Proneuronema Makarkin, Wedmann & Weiterschan, 2016, gen. nov.

Genus Proneuronema gen. nov.

Type species. Proneuronema minor sp. nov.

Diagnosis. May be distinguished from other hemerobiid genera by a combination of the following character states: in forewing, [1] ScP and RA separate distally; [2] at least four subcostal crossveins; [3] additional pre-3ra-rp [=pre-3ir1] crossveins absent; [4] crossveins proximad third gradate series between RP branches absent; [5] two to three ORBs; [6] distal-most ORB strongly pectinate; [7] ORB1 pectinate, with anteriorly-directed branches; [8] branches of CuA very long; [9] crossveins between branches of CuA continue in outer (fourth) gradate series; in hind wing, [10] basal 1r-m crossvein entering RP slightly distad origin of RP1; [11] two to four crossveins in second gradate series.

Species included. Proneuronema wehri (Makarkin et al., 2003), comb. nov., from the early Eocene of North America; P. gradatum sp. nov., and P. minor sp. nov. from the late Eocene Baltic amber.

Etymology. From the Greek pro, before, and Neuronema, a genus-group name, in reference to the most closely related extant genus. Gender neuter (ICZN, Article 30.1.2).

Remarks. The new genus is most closely related to the extant Asian genus Neuronema McLachlan, 1869, based on the similarity of the male and female terminalia and wing venation (see below for details).

The early Eocene ‘ Cretomerobius ’ wehri Makarkin et al., 2003 from the North America Okanagan Highlands (Republic locality) probably belongs to this new genus. Its assignment to Cretomerobius was erroneous. All the forewing diagnostic character states are present in this species, except character state #4. However, this latter might be intraspecific variability as in one additional specimen of this or a closely related species the crossveins proximad third gradate series between RP branches are also absent (i.e., character state #4 is present) (S.B. Archibald, pers. comm.). Therefore, we assign the species to this genus, as Proneuronema wehri (Makarkin et al., 2003), comb. nov., the venation of which is most similar to that of P. gradatum sp. nov.

Some unnamed hemerobiid specimens reported from the early Eocene of Europe belong to this new genus. The majority of these are from the Mo-clay of Denmark, most are probably from the Fur Formation (Henriksen 1922: Fig. 5; Larsson 1975: Fig. 6; Rust 1999b: Fig. 81, Pl. 24b,c), and one each from Havighorst (Illies 1941: Fig. 4) and Greifswalder Oie Island (Obst & Ansorge 2012: Fig. 10), both in northern Germany. In general, hemerobiids from the Mo-clay are numerous (perhaps 400– 500 specimens: Ansorge 1997b; Rust 1999a), but only these few have been described or figured. Also, hemerobiids are quite common in the Greifswalder Oie deposits, and these are mainly conspecific with the Danish Mo-clay species (J. Ansorge, pers. comm.). The venation of all these figured early Eocene members of Proneuronema gen. nov. is clearly more similar to P. minor sp. nov. than to P. gradatum sp. nov.