Redescription of Minyohelea nexuosa (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) based on a new specimen from Lebanese amber

Abstract

The first records of Ceratopogonidae, or biting midges, are from the earliest Cretaceous. The early Cretaceous representatives of the family are currently interpreted as haematophagous. †Minyohelea Borkent, 1995 is one of six extinct, bloodsucking ceratopogonid genera currently recorded (Pielowska-Ceranowska et al., 2021). So far, nine species of the genus Minyohelea have been described, with the most recently addition being M. nexuosa Pielowska-Ceranowska, 2021 from the Mdeyrij-Hammana amber locality in Lebanon. However, subsequent work has recovered an additional male specimen of M. nexuosa from a separate outcrop hosting Lebanese amber at 32 km South-West from Mdeyrij-Hammana outcrop at the Jezzine Fall (Fig. 1) in Wadi Jezzine village [Caza (= District) Jezzine, South Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon]. As this new specimen preserves additional morphological features not seen previously, this paper documents the additional details and provides an amended diagnosis for Minyohelea nexuosa Pielowska-Ceranowska, 2021. Previously missing morphological features are documented and illustrated here.