Parasyntexis khasurtensis Kopylov, 2019

Parasyntexis khasurtensis Kopylov, 2019

Material. CNU-HYM-LB2024503(P/C).

Locality and horizon. Huangbanjigou, Chaomidian Village, Shangyuan Township, Beipiao City, Liaoning Province, China; Lower Cretaceous (Barremiane–Aptian), Yixian Formation.

Description. Female. Head and thorax predominantly dark, slightly darker than abdomen; ovipositor slightly darker; legs lightly colored; forewing with pterostigma completely sclerotized; cell 1r darkened and H-shaped pattern around veins 1-Cu, 2-Cu, 3-Cu, 1m-cu and 1cu-a dark ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 ).

Head: Head moderately large, nearly oval, narrower than thorax. Compound eye large and ovate ( Fig. 3A, C View FIGURE 3 ). Antenna thick, strongly tapering to sharp apex, apparently short, with fifteen flagellomeres visible; scape slightly expanded ( Fig. 3B View FIGURE 3 ); scape 0.68 mm long, maximum width 0.45 mm; pedicel 0.82 mm long, maximum width 0.19 mm; flagellomere I shorter than scape, 0.21 mm wide, 0.91 mm long; flagellomere II 0.17 mm wide, 0.65 mm long; the visible parts of flagellomeres gradually shortened and their length-width ratio (excluding the first and second flagellomeres) from 3.2 times to one times toward the apex, except for the last flagellomere slender and twice as long as wide.

Thorax: Pronotum trapezoid ( Fig. 3A View FIGURE 3 ). Mesoscutum large, with anterior margin nearly straight, median longitudinal sulcus and notauli strongly impressed; mesoscutellum tapering to acute apex; ratio of lengths of prescutum, median longitudinal sulcus between notauli and mesoscuto-mesoscutellar sulcus, and mesoscutellum 3.7/4.5/4.1 ( Fig. 3B View FIGURE 3 ), mesoscutellum triangular, tapering to acutely sharp apex ( Fig. 3F View FIGURE 3 ).

Leg: Leg with pro- and metafemur shorter than tibia; profemur length 2.01 mm, metafemur length 1.78 mm, thick subapically, narrowed apically. Tarsi long and thin ( Fig. 3B, C View FIGURE 3 ).

Wing: Forewing three times as long as wide ( Fig. 3G View FIGURE 3 ). Vein C and R thick, costal area wide medially. 1r-rs 1.5 times as long as 2r-rs ( Fig. 3H View FIGURE 3 ), 2r-rs issuing from pterostigma at its one-third of apex, as long as pterostigma wide; 1-Rs long, aligned with Rs+M, about 3.2 times as long as 1-M; 2-Rs+M short, 0.2 times as long as 1-Rs+M; 2r-rs slightly proclival; 2+3-M 1.8 times as long as 4-M; 4-M slightly longer than 3r-m and 2m-cu. Cell 1mcu pentagonal, about 1.7 times as long as wide; cell 2mcu about 0.2 times as long as wide; 2-Cu 0.8 times as long as 1-Cu; 1cu-a straight, shorter than 1-Cu; 2A+3A with long subbasal loop; cell 2+3rm long and pentagonal, about 3.2 times as long as wide; cell 1+2r 2.4 times as long as wide; cell 3r about 3.3 times as long as wide; cell 3r as long as 1+2r.

Abdomen: Abdomen slightly distorted, wider than the mesothorax, parallel-sided before ovipositor base. First abdominal tergite split medially ( Fig. 3A, C View FIGURE 3 ). Ovipositor with first valvifer small, subhemicircular as visible; second valvifer large, with thickening medially and distally, narrowing up to single thickening before meeting with valvula 3 (saw sheath), 1.2 times as long as valvula 3, valvula 2 (dorsal stylet) visible only basally at its thickened base ( Fig. 3D, E View FIGURE 3 ); ovipositor straight, sword-shaped ( Fig. 3A, D View FIGURE 3 ); ovipositor full length equal to 1.1 times forewing length; ovipositor elongated and narrowly rounded apically, prominent significantly behind abdomen, valvula 3 0.4 times as long as forewing length.

Measurements (in mm). Body excluding ovipositor about 14.81 in length; head about 2.42 in length, 2.51 in width; thorax about 4.02 in length; abdomen about 8.28 in length; forewing (incompletely preserved) at least 9.72 in length, maximum width 3.61; ovipositor about 4.41 in length.

Remarks. The new specimen can be assigned to the genus Parasyntexis based on the forewing characters: costal area wide; pterostigma as wide as vein 2r-rs long; 1-Rs as long as pterostigma; both 1r-rs and 2r-rs developed, 1r-rs 1.3 times as long as 2r-rs; cell 2r wider than pterostigma; Rs+M furcating after 1m-cu, 2Rs+M present, cell 1mcu pentagonal. Kopylov (2019) described the type species P. khasurtensis based on one specimen; however, the antennae, thorax and ovipositor were not described due to the lack of preservation of these structures. Our well-preserved new specimen (CNU-HYM-LB2024503(P/C)) reported herein can supplement some new body characters for further study.