Eosyntexis conflata Li, Wang, Rasnitsyn & Shih, 2024

Eosyntexis conflata Li, Wang, Rasnitsyn & Shih , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:56FED6DF-2AF1-49DC-A9AA-F99656013D50

Material. Only the holotype, CNU-HYM-LB2024502.

Etymology. The species name is from the Latin “conflatus”, meaning expanded and referring to the expanded scape of the antenna.

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

Diagnosis. Forewing with costal area narrower than veins C and R; pterostigma as wide as the length of 2r-rs; Rs+M bifurcated before 1m-cu; 2-M as long as Rs+M; cell 3r 1.6 times as long as cell 1+2r; 3r-m 1.3 times as long as 5-M, 2m-cu 1.1 times as long as 5-M. Ovipositor short, its apical section less than half of basal section.

Description. Female. Head and thorax entirely dark, slightly darker than abdomen; ovipositor slightly darker; wing veins dark ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 ).

Head: Head moderately small, narrower than thorax. Head 5.51 mm wide and 0.74 mm long, nearly quadrate ( Fig. 3A View FIGURE 3 ). Antenna with 16 flagellomeres visible; scape slightly expanded; scape 0.50 mm long, maximum width 0.27 mm; pedicel 0.52 mm long, maximum width 0.21 mm; flagellomere I longer than scape, 0.19 mm wide, 0.76 mm long; flagellomere II 0.18 mm wide, 0.56 mm long, the visible parts of flagellomeres gradually shortened and their length-width ratio (excluding the first and second flagellomeres) from twice to 1.5 times toward the apex ( Fig. 2B View FIGURE 2 ).

Thorax: Mesoscutum large, with anterior margin almost angular, the sculpture of the thorax almost not preserved ( Fig. 2A View FIGURE 2 ).

Leg: Legs poorly preserved, hind tarsi thin, rather short ( Fig. 2A View FIGURE 2 ).

Wing: Forewing 2.8 times as long as wide ( Fig. 2E, F View FIGURE 2 ). C and R bent; 1-Rs twice as long as 1-M; 2-M short, 0.2 times as long as Rs+M; 2r-rs slightly proclival; 3+4-M 2.1 times as long as 5-M; 1m-cu slightly bent, as long as 2m-cu; cell 1+2r 2.3 times as long as wide; cell 3r long and large, 3.6 times as long as wide; cell 1mcu pentagonal, 1.3 times as long as wide; cell 2mcu 1.6 times as long as wide; 2-Cu 1.7 times as long as 1-Cu; 1-Cu 1.5 times as long as cu-a, located at the base of cell a.

Abdomen: Abdomen slightly distorted and incompletely preserved ( Fig. 2A View FIGURE 2 ). Ovipositor with first valvifer small, subhemicircular as visible; second valvifer large, with thickening medially and basally, narrowing up to single thickening before meeting with ovipositor sheath (valvula 3); valvula 2 visible only basally at its thickened base; ovipositor straight, sword-shaped, 0.74 times as long as forewing length ( Figs. 2C, D View FIGURE 2 ); ovipositor sheaths slightly bent, elongated and narrowly rounded apically, prominent significantly behind abdomen ( Fig. 2A View FIGURE 2 ), 0.2 times as long as forewing length.

Measurements (in mm). Body excluding ovipositor about 10.81 in length; head about 0.74 in length, 5.51 in width; thorax about 3.66 in length; abdomen about 6.25 in length; forewing (incompletely preserved) about 6.49 in length, maximum width 2.31; ovipositor about 4.85 in length.

Remarks. The new species can be assigned to the genus Eosyntexis based on the forewing with pterostigma completely sclerotized and not reaching the midlength of cell 3r; vein 1r-rs absent; crossvein 2r-rs arising from the mid-part of pterostigma (not from near apex); vein 1-Rs more than twice as long as 1-M, Rs+M ending near 1m-cu. By the presence of 2-M, the new species is most similar to E. senilis , but differs from it in having pterostigma as wide as 2r-rs, 1-M nearly as long as Rs+M.