Phanerotoma Wesmael, 1838

Belokobylskij, Sergey A., Nel, André, Waller, Alain & Plöeg, Gael De, 2010, New fossil non-cyclostome braconid wasps from the lowermost Eocene amber of Paris Basin, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 55 (3), pp. 519-527 : 524

Genus Phanerotoma Wesmael, 1838

Type species: Chelonus dentatus Panzer, 1805 ( Germany; extant species) .

Remarks.—The genus Phanerotoma is one of the less derived, but peculiar and polymorphic chelonine genera, embracing more than 100 species from the almost all zoogeographic regions ( Zettel 1990; van Achterberg 1990; Tobias 2000). The members of this genus have two anterior metasomal sutures complete and deep and a fore wing venation complete. Otherwise, both very fine metasomal sutures are retained only in the fossil species of Ascogaster separated as the subgenus Syntaphus (Belokobylskij in press). Discovery of a similar character in Ascogaster reduces the gap between that genus and Phanerotoma . Species of Ascogaster have discoidal (discal) cell petiolate and body usually dark coloured, in contrast to Phanerotoma that has discoidal (discal) cell distinctly and more or less widely sessile anteriorly and body colour of many taxa pale.

Only two species of Phanerotoma have been described previously from the Eocene Baltic amber, Phanerotoma baltica Brues, 1933 and Phanerotoma extensa Brues, 1933 ( Brues 1933). A third species of this genus from the French amber is described below.