Dryinus rasnitsyni
Encyclopedia
Dryinus rasnitsyni is an extinct species
of wasp
in the dryinid
genus Dryinus. The species is solely known from the early Miocene
, Burdigalian
stage, Dominican amber
deposits on the island of Hispaniola
.
labeled as "Oligo-Miocene amber from Dominican Republic (15–40 mybp)(SMSN)". The holotype fossil is composed of a complete female specimen that is entombed in a transparent yellow block of amber. The type specimen is currently preserved as part of the paleoentomology collections housed in the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart
, located in Stuttgart
, Baden-Württemberg
, Germany. D. rasnitsyni was first studied by Massimo Olmi and Adalgisa Guglielmino, both of the University of Tuscia, Viterbo
, Lazio region, Italy. Olmi and Guglielmino's 2011 type description of the new species was published online and in print in the journal ZooKeys
. Olmi and Guglielmino coined the specific epithet rasnitsyni in honor of the eminent Russian paleoentomologist, Alexandr Pavlovich Rasnitsyn. At the time of the species description, Dryinus rasnitsyni was only the second Dryinus species placed in the lamellatus species group to be described. The first species, D. grimaldii
, was described by Olmi in 1995 from two specimens found in Dominican amber. In the 2011 paper describing D. rasnitsyni Olmi and Guglielmino also redescribed D. grimaldii based on the type specimens and the three newly identified specimen in the private amber collection of George Poinar, Jr.
that are clear with a vary slight darkening away from hyaline
and hind-wings that are fully darkened. The chela
on the front pair of legs are modified into claws each with a pair of teeth just below the claw apex. The morphology of the claw is a key distinguishing feature between D. grimaldii and D. rasnitsyni, which has a much more spatulate shaped claw then that of D. grimaldii. The antennae of D. rasnitsyni are notably long, being approximately five times the length of the head, with a slight thickening towards the tip end. The ten antennomere segments have a coating of dense short hairs. The head of the type specimen is slightly crushed, limiting the amount of detail for the mandibles and clypus.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of wasp
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 dryinid
Dryinidae
Dryinidae is a family of hymenopteran insects with about 1,400 described species found worldwide. These are solitary wasps whose larvae are parasitoids on other insects. The only known hosts are Hemiptera, especially leafhoppers....
genus Dryinus. The species is solely known from the 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...
.
History and classification
Dryinus rasnitsyni is known from a single fossil, the holotypeHolotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
labeled as "Oligo-Miocene amber from Dominican Republic (15–40 mybp)(SMSN)". The holotype fossil is composed of a complete female specimen that is entombed in a transparent yellow block of amber. The type specimen is currently preserved as part of the paleoentomology collections housed in the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart
State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart
The State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart is one of the two state of Baden-Württemberg's natural history museums...
, located in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, Germany. D. rasnitsyni was first studied by Massimo Olmi and Adalgisa Guglielmino, both of the University of Tuscia, Viterbo
Viterbo
See also Viterbo, Texas and Viterbo UniversityViterbo is an ancient city and comune in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo. It is approximately 80 driving / 80 walking kilometers north of GRA on the Via Cassia, and it is surrounded by the Monti Cimini and...
, Lazio region, Italy. Olmi and Guglielmino's 2011 type description of the new species was published online and in print 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...
. Olmi and Guglielmino coined the specific epithet rasnitsyni in honor of the eminent Russian paleoentomologist, Alexandr Pavlovich Rasnitsyn. At the time of the species description, Dryinus rasnitsyni was only the second Dryinus species placed in the lamellatus species group to be described. The first species, D. grimaldii
Dryinus grimaldii
Dryinus grimaldii is an extinct species of wasp in the dryinid genus Dryinus. The species is solely known from the early Miocene, Burdigalian stage, Dominican amber deposits on the island of Hispaniola.-History and classification:...
, was described by Olmi in 1995 from two specimens found in Dominican amber. In the 2011 paper describing D. rasnitsyni Olmi and Guglielmino also redescribed D. grimaldii based on the type specimens and the three newly identified specimen in the private amber collection of George Poinar, Jr.
George Poinar, Jr.
George O. Poinar, Jr. is an entomologist and writer. He is known for popularizing the idea of extracting DNA from insects fossilized in amber, an idea which received widespread attention when adapted by Michael Crichton for the book and movie Jurassic Park.Poinar earned a B.S. and M.S. at Cornell...
Description
Dryinus rasnitsyni females are 7.4 millimetre (0.291338582677165 in) in total length with a overall body coloration thought to have been brown, though the head, chela, and palpi were a brick-red to brownish-yellow. The species is macropterous, with fore wingsInsect 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...
that are clear with a vary slight darkening away from hyaline
Hyaline
The term hyaline denotes a substance with a glass-like appearance.-Histopathology:In histopathological medical usage, a hyaline substance appears glassy and pink after being stained with haematoxylin and eosin — usually it is an acellular, proteinaceous material...
and hind-wings that are fully darkened. The chela
Chela
Chela has two main meanings. One derivation comes from Hindi from Sanskrit , meaning "slave" or "servant". In English, the word means a religious student or disciple...
on the front pair of legs are modified into claws each with a pair of teeth just below the claw apex. The morphology of the claw is a key distinguishing feature between D. grimaldii and D. rasnitsyni, which has a much more spatulate shaped claw then that of D. grimaldii. The antennae of D. rasnitsyni are notably long, being approximately five times the length of the head, with a slight thickening towards the tip end. The ten antennomere segments have a coating of dense short hairs. The head of the type specimen is slightly crushed, limiting the amount of detail for the mandibles and clypus.