articles

Paleontology or palaeontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised feces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because humans have encountered fossils for millennia, paleontology has a long history both before and after becoming formalized as a science. This article records significant discoveries and events related to paleontology that occurred or were published in the year 1860.

Paleontology or palaeontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised feces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because humans have encountered fossils for millennia, paleontology has a long history both before and after becoming formalized as a science. This article records significant discoveries and events related to paleontology that occurred or were published in the year 1851.

Paleontology or palaeontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised feces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because humans have encountered fossils for millennia, paleontology has a long history both before and after becoming formalized as a science. This article records significant discoveries and events related to paleontology that occurred or were published in the year 1850.

<i>Elephantomyia</i> Genus of flies

Elephantomyia is a genus of crane fly in the family Limoniidae.

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Hyptia deansi is an extinct species of ensign wasp in the family Evaniidae known from a solitary Late Oligocene to Early Miocene fossil found in Mexico. H. deansi is the only species in the genus Hyptia to have been described from fossils and the only ensign wasp described from Mexican amber.

Apterostigma electropilosum is an extinct species of ant in the subfamily Myrmicinae known from a single possibly Miocene fossil found on Hispaniola. A. electropilosum is one of only two species of the ant genus Apterostigma and one of five attini species to have been described from fossils found in Dominican amber.

<i>Electrostephanus</i>

Electrostephanus is an extinct genus of crown wasp in the hymenopteran family Stephanidae, and is the only genus placed in the subfamily Electrostephaninae. The genus contains four described species, E. brevicornis, E. neovenatus, E. janzeni, and E. petiolatus, placed in two subgenera E. (Electrostephanus) and E. (Electrostephanodes). Electrostephanus is known from several middle Eocene fossils which have been found in Europe.

Feroseta is an extinct genus of mantidfly in the neuropteran family Mantispidae known from a fossil found in North America, and which contains a single species, Feroseta prisca.

Xylolaemus sakhnovi is an extinct species of cylindrical bark beetle in the family Zopheridae. The species is solely known from the Middle Eocene Baltic amber deposits in the Baltic Sea region of Europe. The genus Xylolaemus contains a total of six extant species distributed from western Europe through the Canary Islands and North Africa to India. The species is the first in the genus to be described from a fossil specimen.

<i>Elephantomyia baltica</i> Extinct species of fly

Elephantomyia (Elephantomyia) baltica is an extinct species of crane fly in the family Limoniidae. The species is solely known from the Middle Eocene Baltic amber deposits in the Baltic Sea region of Europe. The species is one of six described from Baltic amber.

<i>Elephantomyia brevipalpa</i> Extinct species of fly

Elephantomyia (Elephantomyia) brevipalpa is an extinct species of crane fly in the family Limoniidae. The species is solely known from the Middle Eocene Baltic amber deposits in the Baltic Sea region of Europe. The species is one of six described from Baltic amber.

<i>Elephantomyia bozenae</i> Extinct species of fly

Elephantomyia (Elephantomyia) bozenae is an extinct species of crane fly in the family Limoniidae. The species is solely known from the Middle Eocene Baltic amber deposits in the Baltic Sea region of Europe. The species is one of six described from Baltic amber.

<i>Elephantomyia irinae</i> Extinct species of fly

Elephantomyia (Elephantomyia) irinae is an extinct species of crane fly in the family Limoniidae. The species is solely known from the Middle Eocene Baltic amber deposits in the Baltic Sea region of Europe. The species is one of six described from Baltic amber.

<i>Elephantomyia longirostris</i> Extinct species of fly

Elephantomyia (Elephantomyia) longirostris is an extinct species of crane fly in the family Limoniidae. The species is solely known from the Middle Eocene Baltic amber deposits in the Baltic Sea region of Europe. The species is one of six in its genus described from Baltic amber.

<i>Gerontoformica</i> Extinct genus of ants

Gerontoformica is an extinct genus of stem-group ants. The genus contains thirteen described species known from Late Cretaceous fossils found in Asia and Europe. The species were described between 2004 and 2016, with a number of the species formerly being placed into the junior synonym genus Sphecomyrmodes.

<i>Camelomecia</i> Extinct genus of ants

Camelomecia is an extinct genus of stem-group ants not placed into any Formicidae subfamily. Fossils of the single known species, Camelomecia janovitzi, are known from the Middle Cretaceous of Asia. The genus is one of several ants described from Middle Cretaceous ambers of Myanmar.

Prosisyrina is an extinct genus of lacewing in the neuropteran family Sisyridae. The genus contains two described species, Prosisyrina sphinga and Prosisyrina sukachevae. Prosisyrina is known from a group of Late Cretaceous fossils which were found in Asia.

<i>Bradoponera</i> Extinct genus of ants

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References

  1. 1 2 Heinrichs, J; Schmidt, AR; Schäfer-Verwimp, A; Gröhn, C; Renner, MAM (2015). "The leafy liverwort Notoscyphus balticus sp. nov. (Jungermanniales) in Eocene Baltic amber". Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. 217: 39–44. doi:10.1016/j.revpalbo.2015.02.006.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kania, I (2015). "Subfamily Limoniinae Speiser, 1909 (Diptera, Limoniidae) from Baltic Amber (Eocene): The Genus Elephantomyia Osten Sacken, 1860". PLoS ONE. 10 (2): 1–25. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0117434. PMC   4338262 . PMID   25706127.
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