Alongatepyris pedrocai Colombo & Azevedo, 2022

Colombo, Wesley D., Perkovsky, Evgeny E. & Azevedo, Celso O., 2022, Synopsis of the rare genus Alongatepyris (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae), with description of the first extinct species from Dominican amber, Palaeoentomology 5 (1), pp. 57-65 : 58-59

† Alongatepyris pedrocai Colombo & Azevedo , sp. nov.

( Figs 2 , 3 )

Type material. Holotype female, piece code WDC F-3, deposited in the IBES collection: a complete flat wasp is embedded in a median amber piece; some scattered debris obscuring particular details; no other animals and plants are present. The amber was not subjected to any fixation.

Etymology. The specific epithet pedrocai is named after Pedroca, Pedro Dhaví Colombo Zanette’s nickname, nephew of the first author.

Diagnosis. Head as long as wide in dorsal view. Anterior ocellus posterior to supra-ocular line. Posterior pronotal sulcus absent. Forewing with 2r-rs&Rs vein long and tubular.The species platunissimus and A. ingens are redraw digitally from Vargas & Azevedo (2008).

Description. Female. Body length ~ 3.8 mm. Color: body mostly black, palpi and mandible dark castaneous; tarsi light castaneous;wings hyaline,veins light castaneous. Head as long as wide in dorsal view, not globoid in lateral view. Mandible apparently with three teeth, ventral tooth large. Clypeus with median lobe rounded and lateral lobes reduced. Eye located far from mandibular base, glabrous, elongated in lateral view, bulging in dorsal view. Antenna with flagellomeres wider than long, first flagellomeres shorter than distal ones; flagellar pubescence suberect; pedicel with apex dilated, longer than flagellomere I. Frontal line indistinct. Ocelli conspicuous. Anterior ocellus posterior to supra-ocular line. Dorsal pronotal area longer than mesoscutellum. Posterior pronotal sulcus absent. Notaulus not visible. Parapsidal signum present. Mesoscuto-scutellar suture with sulcus not visible. Mesopleuron with lower mesopleural fovea not visible. Macropterous. Forewing with three cells closed (C, R and 1Cu); C cell very narrow; 1Cu cell more than 2× shorter than R cell; Pterostigma small and prostigma large; flexion line simple distally; 2r-rs&Rs vein long and tubular. Mesotibia not spinose. Metapectal-propodeal disc long, touching posterior margin of anteromesoscutum; transverse anterior carina straight; metapostnotal median carina not visible; transverse posterior carina not visible. Tarsal claw simple. Metasoma polished.

Remarks. The specimen described above is assigned to the genus Alongatepyris based on the following character states: (1) the body is flattened in the lateral view; (2) the eyes are placed forward on the head; (3) the antennae are composed by 11 flagellomeres; (4) the forewings are fully developed; and (5) the first cubital cell of the forewings is much reduced.

The specimen considered here is morphologically similar to A. platunissimus , because the head is as long as wide and the 2r-rs&Rs veins of the forewings are long and tubular. The specimen is also morphologically similar to A. ingens because the dorsal pronotal area is ecarinate and the 1Cu cell of the forewings is more than 2× shorter than the R cell. The presence of morphological features of the two species previously described, A. platunissimus and A. ingens , supports that this lineage is different from its congeners. Additionally, † A. pedrocai , sp. nov. lived between 15–20 million years ago, adding further support to the validity of this species.

Type locality and horizon. Dominican amber, Burdigalian / Langhian terrestrial amber in the Dominican Republic. Miocene, 15–20 million years ago .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Alongatepyris pedrocai Colombo &Azevedo, sp. nov., female.A, Habitus, lateral view. B, Habitus, dorso-frontal-view.Scale bars: 200 µm.

FIGURE 3. Alongatepyris pedrocai Colombo &Azevedo, sp. nov., female.A, Habitus, lateral view. B, Habitus, dorso-frontal-view.Scale bar = 200 µm.