Brevivulva
Encyclopedia
Brevivulva is an extinct genus
of parasitic wasp
in the Eupelmidae
subfamily Neanastatinae and contains the single species Brevivulva electroma. The genus is solely known from the Early Eocene Baltic amber
deposits in the Baltic Sea
region of Europe.
paleoentomology collections in New York City
. B. electroma was first studied by Gary A.P. Gibson, with his 2009 type description being published in the journal ZooKeys
. The generic
name combines the Latin words brevis, meaning "short", and vulva, meaning "cover" or "wrapper" and refers to the short length of the hypopygium in comparison to the modern genus Lambdobregma. The specific epithet "electroma" derives from the Latin electrum "amber".
is included and is a uniform dark color with a faint metallic green cast to the mesosoma
at certain angles. Several areas on the female are obscured, with the mouth, lower half of the face and underside of the gaster to the rear of the hypopygium having thin coatings of white mold. The forewings are uniformly hyaline in coloration and highly setose along the front edge of the wing margin in the costal cell. Beyond the parastigma the setae grow sparse and the wing apex is apparently bare.
The overall structure of and general appearance is very similar to that of living species in the genus Lambdobregma. This includes Brevivulva having a prepectus which is notably an elongate triangular shape and that narrows quickly towards the rear. However, a number of features set Brevivulva and Lambdobregma apart. Most distinctly Lambdobregma possesses a hypopygium which extends almost all the way to the tip of the gaster, where as the hypopygium in Brevivulva extends only half the length of the gaster. Due to the stiff, exerted shape of the ovipositor sheath, Gibson postulated that Brevivulva electroma was parasitic on woodboring beetle
s or other hosts with similar habits of concealment.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of parasitic wasp
Parasitic wasp
The term parasitoid wasp refers to a large evolutionary grade of hymenopteran superfamilies, mainly in the Apocrita. They are primarily parasitoids of other animals, mostly other arthropods...
in the Eupelmidae
Eupelmidae
Eupelmidae is a family of parasitic wasps in the superfamily Chalcidoidea. The group is apparently polyphyletic, though the different subfamilies may each be monophyletic, and may be elevated to family status in the near future. As presently defined, there are over 905 described species in 45 genera...
subfamily Neanastatinae and contains the single species Brevivulva electroma. The genus is solely known from the Early Eocene Baltic amber
Baltic amber
The Baltic region is home to the largest known deposit of amber, called Baltic amber or succinite, with about 80% of the world's known amber found there. It dates from 44 million years ago...
deposits in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
region of Europe.
History and classification
Brevivulva electroma is known only from one fossil, the holotype, number "AMNH BaJWJ-408", which is a single female specimen preserved near the end of a triangular amber block 21 by in size. The block is currently residing in the American Museum of Natural HistoryAmerican Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
paleoentomology collections in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. B. electroma was first studied by Gary A.P. Gibson, with his 2009 type description being published in the journal ZooKeys
ZooKeys
ZooKeys is a peer-reviewed open access academic journal for the field of zoology. It was established in 2008, and the editor-in-chief is Terry Erwin from the Smithsonian Institution...
. The generic
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
name combines the Latin words brevis, meaning "short", and vulva, meaning "cover" or "wrapper" and refers to the short length of the hypopygium in comparison to the modern genus Lambdobregma. The specific epithet "electroma" derives from the Latin electrum "amber".
Description
Brevivulva electroma is 3.25 millimetre (0.127952755905512 in) in length when the ovipositorOvipositor
The ovipositor is an organ used by some animals for oviposition, i.e., the laying of eggs. It consists of a maximum of three pairs of appendages formed to transmit the egg, to prepare a place for it, and to place it properly...
is included and is a uniform dark color with a faint metallic green cast to the mesosoma
Mesosoma
The mesosoma is the middle part of the body, or tagma, of arthropods whose body is composed of three parts, the other two being the prosoma and the metasoma. It bears the legs, and, in the case of winged insects, the wings....
at certain angles. Several areas on the female are obscured, with the mouth, lower half of the face and underside of the gaster to the rear of the hypopygium having thin coatings of white mold. The forewings are uniformly hyaline in coloration and highly setose along the front edge of the wing margin in the costal cell. Beyond the parastigma the setae grow sparse and the wing apex is apparently bare.
The overall structure of and general appearance is very similar to that of living species in the genus Lambdobregma. This includes Brevivulva having a prepectus which is notably an elongate triangular shape and that narrows quickly towards the rear. However, a number of features set Brevivulva and Lambdobregma apart. Most distinctly Lambdobregma possesses a hypopygium which extends almost all the way to the tip of the gaster, where as the hypopygium in Brevivulva extends only half the length of the gaster. Due to the stiff, exerted shape of the ovipositor sheath, Gibson postulated that Brevivulva electroma was parasitic on woodboring beetle
Woodboring beetle
The term woodboring beetle encompasses many species and families of beetles whose larval or adult forms eat and destroy wood . Larval stages of some are commonly known as woodworms.-Invasion and control:...
s or other hosts with similar habits of concealment.