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Revision of the long-proboscid scorpionflies, Lichnomesopsyche Ren, Labandeira, and Shih, 2010

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 March 2021

Xinneng Lian
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing210008, China University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China
Chenyang Cai
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing210008, China School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, BristolBS8 1TQ, UK
Diying Huang*
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing210008, China
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

The Mesozoic mecopteran family Mesopsychidae has attracted extensive attention by their long proboscis that is presumably associated with pollination of early gymnosperms. Three previously reported species of Lichnomesopsyche Ren, Labandeira, and Shih, 2010 from the Middle−Upper Jurassic Haifanggou Formation at Daohugou (Inner Mongolia, northeastern China) display distinct resemblances in wing venation, so that their classification, based on currently described characters, remains elusive. Herein, we describe and figure exquisitely preserved male genital structures of L. gloriae Ren, Labandeira, and Shih, 2010, L. daohugouensis Ren, Labandeira, and Shih, 2010, and L. prochorista Lin et al., 2016, which can be used for defining and recognizing the three species. Our discovery indicates that the male genitalia are the major critical structures for species-level classification of the peculiar genus Lichnomesopsyche. Details of the maxillary palps and legs of L. gloriae and L. daohugouensis are also described.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Paleontological Society

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