Archaeoteleia astropulvis Talamas, 2016

Talamas, Elijah J., Johnson, Norman F., Buffington, Matthew L. & Ren, Dong, 2016, Archaeoteleia Masner in the Cretaceous and a new species of Proteroscelio Brues (Hymenoptera, Platygastroidea), Journal of Hymenoptera Research 56, pp. 241-261 : 242-244

Archaeoteleia astropulvis Talamas sp. n. Figures 1 , 2 , 5 , 10

Description.

Female body length: 1.62 mm (n=1).

Head. Number of mandibular teeth: 3. Malar sulcus: present. Malar striae: present. Facial striae: present. Lengths of flagellomeres: approximately equal to maximal width. Number of clavomeres: 6. Frontal depression: absent. Hyperoccipital carina: absent. Number of antennomeres: 12. Orbital carina: absent. Swelling along inner orbit of compound eye: present. Occipital carina: absent below midpoint of compound eye.

Mesosoma. Netrion sulcus: complete, indicated by line of circular foveae. Pronotal cervical sulcus: indicated by deep circular foveae. Posterior pronotal sulcus: absent. Sculpture of lateral pronotum: smooth in ventral half, weakly rugulose dorsally. Transverse pronotal carina: present. Epomial carina: absent. Transverse pronotal carina: present. Setation of lateral axillar region: absent. Macrosculpture of mesoscutum: absent. Notaulus: percurrent. Macrosculpture of mesoscutellum: absent. Spines on mesoscutellar disc: absent. Mesepimeral sulcus: extending along length of posterior margin of mesopleuron, dorsally continuous with cells of prespecular sulcus. Episternal foveae: present, extending from acetabular carina to base of mesopleural carina. Postacetabular sulcus: present as a smooth furrow. Prespecular sulcus: indicated by shallow crenulae extending posteriorly from anterior mesepisternal area. Anterior mesepisternal area: present. Sculpture of mesopleuron below femoral depression: smooth. Sculpture of femoral depression: smooth. Mesopleural carina: present anteriorly, effaced posteriorly.

Paracoxal sulcus: indicated by line of foveae. Sculpture of dorsal metapleuron: smooth.

Posterior projection of the propodeum: present, visible only in lateral view due to bubble in amber. Length of postmarginal vein: about 2.7 times as long as stigmal vein. Length of marginal vein: about equal to length of stigmal vein. Bristles on submarginal vein in fore wing: absent. Basal vein in fore wing: present as a nebulous line. Bulla: present.

Metasoma. Felt fields on S2: absent. Sculpture of S2-S5: smooth posterior to cells of antecostal suture. Sculpture of T2-T5: smooth posterior to cells of antecostal suture. Horn on T1: present. Antecostal sutures on sternites: indicated by large cells on S2-S4. Antecostal sutures on tergites: indicated by cells on anterior T2-T4.

Diagnosis.

Archaeoteleia astropulvis can be separated from females of extant species by multiple characters. A2 and A3 are distinctly elongate in extant species (Figures 3-4 ) and in A. astropulvis the length of these antennomeres is approximately equal to their width. The mandibles are bidentate in extant species and tridentate in A. astropulvis . Lastly, in extant macropterous species, the marginal vein is thickly sclerotized into a “stigma” whereas in A. astropulvis the marginal vein is simple.

Etymology.

This species epithet " astropulvis " is a Latin translation of "star dust", that refers to the ancient source of the atoms that form our planet and its inhabitants and commemorates the late David Bowie alter ego, Ziggy Stardust. It is treated as a noun in apposition.

Link to distribution map.

http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=407676

Material examined.

Holotype, female: MYANMAR: CNU-HYM-MA-2014014 (USNMENT01109982) (deposited in CNU).

Comments.

Masner (1968) suggested that the evolutionary origin of Archaeoteleia might have been Antarctic in origin, consistent with the distribution of extant species and the absence of fossil evidence of Archaeoteleia from other regions. The discovery of A. astropulvis from Myanmar and the presence of Archaeoteleia in Baltic amber indicate that the distribution of the genus was once found much farther north. We posit that Archaeoteleia in South America and New Zealand represent relictual populations of a once expansive distribution.

Figures

Figure 1. Archaeoteleia astropulvis, female holotype (USNMENT 01109982), habitus, ventrolateral view. Scale bars in millimeters.

Figure 2. Archaeoteleia astropulvis, female holotype (USNMENT 01109982), habitus, dorsolateral view. Scale bars in millimeters.

Figures 3 - 6. 3 Archaeoteleia mellea, female (OSUC 203348), head and antennae, anterior view 4 A. pygmea, female (146602), head and antennae, anterior view 5 Archaeoteleia astropulvis, female holotype (USNMENT 01109982), fore wing and metatibia, dorsal view 6 Archaeoteleia gracilis, male (OSUC 163002), fore wing venation. Scale bars in millimeters.

Figures 7 - 10. 7 Archaeoteleia gracilis, male (OSUC 163002), mesosoma, lateral view 8 Archaeoteleia gracilis, male (OSUC 163002), pronotum and mesopleuron, posterolateral view 9 Archaeoteleia araucana, male paratype (OSUC 163001), head, mesosoma, metasoma, lateral view 10 Archaeoteleia astropulvis, head, mesosoma, metasoma, lateral view. Scale bars in millimeters.