Temnogynidae fam. nov., a new fossil family of apoid wasps from the mid-Cretaceous (Hymenoptera, Apoidea)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Apoid hymenopterans are well represented in the fossil record, particularly in the mid-Cretaceous amber from northern Myanmar with 37 species and eight families. The fossils from this deposit are providing a glimpse into an astonishingly diverse fauna, including lineages with no counterpart in the present day. In this study, we describe two new genera and six new species of a remarkable new lineage of apoid wasps from Burmese amber: †Temnogyna gen. nov., containing †T. elegans sp. nov., †T. multiplex sp. nov., and †T. nyx sp. nov.; †Rhabdogyna gen. nov., containing †R. festiva sp. nov., †R. prima sp. nov. and †R. elongata sp. nov. These new fossil taxa have distinctive body morphology, particularly in the pattern of forewing venation and a remarkable anterior constriction in the 2nd metasomal segment, which sets them apart from all known apoid lineages. To accommodate these extinct taxa, a new family is introduced, †Temnogynidae fam. nov. (type genus †Temnogyna gen. nov.). Furthermore, the phylogenetic affinities of these new taxa are also discussed, based on the interpretations of the main morphological characters presented in previous studies. We also discuss how the discovery of this new family sheds light on the evolution of apoid wasps during the early Cretaceous.

Keywords

• Aculeata
• Burmite
• Insecta