Some authors in the past based their conclusions about the limits of the metapostnotum of Chrysidoidea based on the position of the mesophragmo-metaphragmal muscle, rather than aspects of the ...skeleton and musculature associated with the metapectal-propodeal complex. The latter character system suggests another interpretation of the metapostnotum delimitation. Given this scenario, the main goal of this work is to present a new perspective on the metapostnotum in Chrysidoidea, especially Bethylidae, helping to resolve questions related to the evolution of the metapostnotum. This is based on homologies established by associating of insertion points of ph2-ph3 and ph3-T2 muscles with the delimitation of the respective sclerite the muscles insert into. Our results indicate that, according the position of the metaphragmal muscles, the metapostnotum in Bethylidae is medially expanded in the propodeal disc and has different forms of configuration. Internally, the limits of the metapostnotum can be tracked by the shape of the mesopostnotum, and vice versa. Thus, the anteromedian area of the propodeal disc sensu Evans was reinterpreted in the current study as the metapostnotum. In conjunction with associated structures, we provide evidence to clarify the relationships between the families within Chrysidoidea, although certain families like Embolemidae, Dryinidae and Chrysididae exhibit extreme modifications of the condition found in Aculeata, as observed in Bethylidae. We review the terminology used to describe anatomical features on the metapectal-propodeal complex in Bethylidae in general, and provide a list of recommended terms in accordance with the online Hymenoptera Anatomy Ontology. The morphology of the studied subfamilies are illustrated. Studies that focus on a single structure, across a larger number of taxa, are more insightful and present specific questions that can contribute to broader issues, thus providing a better understanding of the morphology and evolution of insects.
The world fauna of the flat wasps (Bethylidae) is represented by about 3,000 valid species. The skeletal morphology of bethylids is still not adequately understood and the terminology is generally ...not standardized between its internal taxa and with other Hymenoptera families. The same scenario exists in most of the families in this order. To address this problem, we describe the external skeletal morphology of Bethylidae. We review the terms used to describe skeletal features in the Hymenoptera in general and a consensus terminology is proposed for Bethylidae, which is linked to the online Hymenoptera Anatomy Ontology. The morphology of the studied specimens is illustrated with photos and line drawings. We also discuss the morphological variation at both subfamilial and generic ranks. Our analyses challenge hundreds of inappropriate, confused or imprecise terms traditionally used for Hymenoptera morphology. As a result, we have applied hundreds of updates of the terminology available online at the Hymenoptera Anatomy Ontology.
The flat wasp family Bethylidae Haliday lacks global scale literature on their alpha taxonomy. The only world revision for the family was by Kieffer in 1914 and is fully out of date and somewhat ...useless; the only catalog for the family was made by Gordh Móczár in 1990 and does not include hundreds of changes made since then; and the most recent world genera keys were proposed by Terayama in 2003, but do not reflect the current knowledge we have for the family. Given this scenario, we present a global guide of Bethylidae with diagnoses, taxonomic evaluation, keys, and a checklist of all their extant genera and subfamilies. We visited the main collections around the world, analyzed about 2,000 holotypes, and examined at least 400,000 specimens. To eliminate homonymies, we add the prefix "neo" to the original specific epithet when possible. The family is now composed by 2,920 species allocated in 96 genera distributed in eight subfamilies: Bethylinae, Pristocerinae, Epyrinae, Mesitiinae, Scleroderminae, Lancepyrinae, Holopsenellinae and Protopristocerinae. The latter three are extinct. One new family-group synonym is proposed: Fushunochrysidae Hong syn. nov. of Bethylidae. Two incertae sedis genera are allocated into Bethylinae: Cretobethylellus Rasnytsyn and Omaloderus Walker. One new genus-group synonym is revalidated: Pristepyris Kieffer stat. rev. from Acrepyris Kieffer. Sixteen new genus-group synonyms are proposed: Fushunochrysites Hong syn. nov. and Sinibethylus Hong syn. nov. of Eupsenella Westwood; Messoria Meunier syn. nov. of Goniozus Förster; Acrepyris Kieffer syn. nov. of Pristepyris Kieffer; Apristocera Kieffer syn. nov. and Parapristocera Brues syn. nov. of Pristocera Klug; Usakosia Kieffer syn. nov. of Prosapenesia Kieffer; Isobrachium Förster syn. nov., Leptepyris Kieffer syn. nov., Neodisepyris Kurian syn. nov., Rhabdepyris Kieffer syn. nov. of Epyris Westwood; Codorcas Nagy syn. nov., Hamusmus Argaman syn. nov. and Ukayakos Argaman syn. nov. of Heterocoelia Dahlbom; Domonkos Argaman syn. nov. of Incertosulcus Móczár; Ateleopterus Förster syn. nov. of Sclerodermus Latreille. One new genus-group synonym is revalidated: Topcobius Nagy syn. rev. of Sulcomesitius Móczár. One new genus-group revalidation is proposed: Incertosulcus Móczár stat. rev. from Anaylax Móczár. The following species-group nomenclatural acts are established: 153 new or revalidated combinations, 16 new names to avoid secondary homonyms, 11 species with revalidated status, and one synonym. Keys to the subfamilies and genera are provided. The text is supported by 599 illustrations organized onto 92 plates.
Dissomphalus is a cosmopolitan genus with 424 described species. Here, all 287 Pan-American species of Dissomphalus are analyzed in order to be allocated to species groups under an alpha taxonomic ...approach. Thirty-four species groups composed of species with known males were initially considered. The following six species-groups are newly proposed: chiapanus, confusus, cornutus, fungosus, lamellatus and napo. The following eleven species groups are fused into four: dissomphaloides with amplus, altivolans with apertus, xanthopus with microstictus, kansanus with secretus, basidentatus and stellatus with vallensis, and strabus with tuberculatus. Forty-seven incertae sedis species are grouped and 29 are newly grouped. A total of 35 species groups are now recognized and all of the 11 species known exclusively by females remain unallocated to groups. A pictorial key to the species groups is first proposed.
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
) comb. nov., transferred from Epyris Westwood,
1832
. The species †Chlorepyris concaptus (Brues,
1933
) comb. nov., †Chlorepyris invelatus (Brues,
1933
) comb. nov. and †Chlorepyris setosus (Brues,
1933
) comb. nov. are transferred from Epyris Westwood,
1832
to Chlorepyris Kieffer,
1913a
. Three species are transferred from Epyris Westwood,
1832
to Pristocerinae: †Merascylla Colombo & Azevedo gen. nov. is proposed to contain †Merascylla atavella (Cockerell,
1920
) comb. nov., and †Pseudisobrachium elatus (Brues,
1933
) comb. nov. and †Pseudisobrachium inhabilis (Brues,
1923
) comb. nov. are transferred to Pseudisobrachium Kieffer,
1904a
. One species is transferred from Epyris Westwood,
1832
to Scleroderminae: †Mael Colombo & Azevedo gen. nov. is proposed to contain †Mael longiceps (Brues,
1923
) 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
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
We apply integrative taxonomy to solve a historical taxonomic impasse in a flat wasp group (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae). The phylogeny of Epyrinae is inferred with parsimony analyses under equal and ...implied weights, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference using the nuclear markers 18S and 28S, the mitochondrial genes 16S, cytochrome oxidase subunit I and cytochrome B and 232 morphological characters. This is the first phylogenetic study to examine all 42 epyrine genera, including junior synonyms and extinct taxa, applying a combined molecular and morphological approach. This study considered 186 terminal taxa with 166 representing the ingroup taxa and 20 outgroup taxa. All resulting trees of the combined analyses recovered Anisepyris Kieffer, Aspidepyris Evans, Bakeriella Kieffer, Disepyris Kieffer, Laelius Ashmead and Trachepyris Kieffer as monophyletic; Chlorepyris Kieffer, Epyris Westwood, Formosiepyris Terayama and Holepyris Kieffer are non‐monophyletic. Calyozina Enderlein is recovered as an independent lineage in implied weights, Bayesian and maximum likelihood topologies. Here, we describe three new genera and revalidate six genera, five of them junior synonyms of Epyris and one of Holepyris. In addition, we analysed the presence/absence of a sulcus between the mesoscuto‐scutellar foveae and the shape of mesoscuto‐scutellar foveae as the most important taxonomic characters for Epyrinae using ancestral state reconstruction. Finally, we provide a checklist of all species of Epyrinae, compiled via direct observation of the type, illustrations, or literature and an updated and illustrated taxonomic key for all epyrine genera.
We analysed 232 morphological characters and five molecular markers for all epyrine genera and propose a new generic classification, providing a landmark for any further study of these wasps.
This study represents the largest phylogeny of Epyrinae published to date with 186 terminals and 18 genera included, comprising all morphological and biogeographical diversity of the subfamily.
Ancestral character reconstruction analyses were performed for a more in‐depth morphological discussion of the historically most important taxonomic characters for Epyrinae.
We provide a Neotropical synopsis of the genus Sclerodermus Latreille. The genus is recognized by having the antenna with 11 flagellomeres, the head globoid or nearly so, the eyes present and flat, ...and the clypeal median lobe strongly angled and deeply separated from the lateral lobes. The strong polymorphism of having wings is an intra- and intergeneric feature and the macropterous specimens are diagnosed by having forewings with the pterostigma slender and only the R cell closed. In this synopsis we recognized seven previously known species: S. formicarius Kieffer, S. galapagensis Brues, S. iridomyrmicicola Bruch, S. macrogaster (Ashmead), S. soror Westwood, S. spilonotum Evans, and S. wilsoni Evans. The type-species, S. domesticus Latreille is also included, but their occurrence in the Neotropical Region is in doubt. Additionally, we discovered one more species, S. chicomendesi n. sp., which is described and illustrated, based on both sexes with molecular support. This species was found attacking a woman in her office in Porto Alegre, Brazil, where there was wood furniture with holes bored by beetles of the Ptinidae genus TricorynusWaterhouse. We also provide a key to the Neotropical species of this genus and a discussion about species attacking human beings.
The Afrotropical pristocerine genus Pristonesia is revised. Seven species are recognized, one previously described species, P. nyamuragira (Benoit), and six species are described and illustrated as ...new: P. oracil sp. nov., P. parcetil sp. nov., P. querfil sp. nov., P. sicril sp. nov., P. tainatril sp. nov., and P. uvenil sp. nov. A key to the Afrotropical species is presented. Additionally, the main morphological diagnostic characters and the morphological relationships of Pristonesia with other pristocerine genera are discussed. The diagnostic characters are revised, and the genus can be identified by the presence of apical projections on the harpe; a setose apical aedeagal lobe; a predominantly flattened cuspis; and the absence of a cupula on the ventral side of the genitalia.
Here we describe the flat wasp genus Glutodon gen. nov., and its single species G. mikeaensis sp. nov. from Madagascar. The males of this genus are easily recognized among the other genera of ...Pristocerinae by having the metasoma with a conical flap expansion on the sternum VIII and the hypopygium with the anterolateral apodeme very thick along its length with a very gibbous tip, both conditions unique in Bethylidae. Glutodon gen. nov. is the sixth genus of flat wasps endemic of Madagascar, and the 30th of Pristocerinae.
The genus Acephalonomia Strejček, 1990 is revalidated and its single species, Acephalonomia cisidophaga Strejček, 1990, from Czech Republic and Slovakia is restituted in the original combination. The ...revalidation is based on distinct characters: antennae with eight flagellomeres and prestigmal abscissa of R1 vein dilated. The intraspecifi c polymorphism is also relevant for revalidation, although not exclusively so. We redescribe and illustrate the type species Acephalonomia cisidophaga and describe and illustrate a second new species with eight antennal fl agellomeres from the Mariana Islands, Acephalonomia micronesica sp. n., and provide a key to this genus.
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