Leptoserphites pabloi Rasnitsyn & Azar, 2022

RASNITSYN, ALEXANDR P., MAALOUF, MOUNIR, MAALOUF, RAMY & AZAR, DANY, 2022, New Serphitidae and Gallorommatidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Microprocta) in the Early Cretaceous Lebanese amber, Palaeoentomology 5 (2), pp. 120-136 : 124-126

Leptoserphites pabloi Rasnitsyn & Azar , gen. nov.

( Figs 3–5 )

Type material. Holotype, female, specimen no QBC-9A (complete insect suffered from sidewise compression and partially enclosed in a bubble obscuring some body parts, particularly on head and mesosoma), Maalouf collection; from Qanat Bakish (Baskinta) amber outcrop, Mouhafazet Jabal Loubnan (Governorate Mount Lebanon), Caza (= District) El-Maten, Central Lebanon; lower Barremian. Type material is deposited in the Natural History Museum of the Lebanese University, Faculty of Sciences II, Fanar, Lebanon.

Etymology. Specific name is after Pablo Maalouf Alonso, son of one of us (RM), discoverer of the amber site.

Diagnosis. Differs from the only congener in having antenna either distinctly 12-segmented or with clear traces of two basal flagellomeres fused secondarily into one, flagellomeres shorter, propodeum smooth, pterostigma narrower, 2r-rs longer, tubular (very dark) dot at M+Cu apex developed, hind wing r-m present, long, petiolar segments shorter.

Locality and horizon. Baskinta, in the locality of Qanat Bakish (33°57′3″N, 35°47′24″E, elev. 1,488 m), Caza (= District) El-Maten , Mouhafazet (= Governorate) Mount Lebanon, in Central Lebanon; lower Barremian .

Description. Female. Colour dark fuscous as preserved, metasoma and legs slightly paler. Body with no surface sculpture and prominent vestiture discernible. Head elongate as preserved (possibly in part due to deformation), with eyes small, not much convex, placed near middle of head sides ( Figs 4A , 5B ). Antenna 12- segmented ( Fig. 5A ), as preserved with scape long and wide, pedicel longer than any flagellar segment, flagellum wide, slightly narrowing toward base and apex, all segments wider than long except longest apical one, basal flagellomeres particularly short (width of segments could be exaggerated by depression due to diagenetic deformation, unless antennae are naturally flattened). Distinct large subequal mandibles, right with three strong and sharp teeth (visible in an aspect difficult to illustrate) and left with two strong and sharp ones. Maxillary palpi at least 4-segmented; labial palpi apparently 3-segmented, all segments thin. Mesosoma with dorsal surface deformed and poorly visible, dorsal pronotal part apparently moderately long (longer than in other Serphitidae ), in side view metascutum forming high step above wide trough of metapostnotum, propodeum short, smoothly arching toward metasomal base. Forewing ( Figs 4B , 5C ) with C, R behind pterostigma, RS before and behind 2r-rs (except for short section forming T together with 2r-rs) and M lost as pigmented veins or nearly so; R, pterostigma and dot at junction of M+Cu and RS&M tubular; RS&M, M+Cu and 1-Cu nebulous; pterostigma low (twice as long as wide); 2r-rs as long as pterostigma wide, together with pterostigma enclosed in lightly pigmented area; all membrane covered with short setae (margin included). Hind wing ( Figs 4B , 5D ) with only R and r-m pigmented (tubular), R apex with three hamuli, r-m reaching wing hind margin (posterior wing area lost); membrane setose (much as in forewing), hind margin with fringe of long setae. Legs ordinary except that fore tibial spur (calcar) massive, strongly bent subapically and bifid, and fore basitarsus excised almost for all its length and with single row of setae along excision (so the antenna cleaning apparatus more characteristic of Mymarommatoidea than of Serphitidae ); tibial spurs 1: 1?: 1?; basitarsus shorter than tarsomeres 2–4 combined, tarsomeres 3–4 almost equal in length, elongate, claw simple, arolium about as long as claw. Metasoma with petiolar segments elongate, with no rough sculpture apparent, first segment slightly longer and narrower than second, petiolar attachment to gaster frontal, metasomal terga ratio as preserved 1: 0.95: 1.4: 1.0: 0.9: 0.6 (gaster possibly extended longitudinally, secondarily). Ovipositor extruded ( Figs 4D , 5E ), stylets broken basally and bent down but not torn off, 1.5× as long as petiolar segments combined, very narrow supposed sheaths 0.25× as long as stylets, moderately wide, thin, convex transversally.

Measurements. Length of body (as preserved, up to apex of metasomal tergum 7) 1.5 mm, head 0.28 mm, mesosoma 0.49 mm, forewing 0.80 mm, metasoma 0.78 mm, petiole 1 0.13 mm, petiole 2 0.10 mm.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Leptoserphites pabloi Rasnitsyn & Azar, gen. et sp. nov., holotype specimen no QBC-9A. Photographs of habitus. A, Dorsal view. B, Ventral view. C, D, lateral views. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 4. Leptoserphites pabloi Rasnitsyn & Azar, gen. et sp. nov., holotype specimen no QBC-9A. A, Photograph of head, ventral view. B, Photograph of wings. C, Photograph of thorax, lateral view. D, Photograph of metasoma, lateral view. Scale bars = 0.1mm.

FIGURE 5. Leptoserphites pabloi Rasnitsyn & Azar, gen. et sp. nov., holotype specimen no QBC-9A. Drawings. A, Antenna. B, Head, ventral view. C, Forewing. D, Hind wing. E, Metasoma. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.