Electrostephanus
''Electrostephanus'' is an extinct genus of crown wasp in the hymenopteran family Stephanidae, and is the only genus placed in the subfamily Electrostephaninae. The genus contains four described species, ''E. brevicornis'', ''E. neovenatus'', ''E. janzeni'', and ''E. petiolatus'', placed in two subgenera ''E. (Electrostephanus)'' and ''E. (Electrostephanodes)''. ''Electrostephanus'' is known from several middle Eocene fossils which have been found in Europe. History and classification ''Electrostephanus'' is known from a group of fossils preserved as an inclusions in a transparent chunks of Baltic amber and is named after the greek term for amber, ἤλεκτρον (elektron). Baltic amber is approximately forty six million years old, having been deposited during Lutetian stage of the Middle Eocene. There is debate as to what plant family the amber was produced by, with evidence supporting relatives of either ''Agathis'' or ''Pseudolarix'' trees. The genus was originally des ...
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Crown Wasp
The Stephanidae, sometimes called crown wasps, are a family of parasitoid wasps. They are the only living members of the superfamily Stephanoidea. Stephanidae has at least 345 living species in 11 genera. The family is considered cosmopolitan in distribution, with the highest species concentrations in subtropical and moderate climate zones. Stephanidae also contain four extinct genera described from both compression fossils and inclusions in amber. Biology Stephanids are noted for their ocellar corona, a semicircular to circular set of projections around the middle ocellus, forming a "crown" on the head. Only stephanids and the similarly old Hymenoptera family Orussidae have ocellar coronae, and it is uncertain if they developed the structure separately or if a common ancestor of both developed it and it was then lost in all but the two families. Weakly developed grooves starting at the base of the antennae and extending past the eyes to the back of the head capsule are present. ...
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