Three new species of aneuretopsychids (Insecta: Mecoptera) from the Jehol Biota, China

Three new species of Jeholopsyche Ren, Shih et Labandeira in the family Aneuretopsychidae, Jeholopsyche completa sp. nov., J. bella sp. nov. and J. maxima sp. nov., are described and illustrated in this paper. These well-preserved specimens were collected from the Early Cretaceous of Yixian Formation, Jehol Biota, Huangbanjigou Village, Liaoning Province, China. The new species enhance our understanding and broaden the diversity of this family, and provide morphological characters for future phylogenetic studies of Aneuretopsychidae. These insects with siphonate proboscides support a previously documented finding that aneuretopsychids were fluid feeders on the secretions and exudates of contemporaneous gymnospermous reproductive structures coexisting in the Yixian Formation. From the proboscis structure and inferred ecological relationships, we believe that these three new species, with proboscid lengths ranging from 3.5 to 14.5 mm, were pollinators of gymnosperm hosts that bore a broad size-range of deep funnel or other tubular structures laden with nectar-like fluid rewards.

► Three new species of Aneuretopsychidae are described.
► The species with siphonate mouthparts might be pollinators of gymnosperm hosts.
► These proboscides imply insects carry pollination with their matched proboscides.
► The finding enriches our understanding and broadens the diversity of this family.