A new lineage of braconid wasps in Burmese Cenomanian amber (Hymenoptera, Braconidae)

Abstract

A new braconid wasp from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian) amber of the Hukawng Valley in Kachin State, Myanmar is described and figured from a unique female. Seneciobracon novalatus Engel & Huang, gen. et sp. n., is placed in a distinct subfamily, Seneciobraconinae Engel & Huang, subfam. n., owing to the presence of a unique combination of primitive protorhyssaline-like traits, with an otherwise more derived wing venation. The fossil is discussed in the context of other Cretaceous Braconidae.

Two new striking braconid genera (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber

“…The occurrence of such vein in some fossil genera (Protorhyssalus Basibuyuk &Quicke, 1999, Protorhyssalodes Perrichot, Nel &Quicke, Aenigmabracon Perrichot, Nel &Quicke, Protorhyssalopsis Ortega-Blanco, Delclós &Engel, 2011, Archaeorhyssalus Engel, andproblematically also in Rhetinorhyssalus Engel) as well as in a few extant taxa (from the subfamilies Acampsohelconinae, Agathidinae, Apozyginae, Meteorideinae and Sigalphinae) is most probably a plesiomorphic state for Braconidae (Chen et al, 2021). This hypothesis is also reinforced by its presence presence in the Praeichneumonidae, most of Ichneumonidae and some One of the most obvious character of the Seneciobraconinae is the presence of a vestigial costal cell at the apex of the costal vein (C+SC+R) (Engel and Huang, 2018). However, it needs to point that such structure is also presents on several other fossil taxa (e.g.…”

“…The oldest representatives of the family Braconidae are dated back to the Cretaceous and belong to five subfamilies, viz. Aphidiinae Haliday, 1833, Eoichneumoninae Jell & Duncan,1986, Protobraconinae van Achterberg & Chen, 2021, Protorhyssalinae Basibuyuk, Quicke & van Achterberg, 1999(in Basibuyuk et al, 1999 and Seneciobraconinae Engel & Huang, 2018(in Engel et al, 2018 (Brues, 1937;Basibuyuk et al, 1999;Perrichot et al, 2009;Ortega-Blanco et al, 2009Belokobylskij, 2012;Engel, 2016;Engel and Wang, 2016;Engel et al, 2017Engel et al, , 2018Chen et al, 2021). However some previously described Cretaceous genera, viz.…”

“…Currently, six genera and species of Braconidae have been found and described from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber (Engel, 2016;Engel and Wang, 2016;Engel et al, 2018;Chen et al, 2021): viz. Archaeorhyssalus subsolanus Engel, 2016 (Protorhyssalinae;in Engel and Wang, 2016); Protobracon robusticauda Chen &van Achterberg, 2021 andTibialobracon compressicornis Chen &van Achterberg, 2021 (Protobraconinae); Seneciobracon novalatus Engel et Huang, 2018 (Seneciobraconinae); as well as Rhetinorhyssalus morticinus Engel, 2016 and Pyramidibracon clypeatus Chen & van Achterberg, 2021 (subfamily incertae sedis).…”

Recognition of the Trachypetidae stat.n. as a new extant family of Ichneumonoidea (Hymenoptera), based on molecular and morphological evidence

“…However, the base compositions of EF1-and 16S were virtually identical to those of the Ichneumonidae and c. 3% greater than for Braconidae or outgroups. (Engel et al, 2018). FW, forewing; HW, hindwing.…”

“…Perrichot et al, 2009). Initial suspicion that these might be artefacts of preservation are effectively dispelled by the excellently preserved fossils of Rhetinorhyssalus Engel and Seneciobracon Engel & Huang (Engel, 2016;Engel et al, 2017Engel et al, , 2018. However, fossil Ichneumonidae and also the putatively stem ichnneumonoid family Praeichneumonidae, lack this apical cell (Kopylov, 2012).…”