The wasp family †Serphitidae (Hymenoptera) from Lower Cretaceous Spanish ambers

Abstract

The study of extinct Cretaceous families of Hymenoptera is crucial as it provides unique glimpses into the diversification of the group during a dramatic period in evolutionary history. The †Serphitidae were a family of parasitoid wasps, with
representatives distributed worldwide during the Cretaceous, ranging temporally from the Albian through the Campanian. The family is sister to the monogeneric †Archaeoserphitidae, and together with the Mymarommatoidea, they comprise the clade Bipetiolarida, characterized by the bipetiolate metasoma. Currently, the †Serphitidae comprise 21 species in the genera Microserphites (†Microserphitinae), Supraserphites (†Supraserphitinae), Serphites, Aposerphites, and Jubaserphites
(all three within †Serphitinae). Until now, four serphitid species were known from Spanish ambers (Peñacerrada I, El Soplao, and San Just localities). Here, we report seven new specimens from the amber-bearing outcrops of Ariño, El Soplao, and San Just. Those from Ariño correspond to the oldest known serphitid wasps. The amber from this site is found in a dinosaur bonebed dated as early Albian. One specimen belongs to Aposerphites, while the other six belong to Serphites. Considering the latter, two specimens might be assigned to S. lamiak Ortega-Blanco, Delclòs,
Peñalver and Engel, 2011, while three seem to represent a new species and another is too poorly preserved. Their study is in progress, so taxonomic determinations might change as more is learned. These specimens increase the known diversity of †Serphitidae during the Early Cretaceous and help to know new information about the palaeobiogeography of the group in Iberia. The palaeobiology of the group is obscure, although a parasitoid life cycle has been previously proposed. The description of new serphitid wasps provides interesting anatomical information that could help to understand their biology and may also shed light
on interrelationships of and within the family.

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188
THE WASP FAMILY †SERPHITIDAE
(HYMENOPTERA) FROM LOWER CRETACEOUS
SPANISH AMBERS
S. Álvarez-Parra1*, M. Santer2, E. Peñalver3, M. S. Engel4,5,6
and X. Delclòs1
1Departament de Dinàmica de la Terra i de l’Oceà and Institut de Recerca de la
Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
2Univ. Rennes, CNRS, Géosciences Rennes, UMR 6118, Rennes, France
3Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (Museo Geominero), Valencia, Spain
4Natural History Museum, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
5Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas,
USA
6American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, USA
*sergio.alvarez-parra@ub.edu
Keywords
Albian, Bipetiolarida, Iberian Peninsula, palaeobiology, taxonomy
The study of extinct Cretaceous families of Hymenoptera is crucial as it provides
unique glimpses into the diversication of the group during a dramatic period
in evolutionary history. The †Serphitidae were a family of parasitoid wasps, with
representatives distributed worldwide during the Cretaceous, ranging temporally
from the Albian through the Campanian. The family is sister to the monogeneric
†Archaeoserphitidae, and together with the Mymarommatoidea, they comprise
the clade Bipetiolarida, characterized by the bipetiolate metasoma. Currently, the
†Serphitidae comprise 21 species in the genera Microserphites (†Microserphitinae),
Supraserphites (†Supraserphitinae), Serphites, Aposerphites, and Jubaserphites
(all three within †Serphitinae). Until now, four serphitid species were known from
Spanish ambers (Peñacerrada I, El Soplao, and San Just localities). Here, we report
seven new specimens from the amber-bearing outcrops of Ariño, El Soplao, and San
Just. Those from Ariño correspond to the oldest known serphitid wasps. The amber
from this site is found in a dinosaur bonebed dated as early Albian. One specimen
belongs to Aposerphites, while the other six belong to Serphites. Considering
the latter, two specimens might be assigned to S. lamiak Ortega-Blanco, Delclòs,
Peñalver and Engel, 2011, while three seem to represent a new species and another
is too poorly preserved. Their study is in progress, so taxonomic determinations
might change as more is learned. These specimens increase the known diversity
of †Serphitidae during the Early Cretaceous and help to know new information
about the palaeobiogeography of the group in Iberia. The palaeobiology of the
group is obscure, although a parasitoid life cycle has been previously proposed.
The description of new serphitid wasps provides interesting anatomical
information that could help to understand their biology and may also shed light
on interrelationships of and within the family.
Acknowledgements The rst author has a grant funded by the Secretary of Universities and Research of the
Government of Catalonia and the European Social Fund (2020FI_B1 00002). This study is a contribution to the
Project CRE CGL2017-84419 (Spanish AEI/FEDER, UE). We thank the comments and corrections of the reviewers.
GENERAL SESSION: MESOZOIC3rd Virtual Palaeontological Congress | December 1–15th, 2021
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