The first xiphydriid wood wasp in Cretaceous amber (Hymenoptera
- Author(s)
- Jia Gao, Michael S. Engel, Fridgeir Grimsson, Lei Gu, Dong Ren, Tai-Ping Gao
- Abstract
A new genus and species of fossil wood wasp is described and figured from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber, representing the first occurrence of the family Xiphydriidae in the fossil record. Paraxiphydria resinata gen. et sp. nov. exhibits typical apomorphies of the family including a generally cylindrical body, elongate neck and dome-shaped head. Nonetheless, owing to a unique combination of traits including features hitherto unknown among species of the family, the genus is classified within a separate subfamily, Paraxiphydriinae subfam. nov. A key is presented to the suprageneric groups of Xiphydriidae. The newly described species is the first fossil xiphydriid wood wasp, extends the occurrence of Xiphydriidae into the mid-Cretaceous and adds to the known diversity of features in the family. Lastly, the simplification of wing venation and hypotheses of host-plant affiliations of early xiphydriids are discussed. We evaluate pollen associated with the wasp, assign it to the genus Cycadopites and conclude that an affiliation to the Cycadales is most likely. Article and nomenclatural acts are registered in ZooBank (http://zoobank.org/, last access: 15 December 2021), with the following life science identifier (LSID) (reference): urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:DA80920E-E94B-4A8E-A817-077FA7BD7D69.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research
- External organisation(s)
- Capital Normal University, University of Kansas, American Museum of Natural History, Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
- Journal
- Fossil record
- Volume
- 24
- Pages
- 445-453
- No. of pages
- 9
- ISSN
- 2193-0066
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.5194/fr-24-445-2022
- Publication date
- 01-2022
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 105117 Palaeobotany, 106008 Botany
- Keywords
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Palaeontology
- Portal url
- https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/the-first-xiphydriid-wood-wasp-in-cretaceous-amber-hymenoptera(403413ff-aca1-4a6c-b4b0-73f320601ef9).html