New taxa of Pelecinidae (Hymenoptera) from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber of Northern Myanmar

Abstract

Three specimens of Pelecinidae preserved in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber from Northern Myanmar were examined and described. Ampluspelecinus robustus gen. et sp. nov. and Eopelecinus diminutivum sp. nov. of Pelecinidae from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber are characterized by the shape and size of their mesosoma, metasoma, and wing venation. Ampluspelecinus robustus is distinguished from other pelecinid species by its length ratio of metasomal segments, 2r-rs in the forewing forming an “X” pattern, with Rs2 extending approximately two-thirds toward the forewing apex. E. diminutivum sp. nov. is distinguished by its metasomal length ratio and swollen fore, mid, and hind femora. In addition, both female and male specimens are described from amber, which is unusual because male pelecinid wasps, both extant and extinct, are relatively rare. The male specimen is the smallest Pelenicidae wasp reported to date.