A new parasitoid wasp (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation of Brazil: The first Mesozoic Pteromalidae

Redescription and phylogenetic placement of the Cretaceous wasp Parviformosus wohlrabeae (Hymenoptera: Proctotrupomorpha)

“…As described by Barling et al (2013), the female holotype of Parviformosus wohlrabeae is preserved in fine-grained laminated limestone, originating from the Crato Formation of the Chapada do Araripe tableland in Brazil, probably from an area of active quarrying between Santana do Cariri, Nova Olinda and Tatajuba, with its quarry of origin unknown. It is dated to the Early Cretaceous (Aptian) period.…”

“…The specimen is preserved within a circular slab of limestone, which was etched in 10% hydrochloric acid and subsequently sputtered with carbon and gold (Barling et al, 2013). Barling et al (2013) mentioned that the specimen was damaged, so that parts of the head are missing from its original conservational state (Barling et al, 2013, figure 3B). The specimen is deposited in the Stuttgart State Museum of Natural History (SMNS) under the accession number "SMNS 700902".…”

“…The oldest proctotrupomorphan fossils date back 165 m.y.a., excavated from deposits in China (Shih et al, 2011), but most of the fossil diversity appeared more recent as documented by Cretaceous and Palaeogene deposits (Grimaldi and Engel, 2005;Penney, 2010;Rasnitsyn and Kühnle, 2019). With an estimated age of approximately 110 m.y., the limestone compression fossil Parviformosus wohlrabeae Barling et al, 2013, is currently one of the oldest representatives of the proctotrupomorphan superfamily Chalcidoidea. Besides P. wohlrabeae, few other chalcidoid wasps have been recorded or even described from that time (Grimaldi and Engel, 2005;Kaddumi, 2005;Penney, 2010;Poinar and Huber, 2011;Gumovsky et al, 2018;Haas et al, 2018).…”

“…However, the description and phylogenetic placement of Parviformosus wohlrabeae has been followed by some doubts, even in the original study. Barling et al (2013) already mentioned in their description that "Familial placement for P. wohlrabeae is extremely difficult due to the lack of three key taxonomic structures; the legs, wings and antennae." Moreover, Farache et al (2016) were also skeptical about the phylogenetic positioning of P. wohlrabeae and even questioned whether it should be placed in Chalcidoidea.…”

First record of a non-pollinating fig wasp (Hymenoptera: Sycophaginae) from Dominican amber, with estimation of the size of its host figs

“…Much less evidence of fossil NPFW is available. Barling, Heads and Martill, 2013 was described from the lower Cretaceous of Brazil and was considered as a possible sycophagine, based in part on its long ovipositor (Barling et al 2013). However, P. wohlrabeae lacks the apomorphic characters that could place it in Chalcidoidea and whether it is truly a fig wasp remains to be demonstrated.…”