A braconid wasp (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) from the Lower Cretaceous amber of San Just, eastern Iberian Peninsula

Braconid parasitoid wasps are a widely diversified group today, while their fossil record from the Mesozoic is currently poorly known. Here, we describe Utrillabracon electropteron ??lvarez-Parra & Engel, gen. et sp. nov., from the upper Albian (Lower Cretaceous) amber of San Just in the eastern Iberian Peninsula. The holotype specimen is incomplete, although the forewing and hind wing venation are well preserved. The new taxon is assigned to the subfamily ???Protorhyssalinae (Braconidae) and, based on characteristics of the wing venation, seems to be closely related to Protorhyssalus goldmani Basibuyuk & Quicke, 1999 and Diorhyssalus allani (Brues, 1937), both from Upper Cretaceous ambers of North America. We discuss the taxonomy of the Cretaceous braconids, considering ???Seneciobraconinae as a valid subfamily. We also comment on possible relationships within ???Protorhyssalinae, although a phylogenetic analysis is necessary. Additionally, a checklist is included of braconids known from Cretaceous ambers.

Automated summary

This study describes a new species of braconid parasitoid wasp, Utrillabracon electropteron, from the Lower Cretaceous amber. Although the holotype specimen is incomplete, the wing venation is well preserved. The new taxon is closely related to braconid species from Upper Cretaceous ambers in North America. The paper also discusses the taxonomy of Cretaceous braconids and provides a checklist of known braconids from Cretaceous ambers.