Alonchoptera lebanica Grimaldi 2018, new species
Creators: name: Grimaldi, David A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Phoridae
Alonchoptera
Alonchoptera lebanica

description: Alonchoptera lebanica, new species
Figures 1, 25
DIAGNOSIS: As for the genus, by monotypy.
DESCRIPTION: A very small fly, body length ca. 1.9 mm; wing 0.40 mm. Head: Eyes well separated, red (color preserved), subcircular in lateral view, bare of micropubescence, no dorsoventral differentiation of facets (only female known). Frons: Without median furrow; inclinate/proclinate interfrontals, if present, not observable due to fractures. Ocellar setae long, fine, upright, parallel. Two pairs of long frontoorbital setae present, upright (barely reclinate). Pair of inner and pair of outer vertical setae present; inner verticals inclinate; outer verticals prolateroclinate; outer verticals longest setae on head; two inclinate setae lateral to outer vertical. No large postoccipital setae visible. Oral margin obscured, including presence/absence of oral/cheek setae. Antenna: Scape not observable, pedicel with single dorsal seta, conus appears to be absent (some visibility through cuticle); basal flagellomere short, length ca. 1.3× width, setose (more so ventrally); base of arista situated terminally on basal flagellomere; basal aristomere(s) either absent or very small and unobservable; apical aristomere long, slightly more than 2× length of rest of antenna; arista setulose, length of fine branches of arista 34× greatest diameter of trunk of arista. Mouthparts: (completely obscured). Thorax: Short, broad, with numerous long setae. Acrostichals well developed, in 2 rows of 6 setae each. Dorsocentrals in two paramedian rows, two long prescutellar dcs in each row. Two supraalar setae, 2 postalar setae; 2 long notopleural setae; presence/absence of proscutellum not determinable; scutellum with two pairs setae; apical pair long, crossed for about half their length. Wing: Short, broad, broadly rounded at apex; hyaline (no infuscate or darkened areas) (cannot discern microtrichia). C with row of 5–6 longer prehumeral setae; vein C with row of long, spinelike setae, C ends after apex R 2+3; Sc very faint, appears incomplete; very short (ends at approximately level of br-m crossvein). R 1 short, length approximately half that of wing; tip of R 4+5 ends approximately at wing apex. Cells br and bm small; crossvein br-m very short, very close to base of wing; M 1 -M 2 forked, branches end on trailing edge of wing; cell cup absent; anal lobe highly reduced, alula apparently absent. Legs: Relatively long, with some longer setae. Abdomen: Hardly visible in unique specimen.
SPECIMENS EXAMINED: Holotype, Female, AMNH LAEIII-4, coll. Antoni Estephan, near Bcharré, Lebanon (Early Cretaceous). In the AMNH. Specimen is complete but obscured in many parts by numerous internal fractures in the amber, despite having been vacuum embedded in EpoTek resin.
ETYMOLOGY: In reference to the country of origin.
description: Published as part of Grimaldi, David A., 2018, Basal Cyclorrhapha In Amber From The Cretaceous And Tertiary (Insecta: Diptera), And Their Relationships: Brachycera In Cretaceous Amber Part Ix David A. Grimaldi, pp. 1-97 in Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2018 (423) on pages 1-97, DOI: 10.1206/0003-0090-423.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4613008