New scolebythid wasps in Cretaceous amber from Spain and Canada, with implications for the phylogeny of the family (Hymenoptera: Scolebythidae)

Abstract

Three new genera and species of scolebythid wasps (Aculeata: Chrysidoidea) are described and figured from Cretaceous amber. Ectenobythus iberiensis gen. et sp. nov. is described from a female and putative male in Early Cretaceous (Albian) amber from the Peñacerrada I outcrop, Spain, while Necrobythus pulcher gen. et sp. nov. and Sphakelobythus limnopous gen. et sp. nov. are described from one putative male and two females in Late Cretaceous (Campanian) amber from Grassy Lake, Alberta, Canada. The new taxa are described and compared to related Cretaceous genera of Scolebythidae and coded for cladistic analysis with the full diversity of living and extinct species in the family. The resulting phylogeny supports the division of the family into two subfamilies (recognized informally by earlier authors), Scolebythinae Evans and Pristapenesiinae subfam. nov.