Fossils from the Middle Jurassic of China shed light on morphology of Choristopsychids (Insecta, Mecoptera)

QIAO X.; SHIH C-K.; PETRULEVICIUS J. F.; REN D.

ZOOKEYS

PENSOFT PUBLISHERS

Lugar: SOFIA; Año: 2013 vol. 318 p. 91 - 111

1313-2989

Choristopsychidae, established by Martynov in 1937 with a single isolated forewing, is a little known extinct family in Mecoptera. There were no described new members of this enigmatic family in the past 75 years. Here we report four new species of the genus Choristopsyche Martynov, 1937: C. perfecta sp. nov., C. trivialis sp. nov., C. lepida sp. nov., and C. bella sp. nov., three new species of Paristopsyche gen. nov.: P. amoena sp. nov., P. specialis sp. nov., and P. angelineae sp. nov., and a new genus with a species, Trigonopsyche asticta gen. et. sp. nov. of the family Choristopsychidae. Based on 25 well-preserved specimens with complete body and wings from the Middle Jurassic of northeastern China, we emend the diagnoses of Choristopsychidae and Choristopsyche and re-describe C. tenuinervis Martynov, 1937.Analyzing the forewing length/width ratios of representative species in Mecoptera, we confirm that Choristopsychids have the lowest ratio of forewing length/width, meaning broadest forewings. These findings, the first fossil choristopsychid with preserved body structure and the first record of Choristopsychidae in China, enhance our knowledge of this family and broaden its distribution from Tajikistan to China, while increasing the diversity of Mecoptera in China.