A. S. Menke and A. P. Rasnitsyn.
Affinities of the fossil wasp, Hoplisidea kohliana Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae: Sphecinae).
Psyche 94(1-2):35-38, 1987.

This article at Hindawi Publishing: https://doi.org/10.1155/1987/89719
CEC's scan of this article: http://psyche.entclub.org/pdf/94/94-035.pdf, 680K
This landing page: http://psyche.entclub.org/94/94-035.html

The following unprocessed text is extracted automatically from the PDF file, and is likely to be both incomplete and full of errors. Please consult the PDF file for the complete article.

AFFINITIES OF THE FOSSIL WASP,
HOPLZSZDEA KOHLZANA COCKERELL
(HYMENOPTERA: SPHECIDAE: SPHECINAE)
The fossil wasp, Hoplisidea kohliana, was described by Cockerel1 (1906) from a single specimen taken from the "Miocene" shales of Florissant, Colorado. These deposits are now regarded as Lower Oligocene (MacGintie, 1953). Cockerel1 placed Hoplisidea in the "NyssonidaeY' and related it to the "Gorytinae." He compared it with Gorytes mystaceus (now Argogorytes) and Gorytes quadrfasciatus, and stated that it came closest to ''Hoplisus" (now Gorytes) in hindwing venation and general habitus.
The specimen (MCZ type #2018) is a large wasp (20 mm long) preserved venter up (fig. 1). Unfortunately the antennae were not preserved. The mandibles are long and sickle-like. The occipital carina is a complete circle tangential with the hypostomal carina. One pair of wings is nearly intact-at least the venation is clear (fig. 2). The stigma is narrow and elongate. There are 3 submarginal cells, the second of which receives both recurrent veins. The basal vein of the forewing is interstitial with cu-a, and it meets the subcosta well basad of the stigma. There is a forewing cloud through the marginal and submarginal cell area. The hindwing media diverges from M -k Cu at crossvein cu-a. Unfortunately, the anal area of the hindwing is missing. The thorax and underside of the head are covered with long setae indicating that the wasp was fairly hairy. Similar long setae are visible on the abdominal sterna, but on 111-V they seem restricted to a transverse row near the apex of each segment. The legs appear smooth, without obvious serration, and are rather slender. The coxae and femora have long setae, and one dislocated tarsus is spinose. The coxae are contiguous. The number of midtibial spurs and claw details are unclear. The connection between the gaster and propodeum is not clearly visible, but based on the shape of segment I, there was evidently a short petiole (dotted 'Systematic Entomology Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, U.S.D.A., U.S. National Museum, Washington DC 20560
2Paleontological Institute, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow 117868. Manuscript received by the editor May 18, 1986 Pu&e Ìö4:35-1 (1987). hup Ytpsychu einclub orgÌö4f94-01 html



================================================================================

Psyche
^
[Vol. 94
Fig. 1.
Line drawing of type specimen of Hoplisidea. Scale = 3 mm. lines on fig. 1 indicate probable petiole configuration). Only 6 gastral segments can be distinguished, but it is uncertain whether the specimen is a female.
Evans (1966) examined the type and discussed the wasp's proba- ble affinities in some detail. He cast doubt on the fossil's relation- ship with the Gorytini because of wing venation (the position of the basal vein and divergence of the hindwing media). Evans suggested that the general wing pattern was more reminiscent of the family Tiphiidae. He concluded that in general body form, hairiness, and forewing venation, Hoplisidea resembled males of the genus Antho- bosca. It should be pointed out here that females of Anthobosca



================================================================================

Menke & Rasnitsyn- Hoplisidea kohliana
Pig. 2. Photograph of wings of Hopihidea with veins inked in for clarity. After examining the type, we are struck by the similarity of its venation pattern and cell shape with members of the sphecid tribe Sceliphrmi. The forewing cloud enhances this perception because species of some sceliphrin genera (Podium, Trigonopsis, Penepo- dium and a few Chaiybivn], are similarly endowed. Figure 1 8 B in Bohart and Menke (1976), which is of a species of Sceliphron, is quite similar to the forewing of Hoplisidea. There is congruence in have very stout fossorial legs; thus Hoplisidea, because of its slender appendages, would have to be a male. Evans pointed out that the hindwing venation of Anthobosca (media diverges well before crossvein cu-a) contradicted a relationship with Hoplwdea. To this we can add that Anthobosca males (as welt as females) have serrate tibiae, but the fossil's legs are apparently smooth, although the teeth would be hidden when viewed from certain angles. But more impor- tantly, after comparing the wings of Hoplisidea with Anthobosca males, we fail to see the resemblance suggested by Evans. The cell shape and termination point of the recurrent veins are quite differ- ent. On the other hand, according to Evans, there is apparently considerable variability of these characters within Anthobosca, Evans* closing comment was "I consider it much more probable that it [Hoplisidea] is a tiphiid wasp not unrelated to Anthobosca. "



================================================================================

38 Psyche [vo~. 94
the long, narrow stigma and the shape of the submarginal cells. The forewings of other sceliphrin genera (Chalybion, Podium, Trigo- nopsis) are somewhat similar, but the 3rd submarginal cell is gener- ally longer, and the shape of the 2nd varies. All of these wasps (except Trigonopsis) have long setae on the head and thorax. The hindwing venation of Hoplisidea is similar to the basic sceliphrin pattern: the media diverges at or very close to crossvein cu-a. The large, slender body of Hoplisidea and its sickle-like mandibles also agree with the character states of the Sceliphrini. The inability to discern the nature of the abdominal petiole is disconcerting, but it is clear that the petiole was short, about the length of the hindcoxa. The petiole is longer than the hindcoxa in most of the sceliphrin genera discussed above. On the other hand, in the most primitive members of the tribe such as Stangeella and Chlorion, the petiole is about as long as the hindcoxa. But the shape of the forewing sub- marginal cells in these genera is different from Hoplisidea. The preponderance of evidence suggests to use that Hoplisidea is most likely a sphecid wasp whose affinities are with the tribe Sceliphrini, rather than a tiphiid, but it does not appear to represent a living genus.
We thank Frank Carpenter, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, for lending the type specimen of Hoplisidea for study; and Ronald Hodges, Systematic Entomology Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, and R. M. Bohart, Univ. of California, Davis, for commenting on the manuscript. BOHART, R. M. AND A. S. MENKE.
1976.
Sphecid wasps of the world. Univ. Calif. Press, Berkeley. ix + 695 p.
COCKERELL, T. D. A. 1906.
Fossil Hymenoptera from Florissant, Colorado. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. 50: 33-58.
EVANS, H. E.
1966. The comparative ethology and evolution of the sand wasps. Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge. xviii + 526 p. MACGINTIE, H. D. 1953.
Fossil plants of the Florissant Beds, Colorado. Carnegie Inst. Washington Publ. 599, Contri. Paleont. 198 p.



================================================================================