The earliest beetle with mouthparts specialized for feeding on nectar is a parasitoid of mid-Cretaceous Hymenoptera
Author
Batelka, Jan
Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, ViniČná 7, 128 00 Praha 2, Czech Republic
janbat@centrum.cz
Author
Prokop, Jakub
Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, ViniČná 7, 128 00 Praha 2, Czech Republic
text
BMC Ecology and Evolution
2021
207
2021-11-22
21
1
1
12
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12862-021-01930-6
journal article
10.1186/s12862-021-01930-6
b2e4e166-7297-45a5-82eb-84937eb7233a
PMC8607574
34809578
5733385
Salignacicola
gen. nov.
Type species.
Macrosiagon ebboi
Perrichot, Nel et Néraudeau, 2004
.
Etymology
. Combination of the name of the type locality and the Latin suffix –
cola
(meaning inhabitant(s)). Masculine in gender. Te name is registered under ZooBank LSID urn:lsid:zoobank. org:act:D5E1D0C3-0B1C-4FA6-B2FB-1968308E3B6A.
Material
.
Male
holotype
preserved as an amber inclusion found in Salignac, near
Sisteron
(
France
),
Cretaceous
(Cenomanian) [
17
].
Remarks
. Tis species is interpreted not to belong to the subfamily
Ripiphorinae
(to which the genus
Macrosiagon
belongs) by Batelka et al. [
19
]. After re-examination of the male holotype, this species was tentatively excluded from
Ripiphoridae
, because of an unusual combination of characters: tibial spur formula 1-2-2; serrate pretarsal claws; putative biflabellate antennae (regarded as uniflabellate by [16: Fig. S3a]) with greatly prolonged thread-like antennal rami covered densely by long hair-like sensilla,reduced venation on hind wings; abdomen long, eight segmented with apex of ninth segment visible (sic), ultimate abdominal segment tapering posteriorly; very long hind legs; and very long metatibial spurs [16: Fig. S3, 17]. Its similarities in terms of characters with other
Ripiphoridae
considering the description of
Melanosiagon
gen. nov.
are updated and discussed below.