Afrapia variicornis, Rasnitsyn & Brothers, 2009

Rasnitsyn, Alexandr P. & Brothers, Denis J., 2009, New genera and species of Maimetshidae (Hymenoptera: Stephanoidea s. l.) from the Turonian of Botswana, with comments on the status of the family, African Invertebrates 50 (1), pp. 191-204 : 197-198

Afrapia variicornis sp. n.

Figs 2–6

Etymology: The species name is from the Latin for ‘variable antenna’, alluding to the variation observed in the specimens as preserved.

Description:

Female.

Ground colour dark (pterostigma and venation slightly less so); legs not preserved. Head thick in side view, with large, rounded subquadrate eye, temple moderately narrow (about 0.3 times as wide as eye), apparently not swollen. About ten flagellomeres preserved (several basal and apical ones missing), thin, about twice as long as wide, gradually becoming slightly shorter and a little narrower distad. Hind coxa very large, 2.5 times as long as mid coxa. Propodeum with sides rather closely areolate. Pterostigma as long as distance between base of RS and 2r–rs; 1RS+M subparallel to 1Cu, starting slightly above midlength of basal vein; cell 3rm subquadrate. Ovipositor narrow and short (sheath about as long as pterostigma), slightly arching down. Body length as preserved 4.3 mm, forewing length to apex of cell 3r about 2.8 mm, ovipositor sheath 0.6 mm.

Male.

Legs pale as preserved. Antenna with scape globular, flagellum long and fairly narrow (but thickness and proportions varying according to preservation), probably with about 19 flagellomeres, all elongate except apical one, gradually shortening from more than twice (usually) to about 1.5 times as long as wide or even almost quadrate. Pronotum moderately short centrally, with hind margin only slightly concave. Propodeum with coarse areolation of the type best known in Ichneumonidae but also present in many extinct apocritans including Maimetsha ; areola broadly rectangular, transverse, area basalis indistinct. Forewing with pterostigma slightly longer than distance between base of 1RS and 2r–rs; 1RS+M slightly oblique or subparallel to 1Cu, starting at about midlength of basal vein or slightly below; cell 3rm about as long as high or slightly longer. Hind wing with no free apex of M and with long distance between RS and M+Cu fork. Body length as preserved 3.1–3.8 mm, forewing length to apex of 3r about 2.2–2.4 mm. Otherwise like female.

Variation: Apart from size and venational differences, the greatest variation is seen in the male antennae (relative width and apparent sizes of flagellomeres) but this may be a reflection of taphonomic influences. The three male specimens are preserved in close proximity on the same block with other unidentifiable fossils (see fig. 3).

Holotype: ^BP /2/27215, almost complete, lacking legs and most of hind wings, antennae incomplete ( Fig. 2 ). BOTSWANA: Orapa ; Upper Cretaceous, Turonian.

Paratypes: 3 _ (?) BP/2/26666-3 & BP/2/28224-3 (most of legs, hind wings and metasomal apex lacking; head and most of mesosoma not interpretable; forewings incomplete; body length 3.8 mm; Fig. 4 ); BP/2/ 26666-2 & BP/2/28224-2 (head, antenna, mesosoma and wings incomplete; metasomal apex and most of legs lacking; body length 3.6 mm; Fig. 5 ); BP/2/26666-1 & BP/2/28224-1 (incomplete; flagellar and thoracic fragments, partial head and metasoma, and most of one fore- and one hind wing preserved; body length 3.1 mm; Fig. 6 ). BOTSWANA: Orapa ; Upper Cretaceous, Turonian .

Figures

Figs 1, 2. Afrapia gen. et spp. n.: (1) A. globularis sp. n., holotype BP/2/28003-1 & BP/2/28069-1: (1a) Composite photograph, (1b) Line drawing, with separate wing (not to same scale) to show venational symbols: 1RS, 1RS+M, etc. – sections of respective longitudinal veins; 2r–rs, 3r–m, etc. – crossveins; 3r, 3rm, etc. – cells; pt – pterostigma; mesonotal structures: al – adlateral (“parapsidal”) line, mss – medial mesoscutal suture, n – notaulus; (2) A. variicornis sp. n., holotype BP/2/27215, photograph and line drawing. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

Figs 3, 4. Afrapia variicornis sp. n.: (3) Paratypes BP/2/26666-3, 2 & 1, photograph; (4) Paratype BP/2/26666- 3 & BP/2/28224-3, composite photograph and line drawing; a – areola. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

Figs 5, 6. Afrapia variicornis sp. n.: (5) Paratype BP/2/26666-2 & BP/2/28224-2, composite photograph and line drawing; (6) Paratype BP/2/26666-1 & BP/2/28224-1, composite photograph and line drawing. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.