Discovery of the pincer wasp Thaumatodryininae (Hymenoptera, Dryinidae) in Burmese amber, with description of a new genus and the first phylogenetic analysis of the subfamily

Abstract

Thaumatodryininae is a small subfamily of Dryinidae, known to attack nymphs of auchenorrhynchous Flatidae (Hemiptera). Only one genus is recognized, Thaumatodryinus Perkins, with 35 species including fossil and extant taxa. Currently, the oldest record for the genus is from Baltic amber. Here, we present the first record of Thaumatodryininae from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber with the description of †Thaumatorrhinos athrix gen. et sp. nov., derived from the first phylogeny for this subfamily based on morphological characters. The placement of †Thaumatorrhinos gen. nov. in Thaumatodryininae and the phylogenetic relationships of this subfamily within Dryinidae are discussed.