''Hyptia deansi'' is an extinct

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of ensign wasp in the family

Evaniidae Evaniidae is a family of parasitoid wasps also known as ensign wasps, nightshade wasps, hatchet wasps, or cockroach egg parasitoid wasps. They number around 20 extant genera containing over 400 described species, and are found all over the world ...

known from a solitary

Late Oligocene The Chattian is, in the geologic timescale, the younger of two ages or upper of two stages of the Oligocene Epoch/ Series. It spans the time between . The Chattian is preceded by the Rupelian and is followed by the Aquitanian (the lowest stage ...

Early Miocene The Early Miocene (also known as Lower Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages: the Aquitanian age, Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages. The sub-epoch lasted from 23.03 ± 0.05 annum, Ma to ...

fossil found in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. ''H. deansi'' is the only species in the genus '' Hyptia'' to have been described from fossils and the only ensign wasp described from Mexican

amber Amber is fossilized tree resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects."Amber" (2004). In ...

History and classification

''Hyptia deansi'' is known from a single fossil, the

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of sever ...

adult, which is an

inclusion Inclusion or Include may refer to: Sociology * Social inclusion, aims to create an environment that supports equal opportunity for individuals and groups that form a society. ** Inclusion (disability rights), promotion of people with disabiliti ...

in a transparent chunk of Mexican amber. The amber specimen, number ''SMNS MX–440'', is currently housed in the fossil collection of the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart in

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

, Germany. The holotype is composed of a fully complete adult female. Mexican amber was recovered from fossil-bearing rocks in the

Simojovel Simojovel is one of the 119 municipalities of Chiapas, in southern Mexico. As of 2010, the municipality had a total population of 40,297, up from 31,615 as of 2005. It covers an area of 446.99 km2. The municipality had 145 localities, the ...

region of Chiapas, Mexico. This amber predates a range from between 22.5 million years old, for the youngest sediments of the Balumtun Sandstone, and 26 million years, for the

La Quinta Formation The La Quinta Formation is a Jurassic geologic formation which crops out in the Cordillera de Mérida and Serranía del Perijá of western Venezuela and northeastern Colombia. The formation is also present in the subsurface of the Cesar-Rancher ...

, in which specimens are found. This age range, which straddles the boundary between the

and

, is complicated by both formations being secondary deposits for the amber; consequently, the given age range is only the youngest that the fossil might be. The holotype was first studied by paleoentomologists John T. Jennings and Steven Mew, both of the

university of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

in conjunction with Lars Krogmann of the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart. Jennings and his coauthor's 2012

type description A species description is a formal description of a newly discovered species, usually in the form of a scientific paper. Its purpose is to give a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species that have be ...

of the species was published in the online journal ''

Zootaxa ''Zootaxa'' is a peer-reviewed scientific mega journal for animal taxonomists. It is published by Magnolia Press (Auckland, New Zealand). The journal was established by Zhi-Qiang Zhang in 2001 and new issues are published multiple times a week ...

''. The specific epithet ''deansi'' is in honor of Andy Deans of North Carolina State University in recognition for his efforts to generate new interest in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Evaniidae.

Description

The ''Hyptia deansi'' female is small, being approximately long and has a body coloration that is mostly brown. Several areas show a black coloration, the gaster and first quarter of the petiole. The antenna segments, flagellomeres, are mostly brown with segments one through ten having a black upper edge that gives a banded look to the antennae. There are a total of eleven flagellomeres in each antenna, with all the flagellomeres being a little wider than they are long, except for the tip flagellomere, which is slightly longer than it is wide. The fore wings have a reduced vein structure with only the

costal Costal may refer to: * an adjective related to the rib () in anatomy ** Costal cartilage, a type of cartilage forming bars which serve to prolong the ribs forward ** Costal margin, the medial margin formed by the false ribs ** Costal surface (disa ...

, subcostal and radial veins developed. The vein structure of the hind wings is obscured due to their positioning during entombment in the resin, and only a costal vein is identifiable. A straight and short ovipositor is visible on the end of the gaster. As with other fossil members of Evaniidae, the petiole is long in comparison to the gaster length, a feature uncommon in modern evaniids. Most other fossil evaniids have long and often curved ovipositors and fairly to fully complete wing venation, in contrast to ''H. deansi'', which has simplified venation and a short ovipositor.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5962156 Evanioidea Oligocene insects Miocene insects Fossil taxa described in 2012 Hymenoptera of North America Mexican amber Prehistoric insects of North America