Proterosceliopsis sp.

Taxonomy

Parasitoid Wasp

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda Latreille 1829
Class: Insecta Linnaeus 1758
Order: Hymenoptera Linnaeus 1758
Family: Proterosceliopsidae Talamas et al. 2019
Genus: Proterosceliopsis
Species: Proterosceliopsis sp.

Geological Time Scale

Eon: Phanerozoic
Era: Mesozoic
Period: Cretaceous
Sub Period: None
Epoch: Middle
International Age: Albian (early)

Stratigraphy

unknown formation

Provenance

Acquired by: Purchase/Trade

Dimensions

Length: 3 mm

Location

Hkamti mine
Hkamti (District)
Sagaing (Region)
Burma

• amber
• burmite
• cretaceous
• hkamti
• hymenoptera
• myanmar
• proterosceliopsis
• tff-oilshale-ar2570

Comments

Proterosceliopsidae are parasitoid wasps that lay their eggs on or in the bodies of other arthropods, sooner or later causing the death of these. This is a female.

Taxonomy according to Fossilworks.org.
Diagnosis for the family Proterosceliopsidae according to Talamas et al. 2019, p. 20: “Antenna with 14 or 15 antennomeres; malar sulcus present (Fig. 7); facial striae absent (Fig. 7); malar striae absent (Fig. 7); pronotal cervical sulcus present as a furrow of fine setation associated with glandular excretion (Figs 16, 48–49, 51–53, 59); mesopleuron with transepisternal line and mesepimeral sulcus (Figs 16, 51–53, 59, 63); T3–T5 and S3–S5 anteriorly with depressions associated with glandular excretion (Figs 29, 34, 56, 58, 62).”

Several very similar looking species have been described from amber deposits in Myanmar: P. ambulata, P. plurima, P. torquata, P. masneri, P. nigon and P. wingerathi. A more exact assignment is not possible for me.

Identified by oilshale as Proterosceliopsis sp. using Talamas et al. 2019.

References:

Ortega-Blanco J., McKellar R. C,, Engel M. S. (2014): Diverse scelionid wasps in Early Cretaceous amber from Spain (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea). Bulletin of Geosciences 89: 553–571. https://doi.org/10.3140/bull.geosci.1463 .

Talamas, E. J., Johnson, N. F., Shih, C. K., and Ren, D. (2019): Proterosceliopsidae: A new family of Platygastroidea from Cretaceous amber. Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 73:3-38.