Neoaeschna kachinensis, Liu & Fang & Zheng, 2024

Liu, Peihan, Fang, Rui & Zheng, Daran, 2024, A new burmaeshnid dragonfly (Odonata, Anisoptera, Aeshnoptera) from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber, north Myanmar, Zootaxa 5538 (1), pp. 74-78 : 75-76

Neoaeschna kachinensis gen. et sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 )

Etymology. Named after Kachin State.

Holotype. NIGP205814 , Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China .

Diagnosis. As for genus.

Locality and Horizon. Hukawng Valley , Kachin Province, Northern Myanmar; uppermost Albian to lowermost Cenomanian, mid-Cretaceous.

Description. Forewing ( Fig. 1 A, C–E , Fig. 2 ). Wing hyaline, preserved length 18.0 mm, distance from wing base to arculus 3.7 mm. Primary antenodal crossveins present:Ax0 close to wing base, Ax1 1.2 mm distal of Ax0 and 2.1 mm basal of Arc, Ax2 2.2 mm distal of Ax1 and slightly basal of DT. No secondary antenodal crossveins basal of Ax1, and one aligned secondary antenodal crossvein between Ax1 and Ax2; at least three secondary antenodal crossveins of first row and five of second row distal of Ax2, non-aligned. RP and MA separated in lower part of Arc. Median space free of crossveins, one crossvein present basal of CuP-crossing in submedian space. HT free, 3.1 mm long and maximum 0.2 mm wide. DT 0.5 mm distal of Arc, elongate and divided into two cells by a crossvein, with length of anterior side 2.5 mm, of basal side 1.3 mm, and of distal side (MAb) 2.1 mm. MAb slightly sigmoidal. SdT 1.3 mm long and 0.7 mm wide (= length of PsA). Postdiscoidal area with one row of cells basally, two rows below midfork, and 11 cells along wing margin. Base of Mspl three cells distal of DT. Basal part of area between RA and RP with two crossveins basal of RP3/4. Four antefurcal crossveins between RP and MA basal of midfork. RP3/4 and MA divergent basally, running almost parallel distally, with only one row of cells and at least two cells in-between along wing margin. Area between CuA and MP with only one row of cells. Anal and cubito-anal areas with one or two rows of cells. CuAa zigzagged; CuAb oblique and short.

Hindwing ( Fig. 1 B, F , Fig. 2 ). Wing hyaline, preserved length 6.2 mm, distance from wing base to arculus 4.0 mm. Primary antenodal crossveins present: Ax0 close to wing base, Ax1 1.0 mm distal of Ax0 and 1.9 mm basal of Arc, Ax2 3.2 mm distal of Ax1 and 1.4 mm distal of Arc. No secondary antenodal crossveins basal of Ax1, and one secondary antenodal crossvein of first row and two of second row between Ax1 and Ax2. RP and MA separated in lower part of Arc. Median space free of crossveins, two crossveins present basal of CuP-crossing in submedian space. HT free, basally preserved, 0.2 mm wide. DT 0.3 mm distal of Arc, with length of basal side 1.3 mm. SdT limited with an undulated PsA, 1.5 mm long and 0.8 mm wide.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Neoaeschna kachinensis gen. et sp. nov., holotype (NIGP205814), photograph of forewing (A), hindwing (B), discoidal area of forewing (C), median and submedian spaces of forewing (D, E), and median and submedian spaces of hindwing (F). Arrow showing positions of crossveins basal of CuP-crossing in submedian spaces. Scale bars = 2 mm.

FIGURE 2. Neoaeschna kachinensis gen. et sp. nov., holotype (NIGP205814), line drawing of fore- and hindwings showing wing venation. Scale bar = 2 mm.