The geological record and phylogeny of spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae): A revision of fossil species and their phylogenetic placement

Juanita Rodriguez; Cecilia Waichert; Carol D von Dohlen; James P Pitts

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0185379

The geological record and phylogeny of spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae): A revision of fossil species and their phylogenetic placement

PLoS One. 2017 Oct 11;12(10):e0185379. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0185379. eCollection 2017.

Authors

Juanita Rodriguez¹, Cecilia Waichert², Carol D von Dohlen³, James P Pitts³

Affiliations

¹ CSIRO, Australian National Insect Collection, Acton, ACT, Australia.
² Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória ES, Brazil.
³ Utah State University, Department of Biology, Logan, UT, United States of America.

Abstract

Accurate fossil identification has become increasingly relevant with the widespread use of phylogenetic divergence time estimation methods, which rely on fossil data to determine clade hard-minimum ages. Here we revise, diagnose and illustrate known spider wasp (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) fossil species and place them within the latest Pompilidae phylogenetic hypothesis. Ceropalites infelix Cockerell, from the Florissant Fossil Beds (Priabonian), is no longer recognized as Pompilidae, but as Aulacidae. Agenioideus saxigenus (Cockerell) comb. nov., Deuteragenia wettweri (Statz) comb. nov., Caputelus scudderi (Cockerell, 1906) comb. nov., Pepsinites avitula (Cockerell, 1941) comb. nov., Pepsinites contentus (Theobald, 1937) comb. nov., Pepsinites florissantensis (Cockerell, 1906) comb. nov., Pepsinites laminarum (Rohwer, 1909) comb. nov., Pepsinites scelerosus (Meunier, 1919) comb. nov., Pepsinites cockerellae (Rohwer, 1909) comb. nov., Pompilinites coquandi (Theobald, 1937) comb. nov., Pompilinites depressus (Statz, 1936) comb. nov., Pompilites incertus (Theobald, 1937) comb. nov., Pompilites induratus (Heer, 1849) comb. nov., Pompilites fasciatus (Theobald, 1937) comb. nov., and Pompilites senex comb. nov. are new combinations. Twenty-three fossil species of spider wasps are now recognized in 13 genera. Four new genera are proposed: Caputelus Waichert & Pitts gen. nov., Pompilites Rodriguez gen. nov., Pompilinites Rodriguez & Waichert gen. nov., and Pepsinites Rodriguez & Waichert gen. nov., of which the three latter are collective-group names for fossils with taxonomic uncertainty. One species of fossil spider wasp is described: Deuteragenia catalunyia Rodriguez, Waichert & Pitts sp. nov., from the Bellver deposits in Catalonia, Spain. Five of the 23 known species can be used to determine hard-minimum age for calibrations of genera stem-groups (Agenioideus, Anoplius, Cryptocheilus, Deuteragenia, Priocnemis). The fossil belonging to the stem-group of the tribe Ageniellini (Chubutholites) is not recommended for calibration because of the high uncertainty in its age and taxonomy. The remaining taxa can be assigned to the lineage comprising Pompilinae + Pepsinae (12 species) or crown-group Pompilidae (four species).

MeSH terms

Animals
Fossils*
Geological Phenomena*
Phylogeny*
Species Specificity
Time Factors
Wasps / classification*

Grants and funding

Graduate Student Travel Grant from the Center for Women and Gender, Utah State University supported CW’s visit to the MCZ collection. The Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, Utah State University UAES #8490, supported this research. The National Science Foundation award DEB-0743763 to JPP and CDvD also supported this work. FAPES/CAPES (#71026436/15) supported CW's postdoctoral fellowship.