Palaeocharmon basalis, Belokobylskij & Nel & Waller & Plöeg, 2010

Belokobylskij, Sergey A., Nel, André, Waller, Alain & Plöeg, Gael De, 2010, New fossil non-cyclostome braconid wasps from the lowermost Eocene amber of Paris Basin, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 55 (3), pp. 519-527 : 522-524

Palaeocharmon basalis sp. nov.

Figs. 1 , 2.

Etymology: After the inferred morphologically basal position of this genus within the subfamily Charmontinae .

Holotype: Female, MNHN A32944 .

Type locality: Farm Le Quesnoy, Chevrière, region of Creil, Oise department.

Type horizon: Lowermost Eocene, in amber, c. 53 Myr, Sparnacian, level MP7 of the mammal fauna of Dormaal ( Nel et al. 1999).

Description.—Body 6.1 mm long; fore wing about 4.0 mm.

Head transverse, 1.65 times as wide as maximum long (lateral view), 1.5 times as wide as maximum width of mesoscutum. Head behind eyes distinctly and roundly narrowed. Eye 2.8 times longer than temple (lateral view, on median line). Eye oval, 1.25 times as high as maximum long. Clypeal suture distinct. Clypeus weakly convex, 0.5 times as high as face. Mandibles enlarged, distinctly curved, weakly twisted in apical half, with long and pointed anterior tooth. Face rather narrow, its width 1.2 times median height. Eye with distinct emargination opposite antennal socket. Diameter of ocellus 2.3 times interocellar distance, almost twice longer than distance between ocellus and eye. Vertex smooth.

Antenna setiform, 31−segmented, longer then body. Scape 1.7 times longer than its maximum width, 2.3 times longer than pedicel. First flagellar segment 1.2 times longer than scape, 3.5 times longer than apical width, 1.1 times lon−

Fig. 2. Braconid wasp Palaeocharmon basalis gen. et sp. nov., holotype of Ą female, A32944, from the French Amber ( Farm Le Quesnoy , Oise, France), lowermost Eocene. A. Head and anterior part of mesosoma in dorsal view .

B. Head, mesosoma and anterior part of metasoma in lateral view. C. Mesosoma and anterior part of metasoma in lateral view. D. Legs and basal part of ovipositor in lateral view. E. Habitus in lateral view. F. Hind wing.

G. Fore wing. Photographs (A–D) and drawings (E–G). doi:10.4202/app.2009.1114

ger than second segment. Penultimate segment 1.8 times longer than width, 0.6 times as long as apical segment (spine included).

Mesosoma 1.7 times maximum high. Sides of pronotum with rather deep and oblique furrow, almost entirely smooth. Mesoscutum smooth, rounded anteriorly, 1.3 times wider than its median length. Notauli distinctly crenulate. Prescutellar depression medially 0.45 times as long as scutellum. Mesopleuron smooth. Subalar depression deep above and shallow below, mostly smooth. Sternaulus finely and quite sparsely punctate−areolate. Mesopleural pit very shallow. Furrow along mesopleural suture distinctly and densely crenulate. Metanotal tooth absent. Suture between metapleuron and propodeum deep, wide, crenulate. Ventral metapleural flange wide, rather long and rounded apically. Propodeum distinctly and irregularly reticulate−areolate for most part, almost smooth basally.

L e g s: Fore and middle femora slender, 4.8–5.0 times longer than maximum wide. Hind coxa without basiventral corner, 1.5 times longer than maximum wide. Trochantellus without subapical comb of pegs. Hind femur 4.5 times longer than wide. Hind tibia more or less thickened towards apex. Outer and inner tibial spurs of equal length, 0.3 times as long as hind basitarsus. Second tarsal segment 0.4 times as long as basitarsus, 1.4 times longer than third segment, 2.6 times longer than fourth segment, twice longer than telotarsus; fourth segment almost half as long as third segment and 0.75 times as long as telotarsus.

W i n g s: Fore wing about 3.0 times longer than wide. Second abscissa of basal vein (1−M) 6.0 times longer than its first abscissa (1−SR), 2.2 times longer than recurrent vein (m−cu); Second abscissa of basal (1−M) and recurrent (m−cu) veins more or less convergent posteriorly. Recurrent vein (m−cu) 1.5 times longer than second abscissa of medial vein (2−SR+M). Discoidal (discal) cell 1.15 times longer than its maximum width. Brachial (subdiscal) cell wide, 1.8 times longer than width. Parallel vein (CU1a) arising from posterior 0.2 of distal side of brachial (subdiscal) cell. Hind wing about 4.0 times longer than its width. Second abscissa of mediocubital vein (1−M) 0.4 times as long as its first abscissa (M+CU), almost as long as nervellus (cu−a), 1.6 times longer than basal vein (1r−m). Medial (basal) cell 6.5 times longer than its width. Radial (SR) and cubital (2−M) veins weakly divergent towards apex of wing.

M e t a s o m a: First tergite short, distinctly convex, more or less distinctly and sparsely striate, 1.3 times longer than apical width, 1.6 times longer than propodeum. Tergites behind first one smooth. Ovipositor sheaths densely and short setose, preserved part of ovipositor sheath about 1.3 times longer than metasoma, 1.5 times longer than head and mesosoma combined.

Co lo u r: Body probably entirely black. Wings hyaline.

Figures

Fig. 1. Photographs of braconid wasp Palaeocharmon basalis gen. et sp. nov., holotype of female, MNHN A32944, from the French Amber (Farm Le Quesnoy, Oise, France), lowermost Eocene. A. Habitus in dorsal view. B. Habitus in lateral view. C. Part of the body and wing in dorsal view.