Protoita bidentata Ulmer & Krogmann, 2023

UImer, Jonah M., Jansta, Petr, Azar, Dany & Krogmann, Lars, 2023, At the dawn of megadiversity - Protoitidae, a new family of Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera) from Lower Cretaceous Lebanese amber, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 96, pp. 879-924 : 879

Protoita bidentata Ulmer & Krogmann sp. nov.

Fig. 5

Diagnosis.

Protoita bidentata , the only species of the genus known from the male, differs from all other species in the genus by the following combination of characters: Body and antenna bicolored (Fig. 5A ). Mandibular formula 2:2 (Fig. 5E :md). Clava 3-segmented (Fig. 5C ). Stigmal vein of fore wing extending at a right angle to wing margin (Fig. 5A ). Basitarsal comb of fore leg lacking.

Description.

Male. Body length 855. Head, scape, pedicel and fu1-fu4 brown. Mesosoma, metasoma and fu5 to tip of clava dark brown. Legs pale. Sculpture on head, meso- and metasoma alutaceous. Wings hyaline, uniformly pilose, damaged beyond postmarginal vein (Fig. 5A ). Head strongly transverse, 2 × as wide as long in dorsal view (360/179). Temples very short, about 0.15 × as long as eye length. Lower tentorial bridge wide, about as wide as long; postgenal bridge absent; hypostomal carina complete (Fig. 5E :hyc). Occipital carina present (Fig. 5E ). Antennal scrobe slightly depressed. Interantennal region convex. Antennal insertion closer to inner eye margin than each other (Fig. 5A ). Clypeus not visible. Dentition 2:2, extending out from facial plane (Fig. 5E :md). Maxillary palps 3-segmented (Fig. 5E :mxp). Labial palps 2-segmented (Fig. 5E :lbp). Maxilla wider than labium. Antenna length 533. Pedicel and scape partly damaged. Fu1 about or slightly less as wide as pedicel, other flagellomeres gradually widening distally, fu1-6 not less than 2 × as long as wide, fu7-9 less than 2 × as long as wide. Clava 3-segmented, clava length 85 (Fig. 5C ). MPS present on all segments including terminal segment; MPS extend beyond the distal edge of the segment. Claval segments equilateral and closely associated relative to funicle segments; clava without micropilosity (Fig. 5C ). Mesosoma length 346. Transcutal articulation present as weak line of separation (Fig. 5D :tsa). Mesopleuron large, partially obscured by bubble (Fig. 5D :pl2); separated from metapleuron by suture. Axillae not pronounced; axillulae slightly flanged (Fig. 5D ). Mesonotum length 224. Mesoscutellum convex, length 44, 2 × as long as wide (Fig. 5D :msct). Metanotum narrow, band-like, width 21 (Fig. 5D :no3). Propodeum partially obscured by abdomen, relatively short, as long as or slightly longer than mesoscutellum (Fig. 5D :prp); propodeal spiracle visible, oval, posteriorly angled, closer to anterior margin of propodeum than its diameter (Fig. 5D :psp). Wings. Fore wing damaged beyond midline. Fore wing width 323. Longest marginal seta length 46. Submarginal vein length 379. Marginal vein narrow, length 81, width 24. Cubital vein narrow, weakly pigmented. Basal vein sclerotized, length 60. Stigmal vein straight, 90° relative to dorsal wing margin, stigmal vein length 44. Uncus present with ephemeral line extending distally. Postmarginal vein length 53. Hind wing length 440, width 28. Longest marginal seta of hind wing 35 (Fig. 5A ). Legs. Protibial calcar long, curved, apically bifurcate. Basitarsus of fore leg ventrally curved; no basitarsal comb. Metasoma length 313. Metasoma broadly associated with mesosoma; petiole obscured (Fig. 5A ). Mt2-9 visible; all equal in length except Mt2, dorsally slightly shorter. 3 sternal segments visible, each about 2 × as long as tergal segment average length. Cerci between Mt8 and Mt9 digitiform, about 2 × as long as digitiform base. Genitalia length externally 97. Genital capsule externally protruding. Paramere present; single apical parameral setae present. Intervosellar process broad, extends equally in length to aedeagus. Aedeagus broad with 2 sets of sensillae (Fig. 5B :aed). Digitus with 2 digital processes (Fig. 5B :dig).

Female. Unknown.

Specimens examined.

Holotype: male, Hammana / Mdeyrij , Caza Baabda , Mouhafazet Mount Lebanon; lower Barremian. In amber mounted in Canada Balsam. Deposited at Natural History Museum of the Lebanese University, accession/specimen number: 182.

Type condition.

Specimen with distal ⅓ of its wings missing and basal antennomeres damaged.

Etymology.

The specific epithet is derived from the mandibular formula of the species.

Notes.

Protoita bidentata is the only species in the genus described from a male. While it is the only taxon with two mandibular teeth, sexual dimorphism in this character is very rare in Chalcidoidea , likely the female of P. bidentata is also bidentate. Unlike dentition, antennal shape and claval segments are quite often sexually dimorphic in extant chalcids, and in Cretaxenomerus curvus where the male is known we can see a drastic variation in flagellar shape and claval number. P. bidentata is the only species known within Protoita with 3 claval segments, and within all of Protoitidae only C. deangelis is also known to have 3 claval segments however that species is described from a female.

Figures

Figure 5. Protoita bidentata, holotype A dorsolateral habitus B male genitalia, ventral C terminal funicular segments and clava D mesosoma, dorsolateral E head, posteroventral. Scale bars: 500 µm (A); 100 µm (C-E). aed = aedeagus; dig = digitus; frn = frenum; hyc = hypostomal carina; lbp = labial palp; md = mandible; msp = mesothoracic spiracle; Mtn = metasomal tergum; mxp = maxillary palp; no 3 = metanotum; par = paramere; psp = propodeal spiracle; tsa = transcutal articulation; vol = volsella.