Sclerogibbodes, Engel & Grimaldi, 2006

Engel, Michael S. & Grimaldi, David A., 2006, The First Cretaceous Sclerogibbid Wasp (Hymenoptera: Sclerogibbidae), American Museum Novitates 3515 (1), pp. 1-7 : 3

Sclerogibbodes , new genus

TYPE SPECIES: Sclerogibbodes embioleia , new species.

DIAGNOSIS: As for the subfamily (vide supra).

ETYMOLOGY: The new genus-group name is a combination of Sclerogibba (type genus of the family) and -odes (Gr., suffix meaning ‘‘looking like’’). The name is feminine.

COMMENTS: At present, the genus contains a single species occurring in Early Cretaceous (Neocomian) amber from Lebanon (table 1).

Sclerogibbodes embioleia , new species

Figures 1–2

DIAGNOSIS: As for the genus (vide supra).

DESCRIPTION: As in those characters provided in the diagnosis for the subfamily, with the following additions: Female. Total body length 2.29 mm; apparent forewing length 1.2 mm (measured along leading edge that is visible just beyond the body of the insect). Head length 0.47 mm, width 0.36 mm. Frontal prominence strongly pronounced, head tapering strongly beyond lower tangent of compound eyes. Compound eye with short, scattered setae; inner margins of compound eyes widely separated, separated by distance slightly less than compound eye length. Antenna with 14 antennomeres, flagellomeres of approximately same shape except distal two flagellomeres distinctly wider than long; apex of distalmost flagellomere tapering. Mesosoma elongate and narrow, approximately three times as long as wide. Profemur greatly swollen, width slightly more than three times protibial width. Metasoma narrow (sting extruded in holotype: fig. 2). Integument black and appearing imbricate except antennae and tarsi dark brown; body with scattered short setae, those of mesosoma and metasoma arising from setigerous punctures; wings hyaline. Male. Unknown.

HOLOTYPE: Female, Lebanese amber (Early Cretaceous: Neocomian). Deposited in the Amber Collection , Division of Invertebrate Zoology , American Museum of Natural History , New York.

ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet is a combination of embios (Gr., meaning ‘‘lively’’; origin of Embia , type genus of the webspinner order Embiodea ) and lestes (Gr., meaning ‘‘plunderer’’). The name is a reference to the obligate parasitism of embiodeans by this family of wasps.

Figures

Fig. 1. Photomicrograph of holotype female of Sclerogibbodes embioleia (AMNH), new genus and species.

Fig. 2. Ventral habitus of Sclerogibbodes embioleia (AMNH), new genus and species.