Tainopompilus Rodriguez and Pitts, 2016

Rodriguez, Juanita, Waichert, Cecilia, Von Dohlen, Carol D., Jr., George Poinar & Pitts, James P., 2016, Eocene and not Cretaceous origin of spider wasps: Fossil evidence from amber, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 61 (1), pp. 89-96 : 92

Genus Tainopompilus Rodriguez and Pitts nov.

Etymology: From Tainos, a pre-columbian indigenous culture that populated the Dominican Republic; and Latin pompilus, pilot fish; widely used for Pompilidae taxa. The gender is masculine.

Type species: Tainopompilus argentum Rodriguez and Pitts sp. nov., monotypic.

Diagnosis.—Antennal flagellum crenulate; postnotum is a narrow band, with parallel anterior and posterior margins; metatibia with apical spine-like setae of uniform length, the setae not splayed; 2M cell with an inflection on the base of vein Cu; 2m-cu vein arising on the Cu less than half the distance from the base of the 2M cell to the outer wing margin.

Remarks.—This genus resembles Priochilus Banks, 1943 in its general morphology. Nevertheless, the presence of spine-like setae of uniform length on the metatibia, and the presence of an inflection at the base of vein Cu of the 2M cell, separate the two genera. Tainopompilus is placed in the subfamily Pompilinae by the presence of an inflection at the base of the Cu vein on 2M cell. This is the only genus in the subfamily that has spine-like setae of uniform length on the metatibia.

Stratigraphic and geographic range.—Early Miocene of the Dominican Republic.