Trjapitzion Simutnik, gen. n. (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea: Encyrtidae), a New Genus of Encyrtid Wasps from the Late Eocene Rovno Amber

Abstract

Trjapitzion cylindrocerus Simutnik, gen. et sp. n. is described based on a female specimen from the Late Eocene Rovno amber. A brief comparative morphological analysis of the new taxon is given. Similarly to all the previously described fossil Encyrtidae of the Eocene amber fauna, the new genus Trjapitzion Simutnik, gen. n. has long veins of the forewing. Its main features are the presence of a wide parastigma, uncus, strongly widened scapus, and unflattened cylindrical funiculus. The absence of filum spinosum allows provisional placement of the new genus in the subfamily Tetracneminae. The piece with the holotype also contained the worker of ant Lasius schiefferdeckeri Mayr and the aphids Germaraphis oblonga Heie and G. ungulata Heie. Such syninclusions were formed at the lower part of the amber tree trunk with which the hosts of the new encyrtids could also have been associated.