Ambositra epicnemia Chemyreva, 2024

Chemyreva, Vasilisa G., Vasilenko, Dmitry V. & Perkovsky, Evgeny E., 2024, ‘ Where there are many cattle’ in the Eocene of Ukraine: Review of Ambositra Masner (Hymenoptera, Diapriidae, Ambositrinae) from Rovno amber, with the description of three new species, Zootaxa 5446 (4), pp. 499-516 : 501-504

Ambositra epicnemia Chemyreva sp. nov.

( Figs 1 , 2 , 3 )

Holotype, ♀: SIZK K-27090, Klesov, Rovno Oblast, Rovno amber, late Eocene, Priabonian. Amber fragment with holotype is a parallelepiped, sized 6.0: 1.2: 1.0 mm.

Paratypes: ♂, SIZK K-26285 Klesov, Rovno Oblast, Rovno amber, late Eocene, Priabonian ; ♂, SIZK VT-66 Velyki Telkovichi, Rovno Oblast, Rovno amber, late Eocene, Priabonian ; ♀, SIZK K-15682 Klesov, Rovno Oblast, Rovno amber, late Eocene, Priabonian ; ♀, SIZK K-8257 Klesov, Rovno Oblast, Rovno amber, late Eocene, Priabonian ; ♀, SIZK D-10 Dubrovitsa, Rovno Oblast, Rovno amber, late Eocene, Priabonian .

Diagnosis. Ambositra epicnemia sp. nov. differs from all other known Ambositra species by the following combination of characters: head as long as wide and slightly higher than width (25: 23); female eye small, as high as malar distance; male eye twice as high as malar distance; female gena behind eye about 1.1 times as long as width of eye in dorsal view; male gena behind eye about 0.5 times as long as width of eye in dorsal view; occipital carina bare dorsally, covered with foamy structures and setae laterally; scutellum with posterior scutellar pits; epicnemial pit distinct and pubescent inside ( Fig. 2A , 3B blue arrow); metapleuron and lateral side of pronotum pubescent, with a small bare area medially ( Fig. 2A ); distal end of submarginal vein 0.75 times as wide as distance from it to anterior margin of the wing; female wing with long marginal fringe ( Fig. 2C ); male A1 shorter than head, A3 as long or slightly longer than A4, A4 with carina and emargination developed in 0.6 of the segment length.

Description. Female. Body length 1.4 mm; fore wing length 1.1 mm; antennae length about 0.7 mm.

Head. Head 1.1 times as long as wide, smooth, with few sparse setae when viewed dorsally. Ocelli small, POL: OD about 2.3, POL: OOL 0.7. Antennal shelf strongly prominent, antennal sockets broadened medially in frontal and lateral view, widely separated ventrally and smooth in frontal view. Face covered with scattered suberect setae. Postantennal excavation large and setose inside. Ventral margin of frons with slight median process and prominent lateral processes, not touching walls of antennal sockets. Eyes oval, bare, 0.4 times as high as height of head.

Antennae. Antenna homogeneously pubescent, with non-abrupt clava. Scape as long as A2‒A7 measured together; A2 as long as A3 and A4 measured together; A3 twice as long as wide, A4‒A11 subquadrate, as long as wide; A12‒A14 slightly elongate; A15 2.3 times as long as wide.

Mesosoma. Pronotal collar very short, vertical; lateral pronotum smooth and mainly glabrous; collar and lateral pronotum anteriorly covered with dense woolly pubescence. Mesoscutum as long as its maximum width, flat and smooth. Scutellum 1.5 times as wide as long; anterior scutellar pit 0.4 times as wide as scutellum; axilla smooth; axillar process straight, as long as the shortest distance between it and anterior scutellar pit; scutellar disk weakly convex, with distinct posterior mesoscutellar sulcus, lateral rim and axillar depression smooth. Mesopleuron smooth and glabrous laterally, densely pubescent ventrally; subalar furrow narrow and bare. Metanotum sparsely pubescent; metanotal trough smooth; metascutellum with high median and lateral carinas. Propodeum dorsally with strongly projecting plicae; posterior margin of propodeum in dorsal view slightly arcuate between plicae. Fore wing 2.7 times as long as its maximum width.

Metasoma. Petiole pubescent. Metasoma behind petiole 1.6 times as long as mesosoma, slightly depressed and only apically (T5, T6 and S6) compressed. Base of T2 not visible, posteriorly smooth and bare; T3 short, T4 1.3 times as long as T3; T4, T5, and T6 equal in length. S2 small and densely covered with long setae; S3 mainly bare and smooth; S4 and S5 short, S6 long and tapered. Sternites, T3‒T5 all with few, long scattered long suberect setae.

Male. Differs from female as follows: body length 1.5 mm; antenna filiform; eye and ocelli larger; head about as long as wide; metasoma behind petiole about 1.2 times as long as mesosoma, strongly depressed, not compressed apically with 5 visible tergites and 7 visible sternites. T6 with exposed 1-segmented cerci ( Fig. 3 ).

Etymology. The name of this new species refers to the well-developed epicnemial pit on the mesopleuron of the wasps.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Ambositra epicnemia, female, holotype. A—head and mesosoma in dorsal view; B—face; C—whole body in lateral view. Scale bar: A, B—0.3 mm; C—0.5 mm.

FIGURE 2. Ambositra epicnemia, female, holotype. A, B—body in dorsal (A) and ventral (B) views; C—fore wing. Scale bar 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 3. Ambositra epicnemia, male, paratype. A—whole insect in lateral view; B—head and mesosoma in lateral view. Blue arrow—epicnemial pit. Scale bar 0.5 mm.