Synopsis of the fossil flat wasps Epyrinae (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae), with description of three new genera and 10 new species

Abstract

The subfamily Epyrinae is the most common in the bethylid fossil record. Its geological history ranges from the Eocene to the Pleistocene, and it is the only subfamily that has no records in the Cretaceous. Here we revise, diagnose and illustrate known epyrine fossil wasps. A new genus is proposed, †Gloxinius Colombo & Azevedo gen. nov., to contain the species †Gloxinius bifossatus (Brues, 1939 Brues, C. T. 1939. New Oligocene Braconidae and Bethylidae from Baltic amber. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 31, 251–263. doi:10.1093/aesa/32.2.251[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) comb. nov., transferred from Epyris Westwood, 1832 Westwood, J. O. 1832. Descriptions of several new British forms amongst the parasitic hymenopterous insects. The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science, 1, 127–129. doi:10.1080/14786443208647849[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]. The species †Chlorepyris concaptus (Brues, 1933 Brues, C. T. 1933. The parasitic Hymenoptera of the Baltic amber. Part I. Bernstein-Forschungen, 3, 4–172. [Google Scholar]) comb. nov., †Chlorepyris invelatus (Brues, 1933 Brues, C. T. 1933. The parasitic Hymenoptera of the Baltic amber. Part I. Bernstein-Forschungen, 3, 4–172. [Google Scholar]) comb. nov. and †Chlorepyris setosus (Brues, 1933 Brues, C. T. 1933. The parasitic Hymenoptera of the Baltic amber. Part I. Bernstein-Forschungen, 3, 4–172. [Google Scholar]) comb. nov. are transferred from Epyris Westwood, 1832 Westwood, J. O. 1832. Descriptions of several new British forms amongst the parasitic hymenopterous insects. The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science, 1, 127–129. doi:10.1080/14786443208647849[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar] to Chlorepyris Kieffer, 1913a Kieffer, J. J. 1913a. Nouveaux microhyménoptères de l'Afrique équatoriale. Bollettino del Laboratorio di Zoologia Generale e Agraria della R. Scuola Superiore d'Agricultura, 7, 105–112. doi:10.5281/zenodo.23805[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]. Three species are transferred from Epyris Westwood, 1832 Westwood, J. O. 1832. Descriptions of several new British forms amongst the parasitic hymenopterous insects. The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science, 1, 127–129. doi:10.1080/14786443208647849[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar] to Pristocerinae: †Merascylla Colombo & Azevedo gen. nov. is proposed to contain †Merascylla atavella (Cockerell, 1920 Cockerell, T. D. A. 1920. Fossil arthropods in the British Museum, I. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 5, 273–279. doi:10.1080/00222932008632376[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) comb. nov., and †Pseudisobrachium elatus (Brues, 1933 Brues, C. T. 1933. The parasitic Hymenoptera of the Baltic amber. Part I. Bernstein-Forschungen, 3, 4–172. [Google Scholar]) comb. nov. and †Pseudisobrachium inhabilis (Brues, 1923 Brues, C. T. 1923. Some new fossil parasitic Hymenoptera from Baltic amber. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 58, 327–346. doi:10.2307/20025999[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) comb. nov. are transferred to Pseudisobrachium Kieffer, 1904a Kieffer, J. J. 1904a. Descriptions de nouveaux Dryinidae et Bethylidae du Musée Civique de Gênes. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di genova, 41, 351–412. [Google Scholar]. One species is transferred from Epyris Westwood, 1832 Westwood, J. O. 1832. Descriptions of several new British forms amongst the parasitic hymenopterous insects. The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science, 1, 127–129. doi:10.1080/14786443208647849[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar] to Scleroderminae: †Mael Colombo & Azevedo gen. nov. is proposed to contain †Mael longiceps (Brues, 1923 Brues, C. T. 1923. Some new fossil parasitic Hymenoptera from Baltic amber. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 58, 327–346. doi:10.2307/20025999[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) comb. nov. Ten new species are described from Baltic and Rovno ambers: †Chlorepyris deploegi Colombo & Azevedo sp. nov., †Chlorepyris engeli Colombo & Azevedo sp. nov., †Chlorepyris hopei Colombo & Azevedo sp. nov., †Chlorepyris jouaulti Colombo & Azevedo sp. nov., †Chlorepyris mckellari Colombo & Azevedo sp. nov., †Chlorepyris meunieri Colombo & Azevedo sp. nov., †Chlorepyris neli Colombo & Azevedo sp. nov., †Chlorepyris perrichoti Colombo & Azevedo sp. nov., †Holepyris rasnitsyni Colombo & Azevedo sp. nov. and †Holepyris terayamai Colombo & Azevedo sp. nov. The species †Laelius nudipennis Brues, 1933 Brues, C. T. 1933. The parasitic Hymenoptera of the Baltic amber. Part I. Bernstein-Forschungen, 3, 4–172. [Google Scholar] is no longer classified as Bethylidae and it is transferred to Platygastroidea incertae sedis. Eighty-one fossil species are now recognized in Bethylidae, with 30 belonging to Epyrinae and distributed within six genera. A key for fossil epyrines is provided.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank:org:pub:A7481392-3BD2-45F3-A035-34E515A34218

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