Belaphotroctes grimaldii ENGEL & WANG 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: ENGEL, MICHAEL S.
name: WANG, BO
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Psocodea
Liposcelididae
Belaphotroctes
Belaphotroctes grimaldii

description: Belaphotroctes grimaldii sp. nov.
(Figs 2–4)
Holotype. ♀, NIGP200508 (Fig. 2), deposited in the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.
Etymology. The specific epithet honors David A. Grimaldi, world’s authority on insects, amber, evolution, and all things palaeoentomological, as well as a cherished friend.
Diagnosis. The new species belongs to that group of Belaphotroctes lacking vesicles or pulvulli on the pretarsi.
It can be further distinguished by the combination of a line of setae on R in the forewing, the presence of a second abscissa of R orthogonal to the longitudinal stem, the absence of Cu and A in the forewing, and the faint trace of C running along the anterior with margin and anterior to the short trace of Sc near the wing base (Fig. 4).
Locality and horizon. Zhangpu, Fujian, China, middle Miocene Fotan Group (14.7 Ma).
Description. ♀: Total body length 1.14 mm; integument finely imbricate to coriaceous; light brown except slightly darker on head and thoracic nota. Head slightly wider than long, length 0.33 mm, width across compound eyes 0.37 mm, interocular distance 0.24 mm; compound eye well-developed, diameter 0.11 mm, with numerous ommatidia (over 30); ocelli arranged in tight triangle on slight swelling; epicranial cleavage scar absent; surface of head with sparse, minute, fine setae; antenna with scape and pedicel thicker than flagellomeres; flagellum with 12 flagellomeres; flagellomeres without annulations, each flagellomere with 2–4 long apical setae, scape longer than flagellomere I, length 0.07 mm; pedicel short, 0.5× length of flagellomere I, flagellomeres I–X lengths each 0.05 mm, flagellomere XI length 0.07 mm, flagellomere XII length 0.08 mm. Maxillary palpus with four palpomeres; palpomere lengths (P 1, P 2, P 3, P 4) 0.05, 0.04, 0.02, 0.12 mm, respectively; apical palpomere (P 4) distinctly enlarged relative to preceding palpomeres (Fig. 3A, B), width nearly 2× width of P 3, without stout conical sensilla but with some minute, fine sensilla apically and longer setae laterally, such setae not longer than palpomere breadth. Labial palpus with two short palpomeres, apicalmost palpomere densely covered with fine minute setae.
Pronotum divided into three distinct lobes; medial lobe with distinct mediolongitudinal sulcus; lateral lobes narrower than medial lobe, lateral lobe with pronounced, proclined seta (Fig. 3A) [much of finer details of pronotum obscured by fracture: Fig. 2]. Thoracic sterna broad, flat; mesosternum without sclerotized bands. Coxae broadly separated by sterna; femora slightly swollen except metafemur greatly swollen; tibiae slender, tibial spur formula apparently 1-1-1; all tarsi trimerous; pretarsal claw apparently simple, pulvillus lacking (pretarsal vesicle absent). Profemur without prominent setae ventrally, with scattered minute, fine setae; protibia with numerous fine, suberect setae along length; mesofemur length 0.23 mm, mesotibia length 0.21 mm, setation as on profemur and protibia; metafemur length 0.31 mm, lacking tubercle, setation as on profemur; metatibia length 0.27 mm, maximum width 0.024 mm, with setation as on protibia except intermixed with fine, elongate, erect setae dorsally.
Wings hyaline, diaphanous, membrane finely and irregularly wrinkled (Fig. 2), broadly rounded apically (Figs 2, 4), with veins indicated as light brown, nebulous traces (Fig. 2); forewing long, extending beyond abdominal apex, length 1.31 mm, maximum width 0.43 mm; hind wing length 0.89 mm, maximum width 0.23 mm. Forewing (Fig. 4) with trace of Sc scarcely evident in basal quarter of wing length; R extending nearly to wing midlength, with distinct setae along length, R1 evident diverging orthogonal to stem of R, with a single seta at juncture with faint trace of C, then extending apically for short distance before merging into anterior wing margin (Fig. 4); Rs originating just prior to wing midlength, extending nearly to wing apex, weakly curved apically; M present and largely straight, extending nearly to wing apex; traces of Cu and A absent. Hind wing (Fig. 4) with only trace R; R nearly extending to wing apex, slightly curved, paralleling curve in anterior wing margin.
Abdomen length 0.61 mm, maximum width 0.37 mm; terga and sterna well-developed; preclunial terga without sclerotized bands; terga I–VI apparently without setation except minute, suberect, fine, setae laterally; remaining terga with similar laterally setae as well as such setae sparsely scattered on dorsum, intermixed with a few long setae laterally and apically, longest marginal seta 0.11 mm.
♂: Latet.
description: Published as part of ENGEL, MICHAEL S. & WANG, BO, 2022, A new species of embidopsocine barklouse in Langhian amber from Zhangpu, China (Psocoptera: Liposcelididae), pp. 487-492 in Palaeoentomology 5 (5) on pages 488-490, DOI: 10.11646/palaeoentomology.5.5.10, http://zenodo.org/record/7333603