Goniozus respectus Sorg, 1988

Barbosa, Diego N. & Melo, Gabriel A. R., 2023, Revision of Bethylinae from Dominican amber, with description of a new genus (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae), Journal of Hymenoptera Research 96, pp. 167-180 : 167

† Goniozus respectus Sorg

Fig. 4

Goniozus respectus † Goniozus respectus Sorg, 1988: 86. Female holotype. Dominican Republic: amber from unknown mine (SGN, examined through photographs).

Diagnosis.

Antenna, clypeus and legs light castaneous; head and mesosoma dark-castaneous nearly black. Head as long as wide, sparsely punctured; antenna with flagellomeres with large sensilla, distinctly moniliform; malar space shorter than eye length; eye large, without pilosity; ocellar triangle with anterior angle obtuse; vertex straight, with few scattered setae. Mesosoma setae as long as head setae; posterior margin of dorsal pronotal area concave; mesoscutum shorter than dorsal pronotal area, punctured, notaulus absent; mesoscutellum as long as mesoscutum, punctured; metanotum with metascutellum visible; metapectal-propodeal complex longer than mesonotum, lateral marginal carina of the metapectal-propodeal complex present. Forewing with clearly developed pterostigma, 1M2 cell, Rs2 vein not reach margin. Legs with profemur almost 3.0 × longer than wide, metafemora not distinctly swollen. Metasoma with setae slightly longer than those on mesosoma.

Remarks.

The species was described by Sorg (1988) based on a single female specimen. In addition to the description, the author also illustrated the head and forewing. We were able to study this taxon based also on color photographs kindly provided by Dr. Solórzano Kraemer. As already emphasized by Sorg (1988), the wasp is preserved together with a microlepidopteran larva (see Fig. 4 ). Considering that all Bethylinae are known to parasitize larvae of Lepidoptera , except for the unusual Goniozus attacking Microstigmus wasps ( Melo and Evans 1993), one can deduce that the larva entombed together with † Goniozus respectus likely represents its host.

Figures

Figure 4. † Goniozus respectus Sorg. Female holotype A dorsal habitus B view of the amber inclusions, showing the female holotype and a microlepidopteran larva (putative host). Scale bars: 0.5 mm.