Eltxo grimaldii PEÑALVER & ARILLO & NEL 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: PEÑALVER, ENRIQUE
name: ARILLO, ANTONIO
name: NEL, ANDRÉ
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Cecidomyiidae
Eltxo
Eltxo grimaldii

description: Eltxo grimaldii sp. nov.
(Figs 1, 2)
LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 8A273D67-2B1B-4798- A67B-5D2E8AFE245B
Holotype. Specimen ES- 07-40, female, housed at the Institutional Collection from the El Soplao Cave (Government of Cantabria), Celis, Cantabria, Northern Spain. It is virtually complete but lacking the apices of the two antennae and distal parts of all the legs except one of the metathoracic legs, due to the limits of the amber fragment that contains it. The specimen is in a small fragment of amber, 4 × 3 × 1 mm in size, and embedded in a regular prism of epoxy resin, 23 × 9 × 1 mm in size, for optimal viewing and curation. No syninclusions were detected.
Etymology. Honoring Dr David Grimaldi (AMNH), for his relevant contributions on fossil insects and amber.
Diagnosis. Female. The new species differs from the only species described, Eltxo cretaceus (which was based on a unique male), by the following features: distal section of R 1 vein elongate, vein M present in a short basal part and evanescent, arculus vein contacting M very basal and CuA vein contacting wing margin distad level of basal section of Rs.
Locality and horizon. Middle Albian amber outcrop of Rábago-El Soplao (near Rábago village, Cantabria, northern Spain), Peñosas Fm. (Najarro et al., 2009, 2010).
Description. Female (Figs 1, 2). Body length ca. 1.1 mm. Antennae with only scape, pedicel and 4–5 flagellomeres preserved due to limits of amber fragment (Figs 1D, 2A): preservation of flagellomeres preventing identification of potential sensoria. Ocelli absent. Palpi three-segmented and elongate (Figs 1E, 2B), with palpomeres subequal, distal palpomere slightly longer than others, palpomeres 2.5 times longer than wide; other mouthpart structures obscure. Wing 1.11 mm long, 0.45 mm wide. Wing venation reduced (Figs 1F, 2C). C extending beyond Rs with a clear end. Apex of R1 at half wing lenght.Apex of Rs meeting C just beyond wing apex. Sc preserved. Basal section of Rs slightly evanescent. Vein M present in a short basal part and evanescent. Vein CuA unforked and evanescent at its apex; apex of CuA well distad level of basal section of Rs. Arculus present, with distal half evanescent, contacting M very close to separation of M and CuA. Wings with dense microtrichia and sparse macrotrichia. Wing margin with setae in costal margin and macrotrichia in posterior margin (but only very few of them still visible) (Fig. 1B, C). Distal portions of legs not preserved due to limits of the amber fragment, except to a complete metathoracic leg, which is long and setose, with five tarsomeres; tarsomere 1 longer than 2 (Figs 1H, 2D). All tibiae lacking tibial spurs. Pretarsal claws short and with a small basal prolongation with rounded apex; empodium insconspicuous (Fig. 1G). Abdomen 0.56 mm long (up to the cerci apices). Genitalia obscure, but long ovipositor (0.20 mm); contour of the cerci well visible in lateral view.
description: Published as part of PEÑALVER, ENRIQUE, ARILLO, ANTONIO & NEL, ANDRÉ, 2022, A review of the Cretaceous genus Eltxo (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) with description of the new species Eltxo grimaldii from El Soplao amber, pp. 461-467 in Palaeoentomology 5 (5) on page 462, DOI: 10.11646/palaeoentomology.5.5.7, http://zenodo.org/record/7333739