A new family of ceraphronoid wasps from early cretaceous Álava Amber, Spain

Abstract

Radiophronidae, a new ceraphronoid fossil family including two new genera and species, is described here from the Early Cretaceous (Albian) amber from the Basque Cantabrian Basin (Spain). Radiophron ibericus gen. et sp. nov. and Microcostaphron parvus gen. et sp. nov. are described from eight and one specimens respectively. The new fossils show some similarities with the extinct family Stigmaphronidae but are distinguished from it and the extant ceraphronoids mainly by the presence of not fused radial and costal veins, among other characteristics. A first cladistic analysis retrieves Radiophronidae as the basal sister-group to all other ceraphronoids (Ceraphronidae, Megaspilidae, and Stigmaphronidae).