Zagryphus tilloyi (Theobald, 1937) Spasojevic & Broad & Klopfstein, 2022

Spasojevic, Tamara, Broad, Gavin R. & Klopfstein, Seraina, 2022, Revision of 18 ichneumonid fossil species (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) highlights the need for open nomenclature in palaeontology, Fossil Record 25 (1), pp. 187-212 : 187

Zagryphus tilloyi (Theobald, 1937) comb. nov.

Fig. 17

* Promethes tilloyi Theobald, 1937

Material.

Holotype (part only, #Am_8 / MNHN.F. B24392 ) examined at MNHN. F. Photograph obtained from MNHN.F.

Stratum.

Aix-en-Provence, Bouche-du-Rhône, France. Late Oligocene (Chattian), 28.4-23.0 Ma.

Description.

Female. Holotype in lateral to ventrolateral view with nearly complete antennae, head, mesosoma with details indistinct; fore wings darkened and on top of each other, venation in part difficult to discern, one hind wing; at least parts of all legs, and metasoma with ovipositor with sheaths. Body length 6.1 mm.

Dark brown, antennae reddish at base and with white bands around mid-length; with reddish colouration on head and mesosoma, wings strongly tinted, brown; legs dark brown; metasoma dark, but possibly with irregular lighter markings on T2, ovipositor orange, its sheaths dark brown.

Head quite round, with large eyes, with a nose-like protrusion where clypeus would be. Antennae 4.5 mm, with at least 28 (probably around 32) flagellomeres, basal ones elongate, those apically of white band quadrate to transverse. Mesosoma not well preserved, with mesosternal scrobe, indication of epicnemial carina and notauli reaching at least over first third of mesoscutum. Metapleuron as long as wide, with submetapleural carina complete; propodeum with pleural carina, lateral longitudinal and maybe other carinae complete, meeting point of lateral longitudinal and posterior transverse carina might be thickened (cf. propodeal apophyses). Fore wing 3.6 mm, rather stout; areolet open, 2Rs rather short; 1cu-a meeting M + Cu opposite of 1M; 1M & 1Rs bowed inwards; 3Cu more than 3 × longer than 2cu-a, strongly inclivous; cell 2R1 2.9 × longer than wide. Hind wing with 1Rs about as long as rs-m and 1Cu much longer than cu-a. Legs slender, hind femur 4.4 ×, hind tibia 7 × longer than wide, dark dorsally light ventrally. Metasoma compressed from T4 or T5; T1 not well preserved, but slightly elongate and tapering towards base, following tergites transverse; sternites quite well sclerotized; hypopygium triangular in lateral view. Ovipositor 1.9 mm, about 1.3 × as long as hind tibia, curved downwards; ovipositor sheaths widened around mid-length.

Interpretation.

Even though many characters are not clearly visible, the medially expanded ovipositor sheaths firmly place this fossil in the Tryphoninae tribe Oedemopsini . Indeed, the specimen shows a remarkable similarity to the extant Zagryphus nasutus (Cresson, 1868): the nose-like expansion of the clypeus, inclivous 3Cu in the fore wing and short cu-a in the hind wing, triangular but not strongly elongate hypopygium, and down-curved ovipositor with medially expanded sheaths support a placement in this genus. Even the colouration is a good match, including the white band on the antenna and orange base, a pattern often observed in Zagryphus and related genera. Zagryphus tilloyi can be distinguished from the other members of the genus by its smaller size (at least 4.8 mm in extant species) and more strongly tinted wings.

Xoridinae Shuckard, 1840

Xorides Latreille, 1809

Figures

Figure 17. Zagryphus tilloyi (Theobald, 1937) comb. nov. A. Photograph of the holotype obtained from MNHN. F; B. Our interpretative drawing of the fossil. Thicker lines indicate outlines of body structures, thinner lines show characters inside these outlines, and dotted lines represent uncertain interpretations.