Research Article
Print
Research Article
A crane fly of the genus Gynoplistia Macquart (Diptera, Limoniidae) from the early Miocene of New Zealand
expand article infoAndré Nel‡, Uwe Kaulfuss§
‡ Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
§ Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany

Corresponding author: Uwe Kaulfuss ( uwe.kaulfuss@uni-goettingen.de )

Academic editor: Pavel Starkevic
© 2024 André Nel, Uwe Kaulfuss.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation: Nel A, Kaulfuss U (2024) A crane fly of the genus Gynoplistia Macquart (Diptera, Limoniidae) from the early Miocene of New Zealand. ZooKeys 1192: 103-110. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1192.115536
ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2D3C1BDA-5897-4ABF-AE02-F4AAE81A69B9
Open Access

Abstract

The first fossil limoniid fly from the Miocene Fossil-Lagerstätte of Foulden Maar in New Zealand is described on the basis of an isolated well-preserved wing. The specimen is tentatively attributed to a new species Gynoplistia fouldensensis sp. nov. in the large extant genus Gynoplistia, which is well diversified in the country. It is the second fossil record of this genus, the first one being an isolated wing from the Cretaceous Weald Clay Formation in the United Kingdom.

Key words

Australasia, Fossil-Lagerstätte, Foulden Maar, Insecta, Tipuloidea

Introduction

Limoniid flies are very frequent in the fossil record, with 468 species distributed in 48 genera (Alroy 1998). They are supposed to be among the oldest known Diptera, with a fossil record dating back to the Triassic (Krzemiński and Krzemińska 2003; Kopeć et al. 2020). However, they remain quite difficult to study because of the lack of information on the body structures in many fossils. Nevertheless, many Cretaceous and Cenozoic fossils are attributed to extant genera, suggesting an impressive morphological stability through time for the whole family.

The fossil limoniids from Australasia are very poorly known, with two “limoniid indet.” briefly described and figured by Jell and Duncan (1986: figs 49, 50) and Jell (2004: figured on p. 104), one undescribed Miocene record (McCurry et al. 2022), and one Upper Jurassic genus and species described to date from Australia (Oberprieler et al. 2015). Thus, each new fossil is welcome to increase our knowledge on the past history of these flies in this region.

Limoniids are frequently encountered in the Miocene lacustrine sediments and amber from Europe, China, Russia, Sumatra, Mexico, and Dominican Republic (e.g., Gentilini 1984; Wu et al. 2019; Ngô-Muller et al. 2021).

Here we describe a new limoniid species based on an isolated wing from the early Miocene of New Zealand, we tentatively attribute it to the genus Gynoplistia Macquart, 1835. With 319 extant species, this genus is very speciose and distributed all over the world (Oosterbroek 2024). Nevertheless, the only previously fossil known was Gynoplistia (?) mitchelli Jarzembowski, 1991, described on the basis of an isolated wing from the Early Cretaceous of the United Kingdom (Jarzembowski 1991).

Materials and methods

The single specimen described herein was collected at the Foulden Maar Fossil-Lagerstätte (Fig. 1) near Middlemarch, Otago, southern New Zealand (45.5269°S, 170.2191°E) in a diatomite mining pit, which is registered as I43/f8503 in the New Zealand Fossil Record File (GNS Science and Geoscience Society of New Zealand 2003). The varved and highly fossiliferous diatomite at the fossil site represents the latest uppermost Rhoipites waimumuensis (Couper, 1923) to lower early Proteacidites isopogiformis Couper, 1960 pollen zones, corresponding to New Zealand local stages late Waitakian-early Otaian (earliest Miocene, Aquitanian) (Mildenhall et al. 2014). Geological setting and palaeoecology of the fossil site are summarised by Lindqvist and Lee (2009), Lee et al. (2016, 2022), and Kaulfuss (2017).

Figure 1. 

Map of the South Island of New Zealand showing the location of the Foulden Maar fossil site.

The specimen was studied and photographed with a Nikon SMZ1000 stereomicroscope with attached Canon T3 camera. Wetting the specimen with ethanol revealed venational details of the wing and enhanced the contrast between the diatomite matrix and the fossil.

Photographs were stacked and enhanced in Photoshop CS5.1 (Adobe Systems Inc.) and the drawing of the wing was prepared from photographs using CorelDraw. We follow the wing venation terminology of de Jong (2017).

Wing nomenclature: CuA, cubitus anterior; CuP, cubitus posterior; A, anal vein; d, discal medial cell; M1, M2, M3, M4, branches of median vein; m1, cell between M1 and M2; Rs, posterior branch of radius; R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, apical branches of radius; r-m, crossvein between R5 and M1+2; Sc, subcostal vein.

Systematic palaeontology

Order Diptera Linnaeus, 1758

Family Limoniidae Rondani, 1856

Genus Gynoplistia Macquart, 1835

Gynoplistia fouldensensis sp. nov.

https://zoobank.org/E23FB30B-A2E1-477E-B47C-DC875723A096
Fig. 2

Type material

Holotype : New Zealand • sex unknown; an isolated wing; near Middlemarch, Otago; Foulden Maar Fossil-Lagerstätte; 45.5269°S, 170.2191°E; Geology Museum, Department of Geology, University of Otago (OU); OU46615.

Locality and horizon

Foulden Maar diatomite, near Middlemarch, Otago, New Zealand; earliest Miocene, Aquitanian.

Diagnosis

The wing venation of the new species strongly resembles that of the fossil G. (?) mitchelli in the shape of the radial and median veins. Still, G. fouldensensis sp. nov. but can be differentiated by the shape of discal cell and crossvein between M3 and M4 being more distal than basal part of M3.

Description

Wing 8.8 mm long, 3.2 mm wide, with brown tinge, a series of white spots in anterior part and five series of transverse darker spots, veins black; Sc long, ending into C, extending far distal beyond fork of Rs, Sc-r just before tip of Sc; part of R5 basal to r-m elongate and oblique, R5 straight, reaching wing apex, 1.5 as long as Rs, R2+3+4 0.9 mm long; R2 beyond fork of R3 and R4; R3 3.0 mm long, slightly undulate; R4 3.4 mm long, straight; no supernumerary crossveins in cells r3, r4, and r5; r-m and m-cu not aligned, r-m situated a short distance past base of discal medial cell, m-cu situated midway between base and apex of discal medial cell; fork of vein M3+4 in apical section of discal medial cell; discal medial cell 1.4 mm long, 0.7 mm wide, closed; cell m1 present, c. 1.2 mm long; vein CuA straight; anal vein straight.

Figure 2. 

Gynoplistia fouldensensis sp. nov., holotype, OU46615 A wing photograph B interpretative drawing of wing. Scale bar: 2 mm.

Etymology

Named after the type locality Foulden Maar (Otago, New Zealand).

Discussion

This wing corresponds to that of a Limoniidae because of the following characters (after de Jong 2017): well-developed CuP and anal vein; anal vein nearly straight; apex of vein Sc well developed; apices of R1 and R3 well separated; fork of vein M3+4 in apical section of discal medial cell; crossvein m-cu far removed from fork of M3+4; vein CuA straight. It is quite delicate to attribute an isolated fossil wing of Limoniidae to a genus because many genera are separated on the basis of body characters.

The combination of characters “cell m1 present, part of R5 basal to r-m elongate and oblique, and forked R2+3+4” is encountered in some species of the genera Gynoplistia, Pseudolimnophila Alexander, 1919, Hexatoma Latreille, 1809 (sensu lato), and Pilaria Sintenis, 1889. The Australasian species of Epiphragma Osten Sacken, 1860 also have a cell m1 and a forked R2+3+4, but their part of R5 basad r-m is very short, unlike in the new fossil.

Hexatoma (sensu lato) forms a morphology-based phylogenetic clade with Pseudolimnophila, Pilaria, and Ulomorpha (Ribeiro 2008).

Pseudolimnophila and Ulomorpha are unknown in the Australasian/Oceanian region. Pilaria is represented by P. brooksi Alexander, 1953 in this region. This species has no cell m1 (Alexander 1953).

Hexatoma is currently divided into six subgenera (Podenas et al. 2022). The new fossil would fall in the subgenus Eriocera Macquart, 1838 because of the following characters: radial sector with three branches, medial cell distal, supernumerary crossveins missing in cells r3, r4, and r5, vein Sc reaching wing margin beyond Rs branching point, R2 beyond fork of R3 and R4 (Podenas et al. 2022).

Following Oosterbroek (2024), Hexatoma is represented in the Australasian region only by five species of the subgenus Eriocera, which are Hexatoma (Eriocera) aperta (Alexander, 1920), H. (E.) atra (Doleschall, 1859), H. (E.) australiensis (Alexander, 1920), H. (E.) metallica (Schiner, 1868), and H. (E.) setifera (Alexander, 1931). The new fossil differs from all these species in the presence of cell m1. Also, H. (Eriocera) metallica differs from the new fossil in the uniformly infuscate wing and aligned r-m and m-cu (Billingham and Theischinger 2022). Hexatoma (E.) australiensis also has wings with a “pale brown suffusion”, and R2+3+4 “equal to or a little shorter than R3 alone” versus much shorter in the new fossil (Alexander 1920: 104). Hexatoma (E.) aperta has “brownish gray” wings and H. (E.) setifera a blackish tinge, and both have an opened discal medial cell (Alexander 1920: 105, 1931: 166). Hexatoma (E.) atra has R3 only slightly longer than R2+3+4, and m-cu is situated close to base of the discal medial cell (Edwards 1921). Thus, the new fossil is not similar to any of these species.

Unlike the genera previously mentioned, Gynoplistia is very diverse in New Zealand, with 108 species listed by Oosterbroek (2024). Some representatives of this genus have patterns of wing coloration with colored bands and spots, very close to that of G. fouldensensis sp. nov. Theischinger (1993) proposed a revision of the Australian species of Gynoplistia. Affinities with the subgenus Cerozodia Westwood, 1835 are excluded because of the vein Sc ending into C in the new fossil. The wing venation would rather fit with that of a species of the subgenera Xenolimnophila Alexander, 1922 or Gynoplistia for the narrow elongate cell r3, the oblique basal part of R5, the presence of cell m1, the vein m-cu not aligned with r-m, and the wing coloration with spots and bands (Theischinger 1993: figs 9b, 11b). The New Zealand species of Gynoplistia also have wing coloration with spots and bands, but many have a basal part of R5 clearly less oblique than in the new fossil (e.g., Edwards 1923: pl. 30; Alexander 1939: pl. 28, fig. 1).

It is noteworthy that the wing venation of the fossil G. (?) mitchelli strongly resembles that of G. fouldensensis sp. nov., especially in the shape of the radial and median veins, but with an important difference in the shape of the discal cell, that is, the crossvein between M3 and M4 is more distal than basal part of M3 in the new fossil versus the contrary in G. (?) mitchelli (Jarzembowski 1991: fig. 14). Indeed, the discal cell of G. (?) mitchelli resembles that of the H. (Eriocera) spp.

Conclusion

This study of a new fossil wing illustrates the difficulties encountered when describing a fossil Limoniidae on the sole basis of wing characters. In this case at least two genera could be candidates for an attribution, even if we prefer the genus Gynoplistia rather than Hexatoma mostly because of the pattern of wing coloration. Also the attribution of this Miocene fossil species to to Gynoplistia is unsurprising because this genus is nowadays very diverse in New Zealand, whereas Hexatoma remains unknown from this country.

Acknowledgements

We thank Dr Daubian Santos and Dr Wieslaw Krzemiński for their useful comments on the first version of the paper. We thank the Gibson family at Foulden Hills for kindly permitting access to the fossil site.

Additional information

Conflict of interest

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Ethical statement

No ethical statement was reported.

Funding

This work was funded by the German Research Foundation (project 429296833).

Author contributions

All authors have contributed equally.

Author ORCIDs

André Nel https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4241-7651

Uwe Kaulfuss https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6858-8612

Data availability

All of the data that support the findings of this study are available in the main text.

References

  • Alexander CP (1919) The crane-flies of New York. Part 1. Distribution and taxonomy of the adult flies. Memoirs of the Cornell University. Agriculture Experimental Station 25: 767–993.
  • Alexander CP (1920) New or little-known Australian crane-flies (Tipulidae, Diptera). Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 32: 92–109. https://doi.org/10.5962/p.272125
  • Alexander CP (1939) New or little-known Tipulidae from New Zealand (Order Diptera). Part III. Records of the Canterbury Museum 4: 219–230.
  • Alexander CP (1953) New or little-known Tipulidae (Diptera). XCVI. Oriental-Australasian species. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (Series 12) 6: 898–914. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222935308654506
  • de Jong H (2017) 14. Limoniidae and Tipulidae (crane flies). In: Kirk-Spriggs AH, Sinclair BJ (Eds) Manual of Afrotropical Diptera. Vol. 2. Nematocerous Diptera and lower Brachycera. Suricata 5. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, 427–477.
  • Doleschall CL (1859) Derde bijdrage tot de kennis der dipteren fauna van Nederlandsch Indie. Natuurkundig Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indie 17: 73–128.
  • Edwards FW (1921) The Old-World species of Eriocera in the British Museum Collection (Diptera, Tipulidae). Annals and Magazine of Natural History (Series 9) 8: 67–99. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222932108632559
  • Edwards FW (1923) A preliminary revision of the crane-flies of New Zealand (Anisopodidae, Tanyderidae, Tipulidae). Transactions (Proceedings) of the New Zealand Institute 54: 265–352.
  • Gentilini G (1984) Limoniidae and Trichoceridae (Diptera: Nematocera) from the Upper Miocene of Monte Castellaro (Pesaro, Central Italy). Bolletino del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Verona 11: 171–190.
  • Jell PA (2004) The fossil insects of Australia. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 50(1): 1–124.
  • Jell PA, Duncan PM (1986) Invertebrates, mainly insects, from the freshwater, Lower Cretaceous, Koonwarra fossil bed, (Korumburra Group), South Gippsland, Victoria. In: Jell PW, Roberts J (Eds) Plants and invertebrates from the Lower Cretaceous Koonwarra fossil bed, South Gippsland, Victoria. Memoir 3 of the Association of the Australasian Palaeontologists, Sydney, 111–205.
  • Krzemiński W, Krzemińska E (2003) Triassic Diptera: descriptions, revisions and phylogenetic relations. Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia 46(suppl. – Fossil Insects): 153–184.
  • Latreille PA (1809) Genera crustaceorum et insectorum secumdum ordinem naturalem in familias disposita, iconibus exemplisque plurimis explicata. Tomus Quartus et Ultimus. Parisiis et Argentorati [= Paris and Strasbourg]: A. Koenig, 399 pp.
  • Lee DE, Kaulfuss U, Conran JG, Bannister JM, Lindqvist JK (2016) Biodiversity and palaeoecology of Foulden Maar: an early Miocene Konservat-Lagerstätte deposit in southern New Zealand. Alcheringa: an Australian Journal of Palaeontology 40: 525–541. https://doi.org/10.1080/03115518.2016.1206321
  • Lee DE, Kaulfuss U, Conran JG (2022) Fossil treasures of Foulden Maar. Window into Miocene Zealandia. Otago University Press, Dunedin, 216 pp.
  • Lindqvist JK, Lee DE (2009) High-frequency paleoclimate signals from Foulden Maar, Waipiata Volcanic Field, southern New Zealand: An Early Miocene varved lacustrine diatomite deposit. Sedimentary Geology 222(1–2): 98–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sedgeo.2009.07.009
  • Linnaeus C (1758) Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, Secundum Clases, Ordines, Genera, Species, cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Synonymies, Locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Impensis Direct, Laurentii Salvii, Holmiae, 824 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.542
  • McCurry MR, Cantrill DJ, Smith PM, Beattie R, Dettmann M, Baranov V, Magee C, Nguyen JMT, Forster MA, Hinde J, Pogson R, Wang H, Marjo CE, Vasconcelos P, Frese M (2022) A Lagerstätte from Australia provides insight into the nature of Miocene mesic ecosystems. Science Advances 8(1): eabm1406. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abm1406
  • Mildenhall DC, Kennedy EM, Lee DE, Kaulfuss U, Bannister JM, Fox B, Conran JG (2014) Palynology of the early Miocene Foulden Maar, Otago, New Zealand: Diversity following destruction. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 204: 27–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2014.02.003
  • Ngô-Muller V, Garrouste R, Pouillon J-M, Christophersen V, Christophersen A, Nel A (2021) The first representative of the fly genus Trentepohlia subgenus Mongoma in amber from the Miocene of Sumatra (Diptera: Limoniidae). Historical Biology 33(2): 254–257. https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2019.1610948
  • Osten Sacken CR (1860) New genera and species of North American Tipulidae with short palpi, with an attempt at a new classification of the tribe. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 11: 197–254.
  • Ribeiro G (2008) Phylogeny of the Limnophilinae (Limoniidae) and early evolution of the Tipulomorpha (Diptera). Invertebrate Systematics 22(6): 627–694. https://doi.org/10.1071/IS08017
  • Rondani C (1856) Dipterologiae Italicae Prodromus. Vol. 1: Genera Italica ordinis dipterorum ordinatim disposita et distincta et in familias et stirpes aggregata. A. Stoccih [sic], Parmae [= Parma], 228 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.8160
  • Schiner JR (1868) Reise der österreichischen Fregatte Novara um die Erde in den Jahren 1857, 1858, 1859 unter den Befehlen des Commodore B. von Wüllerstorf-Urbair. Zoologischer Theil. K. Gerold’s, Sohn, Wien, 388 pp.
  • Sintenis F (1889) Vierten Bericht uber Livlandische Tipuliden und Dixa. Sitzungsberichte der Naturforscher-Gesellschaft bei der Universitat Dorpat 8: 393–398.
  • Theischinger G (1993) The Limoniinae (Diptera, Tipulidae) of Australia. 3. The genus Gynoplistia Macquart. Stapfia 29: 1–106.
  • Wu S, Krzemiński W, Soszyńska-Maj A, Ren D (2019) New fossil representative of the genus Helius (Diptera, Limoniidae) from the little known and newly discovered locality Caergen Village of northeastern Tibetan Plateau (China). Palaeontologia Electronica 22.1.2A: 1–8. https://doi.org/10.26879/817
login to comment