Archaeoscelio filicornis Brues

MASNER, LUBOMÍR, JOHNSON, NORMAN F. & POLASZEK, ANDREW D., 2007, Redescription of Archaeoscelio Brues and Description of Three New Genera of Scelionidae (Hymenoptera): A Challenge to the Definition of the Family, American Museum Novitates 3550 (1), pp. 1-24 : 7-8

Archaeoscelio filicornis Brues figures 7–12

Archaeoscelio filicornis Brues, 1940: 90 .

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Holotype male: ‘‘ Mus. Comp. Zool. No. 8165, Archaeoscelio filicornis Brues , Holotype, Baltic amber.’’ 3 males, 1 female ( OSUC 0067397 , 0040409 , 0067821 , 0067878 in OSUC; 2 males ( OSUC 77501 , 77502 ) in MCZC.

Cobaloscelio Johnson and Masner , new genus figures 13–24

TYPE SPECIES: Cobaloscelio cuspidatus Johnson and Masner , n.sp.

DISTRIBUTION: Baltic amber.

DESCRIPTION: Length: 0.9–1.5 mm. Body more gracile, head not closely appressed to mesosoma, metasoma sessile, closely joined with mesosoma. Head weakly transverse in frontal view; hyperoccipital carina absent ( figs. 14 , 19, 21 ); occipital carina complete medially; sculpture of frons and vertex varying from smooth to coarsely areolate; lateral ocellus equidistant between median ocellus and inner orbit ( figs. 14 , 24 ); frons convex, without distinct antennal scrobe, frontal sculpture variable, from smooth ( fig. 23 ) to coarsely areolate-rugose ( fig. 14 ), medial carina present ( fig. 23 ), ending ventrally in interantennal process; interantennal process distinctly projecting anteriorly; submedial carina absent; orbital carina present; cheek with fanlike striae between orbital carina and malar sulcus; eye setae absent or indistinct; inner orbits parallel to subparallel, not diverging ventrally; torulus contiguous with upper margin of clypeus, opening laterally, arising from interantennal process; clypeus not observable; malar sulcus present; lower portion of gena obscured in available specimens, no antennal groove visible; mandible very narrow, sickleshaped, only single apical tooth visible in available specimens; maxillary palpus not observable; labial palpus not observable; female antenna with 12 antennomeres ( fig. 17 ); male antenna with 11 ( fig. 20 ) or 12 antennomeres; longitudinal axes of radicle and scape nearly parallel to one another ( fig. 20 ); scape more or less cylindrical, weakly expand- ed medially, weakly excavate dorsally for reception of pedicel and base of flagellum; A3 of female not distinctly elongate, slightly shorter than A2; female antenna with nonabrupt 7-segmented clava ( fig. 17 ), details of setae on dorsal surface not observable; claval formula not observable; male sex segment present on A5 ( C. speculifer , fig. 21 ) or, possibly, on A4 ( C. cuspidatus ).

Mesosoma ( figs. 25, 26 , 31, 32 ) about as high as wide, viewed from above longer than wide; pronotum, in dorsal view, abruptly truncate anteriorly, anterolateral corners sharply angulate, not protruding anteriorly; transverse pronotal carina present ( fig. 14 ); pronotal humeral carina present; dorsal surface of pronotum coarsely areolate; anterior surface of pronotum strongly inclined, but not vertical ( fig. 14 ); lateral surface of pronotum deeply concave, longitudinally costate; epomial carina present, extending ventrally to forecoxa; netrion/epicnemium linear; pronotal–mesoscutal suture straight ( figs. 14 , 19, 21 ), exposing large dorsal surface of pronotal humeri; anterior margin of mesoscutum meeting pronotum dorsally ( figs. 14 , 21 ); mesoscutum trapezoidal to subtriangular, moderately convex, anteriormost point contiguous with transverse pronotal carina; skaphion absent; notauli present, percurrent ( figs. 18 , 21 ); parasidal lines absent; mesoscutal sculpture variable, smooth to coarsely areolate; transscutal articulation relatively narrow, shallow; scutellum variable in shape, convex, smooth to areolate, either rounded posteriorly ( figs. 19, 21 ) or produced into medial prominence ( figs. 13, 14, 18 ), anterior margin lacunate; axilla not clearly defined; dorsellum not produced, details not observable; propodeum immediately behind metanotum not visible; mesopleuron not narrowed, mesepisternum and mesepimeron not differentiated by suture; mesopleural depression shallow, mesopleural pit absent; mesopleural carina present, flanked posteriorly by large areolae; upper mesepisternum not longitudinally rugose; sternaulus not developed; anterior margin of ventral portion of mesepisternum strongly extended anteriorly between forecoxae ( fig. 17 ); posterodorsal corner of mesopleuron rounded; mesopleuron and metapleuron fused, no suture visible ( figs. 13, 14, 16 , 20 ); metapleuron large, rectangular, posterior margin weakly straight ( C. speculifer ) or convex ( C. cuspidatus ), posterior half and ventral margin setose; metapleural pit absent; upper angles of posterior margin of metapleuron not produced; propodeum with anterodorsal face setose; posterolateral corners of propodeum strongly produced posteriorly; legs slender; posterior surface of hindcoxa smooth; trochantellus present on all legs; hindfemur swollen apically, without lamellae flanking base of tibia; tibial spur formula 1-1-1; tarsi 5-5-5, tarsomeres gradually tapering in width toward apex; pretarsal claws small, simple; forewing moderately broad, marginal cilia short; R (submarginal) tubular, rather short, not extending beyond basal half of wing, distinctly remote from costal margin, cell only slightly wider at apex of R; no bulla in R basad of apical fork; R 1 very short, not reaching wing margin as tubular vein; r-rs longer but ending blindly as tubular vein; Rs extending beyond apical fork as arched nebulous vein (course to wing margin not observable); first free segment of M (basal vein) not observable; hindwing not observable.

Metasoma ( figs. 15 , 20 ) robust, moderately elongate, broadly sessile, laterally without sharp edge or submarginal groove; female with six visible terga, five sterna; male with seven visible terga, six sterna; laterotergites and laterosternites apparently absent ( figs. 15 , 20 ); terga moderately convex; sterna strongly convex; no overlap visible laterally between terga and sterna; at least T1 with sublateral keels, presence of keels on following terga obscured by longitudinal carinate sculpture, surface otherwise areolate-rugose; terga and sterna without distinctly crenulate basal margins; T1 largest tergite, moderately transverse; T2 transverse, longitudinally carinate at least laterally; T6 details not observable; terga beyond T6 not observable; S1 ( figs. 15–17 , 20, 22 ) very deep, strongly convex, anteromedial portion with sharp median keel extending anteriorly between hindcoxa, coxae fitting into basal depressions in sternite; anterior margin of S2 produced anteriorly onto S1 keel; metasomatic felt fields absent; S5 not observed; ovipositor not observable.

DIAGNOSIS: Female antenna with 12 antennomeres, male antenna with 11 ( C. speculifer ) or 12 ( C. cuspidatus ) segments; mesopleuron and metapleuron completely fused, without suture separating them; frons with well-developed median longitudinal carina; division between S1 and S2 indicated by carina.

ETYMOLOGY: Constructed from scelio, Latin for scoundrel, and a common base for many generic names in this group; and kobalos, a Greek word of similar meaning. The name is to be considered masculine.

REMARKS: This genus has some characters reminiscent of Platygastridae , particularly in the shape of the mesopleural scrobe, the shape of the notauli, and the clavate femora. The apex of the radicle inserts into the base and is parallel to the long axis of the scape. This orientation suggests that, despite the similarity in the anterior projection of the mesepisternum and first metasomatic sternite, these two species may not be particularly closely related to the other three genera. However, Cobaloscelio shares with Archaeoscelio the extension of the mesepisternum and the base of the metasoma anteriorly between the forecoxae and hindcoxae, respectively.

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Figures

Figs. 7–12. Archaeoscelio filicornis Brues. 7, Holotype male, dorsolateral view. 8, Holotype male, ventrolateral view. 9, Lateral habitus, male (OSUC 67821). 10, Lateral habitus, female (OSUC 67397). 11, Forewing, female, dorsal view (OSUC 67821). 12, Ventrolateral view, female (OSUC 64198). Scale bars in millimeters.

Figs. 13–18. Cobaloscelio cuspidatus Johnson and Masner, n.sp. 13, Holotype male, lateral habitus (OSUC 83643). 14, Holotype male, frontolateral view. 15, Holotype male, metasoma, lateral view. 16, Paratype female, lateral view (OSUC 83621). 17, Female, ventral view (OSUC 83621). 18, Female, dorsal view of scutellum, forewing (OSUC 83621). Scale bars in millimeters.

Figs. 19–24. Cobaloscelio speculifer Johnson and Masner, n.sp. 19, Holotype and paratype males, holotype at upper left (OSUC 83622). 20, Lateral habitus, holotype male. 21, Dorsal habitus, paratype male. Apparent sculpture on mesonotum and head is an artifact. 22, Ventral habitus, paratype male. 23, Paratype female, frontolateral view (OSUC 67849). 24, Female, lateral habitus (OSUC 67849). Scale bars in millimeters.

Figs. 25–30. Plaumannion fritzi Masner and Johnson, n.sp. 25, Holotype female, lateral habitus (OSUC 146569). 26, Holotype female, dorsal habitus. 27, Holotype female, head, frontal view. 28, Forewing. 29, Metasoma, paratype female, frontal view (OSUC 146570). 30, Metasoma, paratype female, dorsal view. Scale bars in millimeters.

Figs. 31–34. Plaumannion yepezi García, n.sp., holotype female (OSUC 146571). 31, Mesosoma and metasoma, lateral view. The angulate profile of mesoscutum is an artifact. 32, Mesosoma and metasoma, dorsal view. 33, Head, frontal view. 34, Head, lateral view. Scale bars in millimeters.