Parapleurites brasiliensis, Schall & Lima & Heads & Pinheiro & Kotthoff & Husemann, 2025

Parapleurites brasiliensis new species urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:

Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3

Etymology: The species is named after its home country Brazil.

Locality and horizon: Type locality imprecise; from one of the several quarries in the region of Nova Olinda and Santana do Cariri municipalities, Ceará State, Brazil. Nova Olinda Member , Crato Formation, Santana Group. Early Cretaceous, Aptian .

Type material: Holotype male, in the collection of Museu de Paleontologia Plácido Cidade Nuvens , Universidade Regional do Cariri, Santana do Cariri, Ceará, Brazil, coll. no. MPSC 9839 View Materials .

Diagnosis: Characterized by having three branches of CuA + CuPaα and two branches of M—a combination that places it within the genus Parapleurites . Third and second branches of CuA + CuPaα strongly concave, first branch convex. RP with four branches. Fork of M above between second and third branches of CuA + CuPaα, slightly inclined toward third branch. Origin of RP distinctly posterior to fork of M. Pronotum possibly rather shallow with elongated hind lobe (pronotal shape not clearly discernible).

Description: Specimen with impression of body, forewing, metafemurs and proximal part of the right metatibia preserved.

Measurements: Body length 18 mm. Metafemur ca. 11.2 mm long, 2.4 mm wide. Forewing length 21.6 mm, height 4.05 mm. Pronotum 7.9 mm long (?), 2.1 mm high (pronotum outline unclear).

Body: Body cylindrical, little alteration in height, “sausage-like” shape. Pronotum outline unclear; possibly very elongate and shallow.Abdominal height dominated by tergites (ca. 79%). Ventral side with conspicuous structure of uncertain identity; possibly associated with fossilized plant material present in matrix).

Legs: Only metafemur and proximal portion of metatibia preserved. Metafemur length/height ratio 4.7; oblique lateral carinae present; genicular joint not significantly wider than metatibia. Three small spines discernible on posterior half of metatibia.

Forewing: Length/height ratio 5.3. ScP long, narrow, extending beyond 89.2% of twl. RA distinctly curved upward near distal margin. Distance between ScP and RA 10.9% of twh. RP originates at 53.9% of twl, posterior to fork of M. Distance between RA and RP broad (15.2% of wing height). RP with four branches. M with two branches; fork of M at 46.3% of twl. CuA + CuPaα with three branches, all reaching anal margin at 76.3%, 68.5%, and 60.2% of twl, respectively. Anterior branch convex; second and third strongly concave. CuPaβ reaches anal margin at 51.2% of twl. CuPaβ, CuPb, and 1A narrow and parallel.

Remarks: The new species can be assigned to Parapleurites based on the presence of two branches of M and three branches of CuA + CuPaα. It differs from the type species, P. gracilis , in several characters: it is significantly larger (forewing length 14 mm in P. gracilis ) and exhibits a longer ScP (72.7% of total wing length in P. gracilis ). Additionally, the second branch of CuA + CuPaα is strongly concave in P. brasiliensis sp. nov., whereas both the first and second branches are strongly convex in P. gracilis (third branch in P. gracilis is likely concave). Another distinguishing feature is the position of the RP origin, which is anterior to the fork of M in P. gracilis , but posterior in P. brasiliensis . The stratigraphic and geographic provenance further differentiates the species: P. gracilis originates from the Lower Jurassic of Siberia, while P. brasiliensis is from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil. From P. sibiricus , the new species differs by having one fewer branch of RP as well as the position of RP origin, which is proximal to the fork of M in P. brasiliensis . Parapleurites sibiricus is known from the Middle Jurassic of Siberia. Parapleurites morrisonensis Smith, Gorman, Pardo & Small, 2011 from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of North America, does not have three branches of CuA + CuPaα and should not be retained in Parapleurites . Its venation features— three branches of M and single branch of CuA + CuPaα, with MP and CuA + CuPaα fused in the holotype —suggests a more appropriate placement in Mesolocustopsis .