2021/05/25 by Marina Moser, Roger A. Burks, Jonah M. Ulmer +3 · 1 citation
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Fossil Insects in Amber #Plant and animal studies #Hymenoptera taxonomy and phylogeny #Baltic amber #Biology #Genus #Phylogenetic tree #Pteromalidae #Seta #Paleontology #Hymenoptera #Zoology #Ecology #Parasitoid
paper · doi:10.7717/peerj.10939
openalex publication_date 2021/05/25 · openalex created_date 2021/06/07 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
Spalangiopelta is a small genus of chalcid wasps that has received little attention despite the widespread distribution of its extant species. The fossil record of the genus is restricted to a single species from Miocene Dominican amber. We describe two new fossil species, Spalangiopelta darlingi sp. n. and Spalangiopelta semialba sp. n. from Baltic amber. The species can be placed within the extant genus Spalangiopelta based on the distinctly raised hind margin of the mesopleuron. 3D models reconstructed from µCT data were utilized to assist in the descriptions. Furthermore, we provide a key for the females of all currently known Spalangiopelta species. The phylogenetic placement of the fossils within the genus is analyzed using parsimony analysis based on morphological characters. Phylogenetic and functional relevance of two wing characters, admarginal setae and the hyaline break, are discussed. The newly described Baltic amber fossils significantly extend the minimum age of Spalangiopelta to the Upper Eocene.