Afromaimetsha robusta, Rasnitsyn & Brothers, 2009

Rasnitsyn, Alexandr P. & Brothers, Denis J., 2009, New genera and species of Maimetshidae (Hymenoptera: Stephanoidea s. l.) from the Turonian of Botswana, with comments on the status of the family, African Invertebrates 50 (1), pp. 191-204 : 200

Afromaimetsha robusta sp. n.

Fig. 7

Etymology: The species name is Latin for ‘robust’, in reference to the body form.

Description: Ground colour dark (pterostigma and venation slightly less so); legs pale as preserved. Head large. Scape short and broadly cup-like; pedicel short, transverse; flagellum almost uniformly narrow, with 13 flagellomeres preserved, all much longer than wide, longest (3 rd and 4 th) about 4 times as long as wide, distal-most preserved nearly twice as long as wide. Propodeum with coarse areolation, areola almost twice as wide as long, as long as area basalis, petiolar area narrow. Forewing with pterostigma probably as long as or slightly shorter than distance between base of RS and 2r–rs; RS starting basad of pterostigma, probably by almost its length; 1RS+M parallel to 1Cu, apparently starting at about midlength of basal vein; second abscissa of RS+M (distal to 1m –cu) longer than 1m –cu; forewing cells 2rm and 3rm both present, 3rm subquadrate (appearing slightly different in right and left wing). Metasoma with apical sternum only slightly longer than subapical. Ovipositor arching down, with sheath narrow basally, distinctly widening apicad, longer than distance from pterostigmal base to apex of cell 3r. Body length as preserved 4.9 mm, forewing length to apex of cell 3r about 2.5 mm, ovipositor sheath 1.4 mm.

Holotype: ^BP /2/27111-1, almost complete but lacking hind wings and most of legs; head and metasoma incomplete. BOTSWANA: Orapa ; Upper Cretaceous, Turonian.

Figures

Figs 7, 8. New Maimetshidae: (7) Afromaimetsha robusta gen. et sp. n., holotype BP/2/27111-1, photograph and line drawing; a – areola, ab – area basalis; (8) Maimetshorapia africana gen. et sp. n., holotype BP/2/28222b-11, photograph and line drawing. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.