Pantolyta augustinusii Brazidec & Vilhelmsen 2022, sp. nov.

Pantolyta augustinusii sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: DD4A2A42-E41A-4731-B91D-AD9EFC205E50

Figs 1E, 4, Table 1

Diagnosis

Eye not pubescent; toruli protruding; antenna distinctly pubescent; F1 with indistinct emargination; F1 half of scape length (Fig. 4A–B); mesoscutum bearing long hairs; median propodeal keel simple; fore wing radial cell closed; postmarginal vein extending little beyond radial cell; Rs nebulous proximally to r-rs, marginal vein 0.7 times as long as its distance from basal vein; r-rs distinct (Fig. 1E); petiole 2.4 times as long as wide (Fig. 4D).

Etymology

We dedicate this species to the Augustinus Foundation, who generously contributed to the funding for purchasing the amber pieces studied. The specific epithet is to be treated as a noun in genitive case.

Type material

Holotype NHMD-300829, a complete male; paratypes NHMD-608391, a complete male; NHMD- 608406, a complete male but partially hidden by a milky coat; NHMD-608412, a complete male; NHMD-608404, a complete male.

Locality and horizon

Baltic amber is considered to be of Bartonian–Priabonian age, ca 34–38 Ma.

Description

Male

BODY. BL = 2.51–3.47 mm. Head subtriangular in frontal view (HeL = 0.39–0.48 mm); eye large, not pubescent; several hairs on frons; antennae inserted on distinct but not prominent shelf; toruli well developed, as long as one sixth of scape length from base to apex, separated by distinct cleft; antennae bearing numerous short setae; scape almost six times as long as wide; pedicel slightly longer than wide; flagellomeres elongate, cylindrical; F1 half of scape length, with an indistinct emargination basally; F2–F11 subequal in length; F12 longer and tapering at apex (antennomeres length of holotype, in mm: Sc-0.38; P-0.08; F1-0.21; F2-0.19; F3-0.19; F4-0.19; F5-0.19; F6-0.20; F7-0.19; F8-0.20; F9-0.21; F10- 0.21; F11-0.21; F12-0.23); mandibles short, not forming a beak.

MESOSOMA. Shorter than metasoma (MsL = 0.90–1.29 mm); pronotum visible in dorsal view; epomia present as a simple keel; pronotal shoulders rounded; mesoscutum smooth, bearing long hairs; notauli deeply impressed, anteriorly converging towards scutellum, posteriorly parallel just before transscutal sulcus; anterior scutellar pit large, deep; scutellum without posterior scutellar pits; mesopleuron bare, mesopleural pit present; propodeum with median keel simple. Fore wing hyaline, extending far beyond metasoma (FwL = 2.60–3.54 mm), covered with micropubescence; C, Sc+R, M+Cu, basal vein and Cu pigmented; basal and costal cells closed; marginal vein slightly widened, about two thirds as long as its distance from basal vein and twice as long as r-rs; postmarginal vein pigmented, extending slightly beyond radial cell; radial cell closed; Rs tubular distally to r-rs, nebulous proximally; M inconspicuous towards apex. Legs slender, hind femur slightly thicker; tibial spur formula 1-2-2; tarsal claws simple.

METASOMA. Petiole cylindrical, 2.4 times as long as its middle width (PtL = 0.27–0.37 mm; PtW = 0.11– 0.15 mm), with longitudinal ribs, long hairs laterally and ventrally; gaster fusiform (GL = 0.90–1.33 mm; GH = 0.42–0.58 mm), smooth; T2 longest, narrowing toward petiole; other segments much shorter.

Female

Unknown.

Comments

Using Nixon’s (1957) key to the genera of Belytinae, Pantolyta augustinusii sp. nov. keys out near Acropiesta Förster, 1856 because of the following characters: notauli present, second flagellomere not modified; scutellum without foveae; mandibles not forming a beak; marginal vein shorter than both radial cell and its distance from basal vein; pronotum with reduced epomia; large tergite markedly tapering towards petiole. Pantolyta augustinusii especially share with Acropiesta the antennal shelf prominent with toruli separated by a furrow, the 14-segmented antennae with F1 modified, the pronotal shoulders rounded, the notauli complete, the anterior scutellar pit large and quadrate, the propodeum with median keel simple, the fore wing venation with C, Sc+R, M+Cu, Rs, basal and marginal vein tubular, the petiole cylindrical (Macek 1998). However, due to their close similarities, Acropiesta has recently been synonymized under Pantolyta by Chemyreva & Kolyada (2021). Four other Pantolyta species are present in Baltic amber, two having been described under Acropiesta and not duly transferred by Chemyreva & Kolyada (2021): Pantolyta antiqua Buhl, 1999, Pantolyta janzeni (Buhl, 2002) comb. nov., Pantolyta perrichoti (Jouault & Nel, 2020) comb. nov. and Pantolyta somnulenta Maneval, 1938. Pantolyta antiqua has the marginal vein as long as its distance from basal vein whereas it is distinctly shorter in Pantolyta augustinusii (Buhl 1999); P. janzeni has a distinct emargination of F 1 in the male antenna, the marginal vein is shorter and the postmarginal vein is longer than in Pantolyta augustinusii (Buhl 2002); P. perrichoti has the median propodeal keel bifid (Jouault & Nel 2020) and P. somnulenta has the radial cell shorter than the marginal vein (Maneval 1938).