Leptofoenus pittfieldae
Encyclopedia
Leptofoenus pittfieldae is an extinct species of wasp
in the family Pteromalidae
known from early Miocene
Burdigalian
stage Dominican amber
deposits on the island of Hispaniola
. The species is known from a single 8.8 millimetre (0.346456692913386 in) male specimen excavated from the La Toca mine group northeast of Santiago de los Caballeros
in 2008 and deposited in the Insect Fossil Collection at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum
in Lawrence, Kansas
, where it was studied and described by Dr. Michael S. Engel
. The species name pittfieldae honors Ms. Morgan Pittfield, niece of the specimen donor.
L. pittfieldae is the only member of Leptofoenus in the fossil record. Despite the large quantities of amber examined from the Dominican Republic
no additional specimens of Leptofoenus pittfieldae have been found. This may indicate that L. pittfieldae was uncommon in the Miocene, much like the five living species in this genus are uncommon today. No living species of Leptofoenus are documented in the West Indies
, but there might be a population living there that has remained undiscovered due to its rarity.
L. pittfieldae is placed within Leptofoenus because it has a striolate region
on the side of the pronotum
, a feature found in the living species. It is differentiated from modern members of the genus based on a number of characters. The 4.7 millimetre (0.18503937007874 in) long and 2.3mm wide forewing
has a thinly sclerotized area behind the "M+Cu" veins along with a sclerotized spot at the junction of the basal and "M+Cu" veins. The antenna is composed of eleven segments, though the last segment shows a possible fusion line, leaving the possibility that the antennae are thirteen segments long. The metatibia
of L. pittfieldae lacks the rasp-like structure found in modern species. Overall the body of the type specimen is a uniform dark brown.
Wasp
The term wasp is typically defined as any insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a bee nor an ant. Almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it or parasitizes it, making wasps critically important in natural control of their...
in the family Pteromalidae
Pteromalidae
Pteromalidae is a very large family of parasitic wasps, with some 3,450 described species in some 640 genera...
known from early Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
Burdigalian
Burdigalian
The Burdigalian is, in the geologic timescale, an age or stage in the early Miocene. It spans the time between 20.43 ± 0.05 Ma and 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma...
stage Dominican amber
Dominican amber
Dominican amber is amber from the Dominican Republic. Resin from the extinct species Hymenaea protera is the source of Dominican amber and probably of most amber found in the tropics....
deposits on the island of Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
. The species is known from a single 8.8 millimetre (0.346456692913386 in) male specimen excavated from the La Toca mine group northeast of Santiago de los Caballeros
Santiago de los Caballeros
Santiago de los Caballeros is a city in the Dominican Republic. Founded in 1495 during the first wave of European colonization of the New World, today Santiago is the second largest metropolis in the Dominican Republic, located in the north-central region of the Republic known as Cibao valley...
in 2008 and deposited in the Insect Fossil Collection at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum
University of Kansas Natural History Museum
The University of Kansas Natural History Museum is part of the University of Kansas Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center, which is itself part of the KU Biodiversity Institute....
in Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
, where it was studied and described by Dr. Michael S. Engel
Michael S. Engel
Michael S. Engel is an American paleontologist and entomologist. He has undertaken field work in Central Asia, Asia Minor, and the Western Hemisphere, and published more than 300 papers in scientific journals. He was trained at the University of Kansas where in 1993 he received a B.S. in Cellular...
. The species name pittfieldae honors Ms. Morgan Pittfield, niece of the specimen donor.
L. pittfieldae is the only member of Leptofoenus in the fossil record. Despite the large quantities of amber examined from the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
no additional specimens of Leptofoenus pittfieldae have been found. This may indicate that L. pittfieldae was uncommon in the Miocene, much like the five living species in this genus are uncommon today. No living species of Leptofoenus are documented in the West Indies
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, but there might be a population living there that has remained undiscovered due to its rarity.
L. pittfieldae is placed within Leptofoenus because it has a striolate region
Stridulation
Stridulation is the act of producing sound by rubbing together certain body parts. This behavior is mostly associated with insects, but other animals are known to do this as well, such as a number of species of fishes, snakes and spiders...
on the side of the pronotum
Prothorax
The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites are the pronotum , the prosternum , and the propleuron on each side. The prothorax never bears wings in extant insects, though some fossil groups possessed...
, a feature found in the living species. It is differentiated from modern members of the genus based on a number of characters. The 4.7 millimetre (0.18503937007874 in) long and 2.3mm wide forewing
Insect wing
Insects are the only group of invertebrates known to have evolved flight. Insects possess some remarkable flight characteristics and abilities, still far superior to attempts by humans to replicate their capabilities. Even our understanding of the aerodynamics of flexible, flapping wings and how...
has a thinly sclerotized area behind the "M+Cu" veins along with a sclerotized spot at the junction of the basal and "M+Cu" veins. The antenna is composed of eleven segments, though the last segment shows a possible fusion line, leaving the possibility that the antennae are thirteen segments long. The metatibia
Insect morphology
The morphology of insects enables the phenomenal success of this class of arthropods. The sheer quantity and diversity of its taxa are matched by a large variation of modifications in its body structure. The high rate of speciation, short generations and long lineage have caused insects to evolve...
of L. pittfieldae lacks the rasp-like structure found in modern species. Overall the body of the type specimen is a uniform dark brown.