Past ecosystems drive the evolution of the early diverged Symphyta (Hymenoptera: Xyelidae) since the earliest Eocene

Abstract

Paleoxyela nearctica gen. et sp. nov., is described from the upper Eocene of Florissant Formation in Colorado. We placed Paleoxyela gen. nov. in the subfamily Macroxyelinae and the tribe Macroxyelini based on the numerous wing venation characters visible on the specimen. Proxyelia pankowskii gen. et sp. nov. is described from the lower Eocene Fossil Lake deposits of the Green River Formation in Wyoming. We placed Proxyelia gen. nov. in the subfamily Macroxyelinae and the tribe Xyeleciini based on the numerous wing venation characters visible on the specimen. These new records of the family Xyelidae are of particular importance to better understand the past diversity of the clade and propose hypotheses about their diversification. Extant Xyelidae inhabit temperate Northern Hemisphere forests, and most of their larvae feed on conifers, which may explain why they are relatively poorly diversified compared to the other symphytan families. We suggest that the global decline in conifers and the reduced diversity of extant host trees partly explain the diversity of extant Xyelidae. We correlate the biome repartition during the Eocene to that of the extant xyelid.