Botsvania cretacea, Rasnitsyn & Brothers, 2007

Rasnitsyn, Alexandr P. & Brothers, Denis J., 2007, Two new hymenopteran fossils from the mid-Cretaceous of southern Africa (Hymenoptera: Jurapriidae, Evaniidae), African Invertebrates 48 (1), pp. 193-202 : 200-201

Botsvania cretacea sp. n.

Etymology: The species name, an adjective, refers to the Cretaceous period.

Description: Length of body 4.2 mm, antenna 3.4 mm, mesosoma 1.3 mm, forewing about 2 mm, hind femur about 2.0– 2.2 mm, petiole 0.5 mm, rest of metasoma 1.7 mm. Ocular apodemes, mesonotum and metasoma beyond petiole dark; flagellum beyond 1 st segment, head, much of remaining mesosoma, petiole, hind coxa and hind femur, dorsally, somewhat darkened; otherwise pale. No surface sculpture evident. Head with eyes large and elongate, occupying most of sides, with almost straight inner and convex outer orbits; ocelli large (indicating crepuscular to nocturnal activity). Mouthparts scarcely distinguishable. Antenna as long as meso- and metasoma combined, with scape almost 0.7 times as long as head capsule, about 3.5 times as long as wide, parallelsided except narrowed basally over 0.3 of ventral contour. Pedicel narrower than scape, subcylindrical, about 1.5 times as long as wide. Flagellum 13- or 14- segmented (subdivision of apical segment not distinct), widest at and beyond middle, with segments gradually shortening toward apex, with 1 st flagellomere twice as long as wide and 12 th slightly transverse; apparently apical segment again twice as long as wide (if really double, true subapical segment distinctly transverse and true apical segment slightly longer than wide, narrowed toward rounded apex). Pronotum only partially preserved, apparently with straight anterior and deeply emarginate posterior margins, very short medially. Mesonotum almost symmetrical with respect to transscutal suture, with scutum between notauli and scutellum mirroring each other. Metanotum short, ribbon-like. Propodeum with declivity almost straight, about 2.5 times as long as horizontal surface (disc); junction of disc and declivity rounded. Hind coxa in-completely preserved, apparently elongate, not much shorter than height of pro-podeum. Hind femur and tibia long and narrow, femur about as long as metasoma, tibia apparently lacking irregular apical thickening (as described for Mesevania ). No other leg parts preserved. Pterostigma fairly small, almost parallel-sided, with short oblique apex, 2r–rs originating near pterostigmal apex. Basal vein separated from pterostigma by about pterostigmal length, with RS forming less than its upper one-third. RS+M parallel to Cu (not to 2r– rs, as in many advanced Evaniidae ); 2r–rs longer than abscissa of RS between it and RS+M (unlike in most Mesozoic Evaniidae except Mesevania ). No rs–m crossveins present as tubular or nebulous veins. M meeting 1m –cu shortly after leaving RS+M (unlike in Mesevania , Lebanevania , and Grimaldivania ); 1m –cu oblique, 2m –cu possibly present as weak nebulous vein placed near apical wing margin. Cu characteristically bent shortly beyond 1m –cu, but with no sign of connection to 1A there. Crossvein cu–a preserved as short stub just distal to M+Cu fork. Short section of 1A seen near wing base only. No hind wing apparent. Petiole with no apparent boundary between tergal and sternal parts, subcylindrical except narrowed basally over anterior quarter, 3 times as long as wide, as long as scutum. Rest of metasoma broadly fusiform, unknown if compressed, with basal segment almost triangular in lateral view, otherwise segmentation not evident. Ovipositor as preserved not extending beyond metasomal apex, slightly bent upward.

Holotype: BP/2/26835/1, female, almost complete fossil but lacking lower mesosoma, fore and mid legs and hind wings. BOTSWANA: Orapa ; Upper Cretaceous, Turonian.