Coniopteryx esbenpeterseni

One caught in my garden in 2017 was the first record for Norfolk. Several further records have followed at 3 sites here in North Elmham. Presumably it is (now) reasonably common elsewhere in Norfolk too, but with hardly anyone else recording waxflies currently this is yet to be confirmed.

Coniopteryx species are separated from Conwentzia by the size of the hindwing and from other waxfly genera (Semidalis in Norfolk) from details of wing venation. Only male Coniopteryx can be identified to species level - esbenpeterseni and lentiae differ from the other species in the genus in having their genital structures arranged in a ring. That ring is tighter in esbenpeterseni compared to lentiae, much less than the height of the hypandrium (the darkened structure beneath it, at the apex of the lower part of the abdomen). The parameres are also attached to the ring further back than on lentiae. Some care is required when checking for these features - the ring is rather delicate and can easily be unfurled slightly when clearing it, making it appear larger and altering the position of the parameres. The characters are usually visible after the abdomen has been macerated in 10% potassium hydroxide, and even though you may wish to clean it further for a clearer view of the structures, I recommend ensuring you have seen (and preferably photographed) it well enough to name it before applying any pressure to it in order to clean it further.

On this individual you can see the small genital ring with the paramere attached to the back and the relatively large hypandrium below:

male Coniopteryx esbenpeterseni, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 24th August 2020

Here I placed the genitalia next to a Coniopteryx lentiae I caught 3 days later, so you can see the differences more clearly. The lentiae (on the right) has a much larger, looser genital ring similar in height to the hypandrium beneath it. The paramere extending back from the ring emerges from the bottom of the ring, not the side.

male Coniopteryx esbenpeterseni, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 23rd June 2019 - showing genitalia with those of a Coniopteryx lentiae from the same location on 26th June.

male Coniopteryx esbenpeterseni, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 7th June 2022

male Coniopteryx esbenpeterseni, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 23rd June 2022

male Coniopteryx esbenpeterseni, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 22nd May 2022

male Coniopteryx esbenpeterseni, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 28th May 2022

male Coniopteryx esbenpeterseni, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows (Norfolk, UK), 29th May 2019

male Coniopteryx esbenpeterseni, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 1st June 2024

male Coniopteryx esbenpeterseni, St Mary's Churchyard, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 8th June 2021

This one was Norfolk's first, and the condition of the adult insect when I caught it wasn't much better than the quality of my efforts to clear its abdomen! But even with this poorly-cleared example you can see the relevant detail to secure the identification.

male Coniopteryx esbenpeterseni, St Mary's Churchyard, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 1st June 2017