A new hoverfly genus from the Oligocene of France with unusual morphology
Valentin Nidergas, Jiří Hadrava, Pauline Coster, and André Nel
Here, we describe Intricodon cryptodaemoniacus, a new fossil genus and species of hoverfly (Diptera: Syrphidae), representing the second described hoverfly from the middle Oligocene of Céreste (Luberon, Southern France). It has unique, highly specialized characters like hind legs strongly thickened with processes on femur and tibia and the shape of the wing veins R4+5 and M1. Based on the visible characters on the well preserved compression fossil specimen, the new genus resembles some taxa currently attributed to the Merodontini in the wing venation and/or leg morphology. The systematic affinities and potential palaeoecology of the new genus are discussed through the comparison to the more similar Recent genera.
Key words: Insecta, Diptera, Syrphidae, Merodontini, Oligocene, Cenozoic.
Valentin Nidergas [valentin.nidergas@gmail.com; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4314-5619], André Nel [anel@ mnhn.fr; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4241-7651], Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (UMR 7205) Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE-PSL, Université des Antilles, F-75005 Paris, France. Jiří Hadrava [hadravaj@natur.cuni.cz; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000000332476399], Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, CZ-128 43, Praha 2, Czech Republic; and Institute of Entomology, Biological Centre, Czech Academy of Science, Branišovská 31, CZ-370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic. Pauline Coster [pauline.coster@parcduluberon.fr; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4015-252X], Réserve naturelle nationale géologique du Luberon, Parc naturel régional du Luberon, 60 Place Jean Jaurès, 84400 Apt, France.
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