Electrocerus brevifuniculatus Simutnik, sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 856A3FCF-FE11-4494-8AE7-F59570A0E3E5

Figs 1 –6, 7C

Material. Holotype, SIZK B-130, 1 ♀, Yantarnyi, Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia; Baltic amber; late Eocene. The inclusion is in a yellow, clear piece of amber (ca. 16 × 13 × 5 mm).

Syninclusions: absent.

Etymology. The specific name also refers to the female antenna with a four-segmented funicle.

Description. Female. Habitus as in Figs 1–3. Body length 0.84 mm, not including the ovipositor.

Coloration. Head, antenna, thorax, tegula black; gaster and legs dark brown; forewing slightly infuscate, with small darkened areas below marginal vein and parastigma (Fig. 2); wing venation, mesotibial spur, and tarsi brown; some parts of surface of mesosoma, gaster, and legs shiny due to presence of a thin layer of air but without metallic shine.

Sculpture. Head, mesosoma, and gaster relatively rough reticulate; genae and mesopleuron with elongated cells (Fig. 3B); frontovertex, mesoscutum, and scutellum with short, dark setae.

Head. Hypognathous, not flattened, slightly wider than mesosoma in dorsal view, about 1.3× as high as long in lateral view; occipital margin sharp (Fig. 3); eyes bare, without visible setae; ocelli forming about equilateral triangle (POL about equal to LOL) (Fig. 3A), posterior ocelli slightly closer to eye than occipital margin (Fig. 3A); OOL about equal to posterior ocellar diameter; eye reaching occipital margin (Figs 3A, B); antennal scrobes as in Figs. 2 and 3B, v- or u-shaped and meeting dorsally, not extended to anterior ocellus, in dorsal view anterior ocellus closer to upper margin of scrobal depression than occipital margin (Fig. 3A); interantennal prominence not high, as in Fig. 2; distance between antennal torulus and mouth margin less than diameter of torulus (Fig. 2); malar space with complete malar sulcus, slightly shorter than high of eye; mandible probably 3-dentate. Some standard measurements and ratios of the head cannot be given due to the unavailability of the necessary viewing angles.

Antenna. Geniculate, 9-segmented, without visible anelli, with four funicular segments and 3-segmented clava; radicle short (Fig. 2), remainder of scape long, its accurate ratios not visible, widest at middle (Fig. 2); pedicel long, 2.3× as long as wide, conical, a little longer than first 3 funicular segments combined, longer than any funicular; F1 and F2 broader than long, conspicuously smaller than F3 and F4, which are as long as broad; multiporous plate sensilla (mps) visible on F3, F4, and each claval segment, on F3 and F4 mps the longest; clava a little longer than funicle, slightly wider than F4, with rounded apex and small oblique truncation at apical segment only (Figs 2–3); flagellum and clava covered by very short setae.

Mesosoma. Pronotum short, almost vertical (in lateral view); mesoscutum as broad as long or nearly to (in dorsal view), notauli as in Fig. 3B: not; mesothoracic spiracle open, not concealed beneath pronotum (Fig. 3B); axillae meeting; scutellum flat, apically rounded, as long as mesoscutum (Fig. 3A); mesopleuron enlarged posteriorly; metapleuron triangular, narrow, without visible setation (Fig. 1A); propodeum bare, touching metacoxa (Fig. 3B).

Wings. Fully developed, about 2× as long as broad; linea calva not interrupted but closed on posterior margin of forewing, with filum spinosum consisting of a row of 5 setae, with a well-developed line of long setae alongside basal margin of dorsal surface (Fig. 4); parastigma thickened, about 2× as long as marginal vein; hyaline break (unpigmented area) present; marginal vein ~3× as long as broad, as long as stigmal vein, ~1.7× as long as postmarginal vein; stigmal vein with long narrow uncus consisting of a row of 3 uncal sensilla (Fig. 4C); enlarged seta marking apex of postmarginal vein of forewing absent (as long as others on this vein); fringe setae short. Hind wing about 4.5× as long as broad; costal cell very narrow, without line of long setae (Fig. 4); spur vein originating from marginal venation visible as very small hyaline process; apex of marginal vein with 3 hamuli; longest setae of marginal fringe ~ 0.2 as long as wing width.

Legs. Protibia with long, curved, bifurcate calcar; strigil and basitarsal comb absent (Figs 1B, 2A); midtibial spur long and straight but slightly shorter than a very long midtarsal segment, tarsi 5-segmented.

Metasoma. Slightly shorter than head and mesosoma together; cerci in apical third of metasoma, with long setae (Figs 1, 2; 3A); syntergum (Mt8 + Mt9) v-shaped, not longer than 1/3 of metasoma; hypopygium not reaching apex of syntergum (Fig. 1); lateral margin of hypopygium bare, without row of setae; ovipositor extended beyond apex of gaster, ovipositor sheaths shorter than mesobasitarsus (Fig. 3A).

Measurements (μm) of the holotype. Mesosoma 322; gaster 378; mesotibia 238.Antenna: pedicel 56; flagellum 182; clava 98. Forewing 686:322, hind wing 504:112.

Male. Unknown.