Leptofoenus pittfieldae Engel 2009, sp. n.
Creators: name: Engel, Michael
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Pteromalidae
Leptofoenus
Leptofoenus pittfieldae

description: <i>Leptofoenus pittfieldae</i> Engel, sp. n. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: EA9AF9B8-EBBA-4F75-A447-99D0B2F3A3A5 Figs 3-5 <b>Holotype.</b> Male, KU-NHM-Ent DR-019; Early Miocene amber, Dominican Republic, La Toca group of mines northeast of Santiago, excavated in late Autumn 2008, Keith Luzzi coll.; deposited in the Insect Fossil Collection, Division of Entomology, University of Kansas Natural History Museum. <b>Diagnosis.</b> The new species can be readily recognized from its modern and mainland congeners by the combination of a thinly sclerotized band posterior to M+Cu in the forewing (Fig. 5), the presence of a sclerotized spot in the forewing at the junction of M+Cu and the basal vein (Fig. 5), M+Cu being comprised of a series of 14 setae, the basal cell containing 22 setae, the anterior margin of the costal cell sclerotized with a dense fringe of short fuscous setae, the hind wing with only three hamuli, the apicalmost antennal article apparently composite and resulting in an overall 11-segmented antenna, and the absence of a rasp-like structure on the inner surface of the metatibia. <b>Description.</b> Male: Total length 8.8 mm; forewing length 4.7 mm; head 1.0 mm in length; mesosoma 3.3 mm in length, petiole 1.2 mm in length; gaster 3.3 mm in length. Integument dark brown throughout (Fig. 3). Head with scrobal cavity carinate laterally; maxillary palpus 4-segmented, apical palpomere elongate, with numerous elongate black setae dorsally; clypeus bare except for two erect setae laterally near oral fossa (visible in left, oblique view); antenna apparently 11-segmented, apical flagellar article elongate and apparently with lines indicating possible fusion of two very minute apical articles (resulting in an otherwise 13-segmented antenna); parascrobal crests and vertex strongly tranversely striate, forming rasp-like structure dorsally. Mesosoma with pronotum and mesoscutum strongly, transversely strigate (Fig. 4), strigae increasingly bearing spicules posteriorly on mesoscutum; pronotum elongate, anterior margin rounded, posterolateral surface with striolate area (Fig. 4), striolate area ovoid (distinctly longer than wide; more rounded in <i>L</i>. <i>rufus</i> LaSalle and Stage), striations in striolate area finer and more evenly spaced anteriorly; mesoscutellum strongly transversely strigate, with numerous spicules; mesopleuron coarsely and irregularly punctate except in impressed region largely glabrous; propodeum laterally densely and contiguously punctate, with sparsely scattered setae. Procoxa with strong carina along dorsolateral margin; metacoxa sculptured as on lateral surface of propodeum; metafemur longitudinally striate ventrally except reticulate basally; metatibia without longitudinal rasp-like structure on inner surface; metabasitarsus twice as long as second tarsomere (tarsi pentamerous). Forewing with anterior margin of costal cell sclerotized (Fig. 5), with dense fringe of short fuscous setae; basal cell with 22 setae; sclerotized spot at junction of M+Cu and basal vein (Fig. 5); M+Cu composed of series of 14 setae and posteriorly by thinly sclerotized band leading to sclerotized spot (Fig. 5); hind wing with three hamuli. Metasoma with petiole approximately 7 times longer than wide (direct dorsal view not possible so this is estimated); petiole weakly transversely strigate dorsally; gaster imbricate. <b>Etymology.</b> The specific epithet is a matronym honoring Ms. Morgan Pittfield, enthusiast of all things adventurous when it comes to amber and niece of Keith Luzzi, who generously donated the holotype and permitted its study.
description: Published as part of <i>Engel, Michael, 2009, The first fossil leptofoenine wasp (Hymenoptera, Pteromalidae): A new species of Leptofoenus in Miocene amber from the Dominican Republic, pp. 57-66 in ZooKeys 13 (13)</i> on pages 61-64, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.13.159, http://zenodo.org/record/576466