Protoita istvani Ulmer & Krogmann, 2023

UImer, Jonah M., Jansta, Petr, Azar, Dany & Krogmann, Lars, 2023, At the dawn of megadiversity - Protoitidae, a new family of Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera) from Lower Cretaceous Lebanese amber, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 96, pp. 879-924 : 879

Protoita istvani Ulmer & Krogmann sp. nov.

Fig. 6

Diagnosis.

The female of P. istvani differs from all others in the genus by the following combination of characters: Head flattened antero posteriorly, disc-like (Fig. 6D, G ). Fl1-3 elongate, about 4 × as long as wide (Fig. 6B ). Clava 2-segmented (Fig. 6B ).

Description.

Female. Body length 918. Coloration auburn with dark antennae. Eyes white. Wings hyaline, uniformly setose. Metasoma damaged, tergal segments detached from body (Fig. 6A ). Head broad, wider than mesosoma in dorsal view, anteroposteriorly narrow, head longer than wide in lateral view (Fig. 6D, G ). Frons 2 × as long as face (Fig. 6F, G ). Eyes large, 0.8 × height of head, about 1.6 × as high as long. Malar sulcus present; malar space short, only about 0.15 × as long as eye height (Fig. 6D ). POL slightly shorter than LOL. Toruli equal in distance from each other as to inner eye margin. Maxillary palps 3-segmented (Fig. 6G :mxp) Antenna length 676. Scape 2 × as long as pedicel, gradually broadened from base (Fig. 6B ). Pedicel same length or slightly shorter than fu1, about 1.5 × as wide as fu1 width. Flagellomeres gradually widening; fu1-3 about 4 × as long as wide, fu6 3 × as long as wide, fu7-10 elongated, but less than 2 × as long as wide. Clava 2 segmented. MPS present on all segments (Fig. 6B ). Mesosoma length 299. Mesosoma in lateral view heavily sloped; nearly 135° relative to mesosoma (Fig. 6C ). Mesonotum roughly 0.5 × as long as mesosoma. Notauli present as simple depressions. Mesopleuron dorsoventrally elongate, 2.4 × as long as wide (Fig. 6C :pl2). Axilla not advanced, not extending beyond the anterior margin of mesoscutellum (Fig. 6A :axl). Mesoscutellum ⅓x as long as mesonotum. Metanotum band-like, 0.3 × as long as mesoscutellum (Fig. 6C :no3). Propodeum is only slightly longer than mesoscutellum (Fig. 6C :prp). Wings. Fore wing length roughly 1.1 × as long as body, 3.2 × as long as wide. Marginal setae of fore wing short, length of longest seta 26. Cubital vein ephemeral, roughly 1.8 × as long as basal vein. Basal vein pigmented. Submarginal vein long and narrow, length 393. Marginal vein narrow, about 0.2 × as long as submarginal vein. Postmarginal vein short and tapering, slightly shorter than marginal vein (63:77) (Fig. 6E ). Stigmal vein at 80° angle to wing margin. Uncus present. Hind wing obscured by fore wing. Legs. Tarsomere 4 on all tarsi very short relative to other tarsal segments (Fig. 6A ). Basitarsal comb of fore leg present. Hindtibia elongate, equal in length to tarsi (Fig. 6A ). Forecoxa greatly impressed into prosternum (possibly an artifact). Hind coxa elongated, about 3.1 × as long as broad (Fig. 6C :cx3). Metasoma 1.3 × as long as mesosoma. Metasoma broadly associated with mesosoma; remnants of Mt2 visible (Fig. 6C ). Most of tergal and sternal segments damaged. Only 3 tergites countable, all with transverse setal row posteromedially. Two elongate sensillae visible off of terminal sternite. Metasomal cerci digitiform (visible only on left side; Fig. 6F :cer). Ovipositor length 140, not extending beyond distal point of ovipositor sheath; ovipositor sheaths roughly equal in length to ovipositor, uniform width along entire length, about 4.2 × as long as wide (Fig. 5F :3v).

Male. Unknown

Material examined.

Holotype: female, Roum - Aazour - Homsiyyeh , Caza Jezzine , Mouhafazet South Lebanon; lower Barremian. In amber mounted in Canada Balsam. Deposited at Natural History Museum of the Lebanese University, accession/specimen number: HAR26.

Type condition.

Specimen with bubbles surrounding MPS on several flagellomeres, mesosoma detached from the amber, and metasomal tergites damaged because they are detached.

Etymology.

The specific epithet is a patronym in honor of István Mikó, the first author’s mentor and close friend who instilled in him his passion for entomology and morphology.

Figures

Figure 5. Protoita bidentata, holotype A dorsolateral habitus B male genitalia, ventral C terminal funicular segments and clava D mesosoma, dorsolateral E head, posteroventral. Scale bars: 500 µm (A); 100 µm (C-E). aed = aedeagus; dig = digitus; frn = frenum; hyc = hypostomal carina; lbp = labial palp; md = mandible; msp = mesothoracic spiracle; Mtn = metasomal tergum; mxp = maxillary palp; no 3 = metanotum; par = paramere; psp = propodeal spiracle; tsa = transcutal articulation; vol = volsella.

Figure 6. Protoita istvani, holotype A lateral habitus B antenna, lateral C mesosoma, lateral D head, posterior E fore wing F ovipositor complex and terminal metasomal segments G head, lateral. Scale bars: 500 µm (A); 250 µm (E); 150 µm (C); 100 µm (D, F, G). 2 v = 2 nd valvifer; cxn = coxa; occ = occipital carina; pl 3 = metapleuron; tor = toruli.