Proteroscelio antennalis Brues, 1937

Johnson, Norman F., Musetti, Luciana & Masner, Lubomír, 2008, The Cretaceous Scelionid Genus Proteroscelio Brues (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea), American Museum Novitates 3603 (1), pp. 1-8 : 3-4

Proteroscelio antennalis Brues , in Carpenter et al., 1937:

40. Original description.

DIAGNOSIS: Length: 1.7 mm. Distinguish- ed from P. gravatus , n. sp., by the elongate funicular segments, the laterally compressed, serrate clavomeres, and the flat face.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Holotype female: ‘‘ TYPE, Proteroscelio antennalis ‘Brues’, No. 56’’ (on underside). ‘‘ Proteroscelio antennalis Brues , 56, Type.’’ ‘‘56.’’ Single block of amber attached to a microscope slide. Deposited in ROMC.

COMMENTS: The left antenna is deformed, laterally compressed, and, as a result, quite different in shape from the right. The apical 10 segments of both antennae are expanded to form a clava. The metasoma is somewhat inflated and, therefore, the laterotergites are opened and not tightly flexed against the sterna.

PROTEROSCELIO GRAVATUS NEW SPECIES

Figures 3–4

DESCRIPTION: The characters cited in the generic description may be supplemented as follows. Length 1.1 mm. Head with lower portion of frons, just above antennal insertions, strongly reflexed; A3–A6 short, strongly transverse, distinctly narrower than A2 or A7; A7–A13 cylindrical, evenly expanded; T3 longest metasomatic tergite, slightly longer than T2.

DIAGNOSIS: Distinguished from P. antennalis by the very short funicular segments.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Holotype female: ‘‘ Ambre de HAMMANA/MDEIRIJ, LIBAN, Aptien inférieur, Collection Dany AZAR, Echantillon no 23.’’ Single block of amber mounted beneath a cover slip on a microscope slide. Deposited in MNHN.

ETYMOLOGY: The epithet gravatus is from the Latin meaning ‘‘weighed down’’, referring to the massive antennal clava.

COMMENTS: The Aptian age, indicated on the specimen label, is defined in Grimaldi and Engel (2005) as extending from 112–122 mya. In the same text, the age of Lebanese amber is said to be between 120–135 mya. Nel and

Azar (2005) cite the age of Cretaxenomerus , collected at the same Hammana locality, to be from 125–135 mya.