Stephen F. Austin State University SFA ScholarWorks Faculty Publications Biology 2006 A New Moustache Wasp in Dominican Amber, with an Account of Apoid Wasp Evolution Emphasizing Crabroninae (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) Daniel J. Bennett Stephen F Austin State University, [email protected] Michael S. Engel Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/biology Part of the Biology Commons Tell us how this article helped you. Repository Citation Bennett, Daniel J. and Engel, Michael S., "A New Moustache Wasp in Dominican Amber, with an Account of Apoid Wasp Evolution Emphasizing Crabroninae (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae)" (2006). Faculty Publications. 73. https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/biology/73 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Biology at SFA ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of SFA ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A New Moustache Wasp in Dominican Amber, with an Account of Apoid Wasp Evolution Emphasizing Crabroninae (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) Author(s): DANIEL J BENNETT and MICHAEL S ENGEL Source: American Museum Novitates, :1-10. Published By: American Museum of Natural History DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1206/0003-0082(2006)3529[1:ANMWID]2.0.CO;2 URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/ full/10.1206/0003-0082%282006%293529%5B1%3AANMWID%5D2.0.CO %3B2 BioOne (www.bioone.org) is a nonprofit, online aggregation of core research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. BioOne provides a sustainable online platform for over 170 journals and books published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Web site, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/page/ terms_of_use. Usage of BioOne content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non- commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder. BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY CENTRAL PARK WEST AT 79TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10024 Number 3529, 10 pp., 5 figures, 1 table September 08, 2006 A New Moustache Wasp in Dominican Amber, with an Account of Apoid Wasp Evolution Emphasizing Crabroninae (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) DANIEL J. BENNETT1 AND MICHAEL S. ENGEL2 ABSTRACT A new, extinct species of the wasp genus Lindenius (Crabroninae: Crabronini: Crabronina) is described and figured from two exquisitely preserved specimens discovered in Early Miocene Dominican amber. Lindenius paleomystax, new species, represents the first record for the tribe Crabronini in Dominican amber and the southernmost record for the genus in the New World. The unique locality and habitat data begin to reveal a more complicated natural history for the genus than that suggested by Recent taxa alone. A checklist of fossil apoid wasps in amber is provided and the new species is discussed within the context of an overview of apoid wasp origins and evolution. INTRODUCTION moustache wasps in amber can be at least partially explained by habitat preferences. Apoid wasps of the subtribe Crabronina, or Nonetheless, a significant variety of forest- ‘‘moustache wasps’’, are rarely discovered as loving groups that nest in various plant amber inclusions, despite the worldwide oc- materials in tropical and temperate areas currence of numerous wood- or twig-nesting exists, and thus the problem of fully un- species. Most species occur in more xeric derstanding why these wasps are rare in amber environments, areas outside of the tropical remains. In the search for an explanation, note or subtropical forests producing amber, and that ground-nesting is the primitive condition many nest in soil. As such, the rarity of for the subtribe (Bohart and Menke, 1976) 1Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard, Dyche Hall, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045-7163 ([email protected]). 2Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History; Division of Entomology (Paleoentomology), Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard, Dyche Hall, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045-7163 ([email protected]). Copyright E American Museum of Natural History 2006 ISSN 0003-0082 2 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3529 and that to a large extent wood- and twig- (Pulawski, 2006). Most of these are Palearctic, nesting habits are found among the most with the highest diversity occurring in diverse genera, such as Ectemnius, Rhopalum, Mediterranean countries (Bohart and Menke, and Crossocerus. If these are derived groups 1976). The handful of species studied con- representing recent radiations into niches struct relatively shallow nests in soil and formerly unused by moustache wasps, then predominantly prey on small flies or Hete- the paucity of these wasps in fossiliferous roptera, though prey records also include resins could be explained by habitat prefer- various Hymenoptera, including Chalci- ences in combination with fundamental nest- doidea, Braconidae, and ants (Hamm and ing differences between modern and prehis- Richards, 1926; Leclercq, 1954; Court, 1961; toric faunas. Whether such speculation can be Evans, 1970; Bohart and Menke, 1976). North developed into a supported hypothesis awaits American species were treated in an unpub- a formal cladistic analysis of the Crabronina lished Master’s thesis (Court, 1961); Palearctic (under way by D.J.B.) and a more precise taxa were treated by de Beaumont (1956) and understanding of the evolution of nesting later by Leclercq (1989). behavior in the subtribe. The age of Dominican amber has been Prior to this report, two species of the genus unnecessarily confused in recent years, Tracheliodes described by Cockerell (1909) with age estimates ranging from the Mio- from Baltic amber were the only representa- cene through the Eocene. In fact, critical tives of the subtribe known from fossiliferous analysis of multiple lines of evidence indi- resin (table 1). However, given that Cockerell cates a Neogene age, and all valid evidence did not describe the relative position of the supports an Early Miocene (Burdigalian) eyes in these specimens (note that an impor- origin (e.g., Iturralde-Vinent and MacPhee, tant character of Tracheliodes is widely sepa- 1996). Furthermore, the inclusions themselves rated eyes ventrally), his generic assignments attest to a relatively recent age for Domi- must be treated with caution (W.J. Pulawski, nican amber in comparison with definitive- ly more ancient resins (e.g., refer to compar- personal commun.). Compression fossils of isons of Dominican and Baltic amber faunas Crabronina are equally rare, with the only of flies and bees by Grimaldi, 1994 and Engel, species being another Tracheliodes and an 2001, respectively). Morphological termino- Ectemnius from Colorado’s Eocene-Oligocene logy generally follows that of Bohart and Florissant Shale (Cockerell, 1906, 1910) and Menke (1976). a putative species of Ectemnius from the Early Miocene of Germany (Meunier, 1911). Interestingly, putative species of Tracheliodes SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY should represent half of the Crabronina Lindenius paleomystax, new species known as fossils, as this group is likely basal Figures 1–5 within the subtribe. Today the genus is composed of about a dozen species occurring DIAGNOSIS: The new species is immediately in the western United States, Central Europe, recognizable as a member of the Crabroninae and Mediterranean region. The fossil record owing to large cuboidal head, single sub- and modern distribution of Tracheliodes hint marginal cell, elongate scape, and nonemargi- at a formerly more diverse and wide- nate eyes. It is further distinguished as spread distribution. We herein report on the a member of the subtribe Crabronina by occurrence of two specimens of the closely ventrally convergent eyes, toruli positioned related crabronine genus Lindenius recently very low and close together on face, and discovered in Dominican amber (figs. 1–3). ventral margin of mandibles entire (Bohart This is the first record of a crabronine in and Menke, 1976). It is placed in Lindenius by Dominican amber and the first fossil of mandible with apex simple, ventral margin Lindenius. entire (figs. 1, 2, 4), ocellar triangle broader Lindenius is a moderately large genus than high, scapal basin ecarinate, and hind presently comprised of 60 extant species wing longer than second cubital cell (subme- distributed throughout the Holarctic region dian cell) (Bohart and Menke, 1976). With 2006 BENNETT AND ENGEL: DOMINICAN AMBER MOUSTACHE WASP 3 Figs. 1–3. Photomicrographs of holotype female of Lindenius paleomystax, new species (AMNH DR-14- 1091). 1. Oblique lateral habitus. 2. Facial aspect. 3. Dorsal aspect. 4 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3529 possible exception of the latter trait (which is foveate, scrobe distinct. Anteromedial section not visible in the type material), the new of propodeal spiralcle meeting upper arm of species can be diagnosed by these characters in sideways Y-shaped carina, lower arm of carina