†Camelosphecia gen. nov., lost ant-wasp intermediates from the mid-Cretaceous (Hymenoptera, Formicoidea)
Brendon E. Boudinot, Vincent Perrichot, Júlio Cézar Mário Chaul
Abstract
Fossils provide primary material evidence for the pattern and timing of evolution. The newly discovered “beast ants” from mid-Cretaceous Burmite, † Camelosphecia gen. nov. , display an exceptional combination of plesiomorphies, including absence of the metapleural gland, and a series of unique apomorphies. Females and males, represented by † C. fossor sp. nov. and † C. venator sp. nov. , differ in a number of features which suggest distinct sexual biologies. Combined-evidence phylogenetic analysis recovers † Camelosphecia and † Camelomecia as a clade which forms the extinct sister group of the Formicidae. Notably, these genera are only known from alate males and females; workers, if present, have yet to be recovered. Based on ongoing study of the total Aculeata informed by the beast ant genera, we provide a brief diagnosis of the Formicoidea. We also provide the first comprehensive key to the major groupings of Mesozoic Formicoidea, alongside a synoptic classification in which †Zigrasimeciinae stat. nov. and † Myanmyrma maraudera comb. nov. are recognized. Finally, a brief diagnosis of the Formicoidea is outlined.