''Nanoraphidia'' is an extinct

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

snakefly Snakeflies are a group of predatory insects comprising the order Raphidioptera with two extant families: Raphidiidae and Inocelliidae, consisting of roughly 260 species. In the past, the group had a much wider distribution than it does now; snak ...

in the family Mesoraphidiidae containing the species ''Nanoraphidia electroburmica'' and ''Nanoraphidia lithographica''. The genus name is derived from a combination of the Greek ''nanos'' (dwarf) and the snakefly genus ''Raphidia'', and the type species name from the Latin ''electrum'' (amber) and

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

, the former name of

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

. The type species is known from the

holotype A holotype (Latin: ''holotypus'') is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of s ...

, a single, partial adult, now deposited in the

American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located in Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 21 interconn ...

as specimen number Bu-092., and several additional specimens. The

amber Amber is fossilized tree resin. Examples of it have been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since the Neolithic times, and worked as a gemstone since antiquity."Amber" (2004). In Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen (eds.) ''Encyclopedia ...

specimen is from deposits in Tanai Village,

Kachin State Kachin State (; Jingpho language, Kachin: ) is the northernmost administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. It is bordered by China to the north and east (Tibet Autonomous Region, Tibet and Yunnan, respectively), Shan State to the sou ...

northwest of

Myitkyina Myitkyina (, ; Jingpho language, Jinghpaw: ''Myitkyina'', ; , ''Sèna'') is the capital city of Kachin State in Myanmar (Burma), located from Yangon, and from Mandalay. In Burmese language, Burmese it means "near the big river", and Myitkyina i ...

, Myanmar. The specimen has a badly disarticulated thorax and abdomen, which are present in the amber as integumental debris, however the head, wings, and anterior legs are in good condition. ''Nanoraphidia electroburmica'' is the smallest known Raphidioptera species, living or extinct, the fore wings being only long. The second species is named after the

lithographic limestone Lithographic limestone is hard limestone that is sufficiently fine-grained, homogeneous and defect-free to be used for lithography. Geologists use the term "lithographic texture" to refer to a grain size under 1/250 mm. The term "sublitho ...

of the

La Pedrera de Rúbies Formation The La Pedrera de Rúbies Formation, also called as La Pedrera de Meià is an Early Cretaceous ( late Berriasian to early Barremian geologic formation in Catalonia, Spain. The formation crops out in the area of the Montsec in the Organyà Bas ...

in Spain where it was found. The genus is also the first to be described from a specimen of

old world The "Old World" () is a term for Afro-Eurasia coined by Europeans after 1493, when they became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia in the Eastern Hemisphere, previously ...

amber. ''Nanoraphidia'' is separatable from other Mesoraphidiidae genera by the small size of specimens and distinct vein structure of the wings. The wings have an expanded costal area which is similar in appearance to the costal areas in '' Cretinocellia'' and '' Lugala''. Both of these genera, however, belong to the Baissopteridae family and have many more crossveins and cells between Rs and M veins. The specimen shows ''N. electroburmica'' to have had a brown coloration to the body and a

hyaline A hyaline substance is one with a glassy appearance. The word is derived from , and . Histopathology Hyaline cartilage is named after its glassy appearance on fresh gross pathology. On light microscopy of H&E stained slides, the extracellula ...

appearance to the wings.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6964122 Raphidioptera Cretaceous insects Fossil taxa described in 2002 Cretaceous insects of Asia Burmese amber Fossils of Myanmar Taxa named by Michael S. Engel