Two new fossil genera and species of Cerocephalinae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Pteromalidae), including the first record from the Eocene.

Marcel Bläser,Lars Krogmann,Ralph Peters

doi:10.3897/zookeys.545.6470

Abstract

Cerocephalinae (Chalcidoidea, Pteromalidae) is a small group of parasitoid wasps characterized by a number of derived diagnostic features. Their hosts are endophytic beetles. So far, 43 species of Cerocephalinae have been described, including one fossil species from the Miocene. In this study, we add two new genera and species from Baltic and Dominican amber to the fossil record. Tenuicornus dominicus gen. et sp. n. is the second genus described from Dominican amber, and Pteropilosa lailarabanorum gen. et sp. n., described from Baltic amber, represents the oldest record of the subfamily, pushing the minimum age of Cerocephalinae back to the Eocene. Diagnostic characters of both species are discussed in comparison with other Cerocephalinae. An updated key to extant and fossil Cerocephalinae is presented.

Highlights

Cerocephalinae is one of the smaller, yet most distinctive subfamilies of Pteromalidae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea)
Tenuicornus dominicus gen. et sp. n. is the second genus described from Dominican amber, and Pteropilosa lailarabanorum gen. et sp. n., described from Baltic amber, represents the oldest record of the subfamily, pushing the minimum age of Cerocephalinae back to the Eocene
Pteropilosa lailarabanorum features a variety of characters that are unique within Cerocephalinae

Summary

Introduction

Cerocephalinae is one of the smaller, yet most distinctive subfamilies of Pteromalidae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea). Cerocephalinae stand out as underrepresented in the fossil record, with only one representative from Dominican amber, Dominocephala vibrissae Krogmann, 2013, known so far. Two additional fossils representing two new genera and species are described. One of the new genera was found in Dominican amber (same as Dominocephala vibrissae), which is estimated to be 20–15 million years old (Iturralde-Vinent and MacPhee 1996). The other genus was found in Baltic amber, which is estimated to be 56–34 million years old (Szwedo and Sontag 2009). The latter taxon represents the oldest record of the subfamily Cerocephalinae. Both genera are compared to extant members of Cerocephalinae and an updated key to the genera of this subfamily is given

Material and methods

Discussion