Panorpidium validum sp. nov.

(Fig. 3)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 58900EF2-F7E7-421E-B840-07B5D975D7C2

Diagnosis. Forewing medium sized, the end of ScA close to the end of CP, R forking into RA and RP at the level of ScP reaching anterior wing margin, CuPa subequal to CuPaα in length.

Material. Holotype, CNU-ORT-LB2016067, female.

Etymology. From the latin ‘ validus ’ for strong, refers to its unusually strong hind femur.

Horizon and locality. Yixian Formation, Lower Cretaceous, Huangbanjigou Village, Beipiao City, Liaoning Province, China.

General Description. A well-preserved female, the body medium size, head preserved much poorly and abdomen was been compressed.

Head. Compound eye large, suborbicular.

Thorax. Pronotum saddle-shaped with post margin prolongation. Prothorax leg preserved fragmentarily. Basal and middle part of metafemur much strong and distal part rapidly narrowed, inner side of it with irregular dark spots; hind knee robust, semi-lunar processes prominent on the dorsal edge; metatibia long and slender, dorsum with a row of tiny spines in basal half and two pairs of big leaf-like spurs in distal half visible; leaf-like spurs narrow, long and thickened, with a rachis in the middle part, then gradually thinned to the margin; basitarsomere slender, only preserved very basal part.

Abdomen. Abdomen short, probably about half the length of the wing. Ovipositor gently recurved and elongated, its length more than two times than pronotum; the surface of the vavulae smooth.

Wings. Forewing size large, Costa area relatively broad, CP reaching anterior margin about 1/3 length of forewing, with numerous branchlets; ScA reaching anterior margin at about origin of MP, with 3 branchlets connect with CP and distally simple; area between ScA and CP narrower than that of anterior and CP; ScP ending in anterior margin at about 1/2 length of forewing, several short branches connecting with ScA and four branches distally reaching anterior margin; stem R long and distinctly strong, branched into RA and RP near the ending of ScP; area between R and ScP relatively broad; RA ending in anterior margin close to apex and producing numerous oblique branches; RP with 11 comb-like branches, most of them reaching posterior margin, several distal terminals reaching anterior margin; most cross-veins between the branches of RP simple and straight; area between RA and RP narrow; M forking into MA and MP at about terminals of ScA; MA branching into MA1 and MA2 close to the last branch point of ScP; MA1 with 2 branches, with the first fused with RP and then forked immediately; MA2 simple; MP simple, originating at about terminal of ScA and reaching posterior margin at about 3/4 distal of forewing base; CuA+CuPaα simple, starting before the end point of CP, ending in posterior margin at about 2/3 length of forewing; CuPa straight, slanted toward the anterior margin, nearly as long as CuPaα; CuPaβ, CuPb and AA1 fused with each other at about 1/3rd of wing length; area between CuPb and AA1 relatively narrow, AA1 straight and strong; AA2 straight; area between AA1 and posterior margin filled with simple and straight cross-veins. Area between ScP and R, cross-veins between RA and RP, and that of CuPaβ, CuPb and AA1 are colored, one round dark spots located at the branching point of CuPa.

Measurement. The specimen preserved very well but missing most part of head. The body total estimated length approximately 11 mm (from head to the end of abdomen without cercus and ovipositor). Pronotum 3.2 mm long. Left profemur preserved 2.2 mm long, protibia preserved 1.9 mm long. Left metathorax leg: metafemur preserved 5.6 mm long, metatibia 9.9 mm long and 0.5 mm wide, ds2 preserved 1.5 mm long and 0.4 mm wide, ds3 2.1 mm long and 0.4 mm wide, basitarsomere preserved 1.4 mm long. Right metathorax leg: metafemur preserved 7.7 mm long, metatibia 10.2 mm long and 0.5 mm wide, ds1 1.8 mm long, ds2 preserved 2.3 mm long and 0.4 mm wide. Ovipositor preserved 7.6 mm long. Left forewing 20.5 mm long and 4.5 mm wide (the maximum width).

Remarks. This new species can be assigned to Elcaninae by its relatively narrow area between RA and RP, and CuPaβ, CuPb, and AA1 fused with each other. It falls in Panorpidium Westwood, 1854 by few branched ScA; three longitudinal branches between basal part of RP and CuA+CuPaα; and CuPaβ, CuPb and AA1 fused with each other distally (Fig. 3D–E). This new species is distinguished from all species of Panorpidium in the end of ScA close to the end of CP, CuPa straight and subequal to CuPaα in length and different pattern of coloration.