Protognathosega, Lucena & Melo, 2025

Genus † Protognathosega gen. nov.

ZooBank registration: LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:

Type species: † Protognathosega depilis sp. nov.

Diagnosis

Female mandible straight, strongly tapering apically, with basal tooth on laminar edge; frons longitudinally crossed by medial groove inserted between parallel crests, extending from median ocellus towards scapal basin; pronotum short, slightly shorter than scutum along mid-line, posterior border deeply concave, crossed transversely by anterior and posterior grooves and longitudinally by a medial groove; scutellum crossed longitudinally by a medial groove.

Description

Head: Pyriform, with relatively long and bulging front; frons longitudinally crossed by medial groove inserted between parallel crests, extending from median ocellus towards scapal basin, fading gradually below on frons; eye bulging, teardrop-shaped, occupying much of lateral head, labial and maxillary palpomeres with three and five articles, respectively; malar space ~0.3 × eye height, crossed by longitudinal groove; pre-hypostomal foveae absent; ocelli deeply inserted, with well-marked small sulci around them, ocellar area slightly produced on vertex; occipital carina long, extending from dorsal head towards malar area; scapal basin shallowly excavated, disc smooth, borders smoothly round, lacking carina or sharp edges; scape length 3.2 × maximum width; flagellum cylindrical, not distinctly fusiform, progressively shortened from F4 to F10 and with flattened ventral areas on F4–F11; outer contour of malar area distinctly angulate; main axis of mandible straight, strongly tapering apically, with basal tooth on laminar edge.

Mesosoma: Dorsum not flattened; pronotum relatively short, subequal with scutum in mid-line, posterior border deeply concave, crossed transversely by anterior and posterior grooves and longitudinally by a medial groove ( Fig. 8F); lateral depression slightly excavated, posterolateral lobe well separated from tegula, lacking posterolateral and posteromedial pits; notaulus deeply impressed, strongly converging posteriorly; parapsidal line well marked posteriorly; scutellum about half length of scutum in mid-line, with longitudinal medial groove anteromedially; mesopleuron anteriorly bordered by discrete carina, evenly convex, without transverse sulcus; metanotum about one-third of scutellum in mid-line, expanded and slightly depressed laterally, disc undifferentiated; propodeum box-like, with distinguishable lateral, dorsal, and posterior surfaces; dorsum of propodeum as long as high; dorsal and posterior surfaces medially crossed by contiguous longitudinal groove; dorsum and posterior surface delimited laterally by confluent grooves, metapostnotum vaguely distinguishable anteriorly on disc of dorsal propodeum; posterolateral corner round, lacking posterior propodeal projection, posterior surface gradually declivitous; tarsal claw with minute submedial tooth, nearly indistinguishable; dorsum of metafemur evenly convex, without anterior expansion; costal cell narrow, first abscissa of M diverging before 1cu-a, gently and smoothly curved submedially; Rs+M arising apically on M; medial cell indicated only by spectral nebulous veins; R1 distinguishable, apparently shorter than stigma; Rs short, smoothly curved, distal trace fading gradually towards distal margin.

Metasoma: Four exposed terga, internalized segments partly exposed, composing a very slender, relatively long, and delicate metasomal tube; sterna convex and undivided medially.

Female: Unknown.

Etymology

The name is drawn from Greek ‘proto’ meaning ‘first’, ‘gnathos’ meaning ‘jaw’, and ‘-sega’ from Amisega Cameron. The name is feminine.

† Protognathosega depilis sp. nov.

( Fig. 8)

ZooBank registration: LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:

Description

Holotype female ( DZUP Bur-1154a). Body length, ~ 3.6 mm.

Head: Upper limit of eye surpassing dorsal margin of lateral ocellus, inner margins strongly convergent on upper frons, continuing parallel until posterior margin of head; LID very narrow, 0.4 × eye width; lower gena 0.3 × eye width, upper gena nearly indistinct; lateral ocelli nearly touching inner margin of eye, closer together than with median ocellus; inner margin of antennal sockets nearly touching; F1 length 2.8 × breadth, subequal to combined length of F2 + F3; F11 evenly round, not acuminate; subantennal distance ~1 × MOD, lower medial margin of clypeus straight; head finely and sparsely punctate, particularly on vertex and below inner eye margin; gena smooth, apparently impunctate.

Mesosoma: Lower posterior corner of propleuron evenly round; metabasitarsus with distinctive comb of thin, suberect setae, preceding two rows of thick, short spines; dorsum of mesosoma regularly punctate, becoming coarser on scutellum; interspaces slightly rugose, particularly on pronotum and scutum; metanotum and propodeum mostly smooth.

Metasoma: T1–T3 laterally bordered by confluent strong carinae delimiting the laterotergites; metasomal terga coarsely punctate, becoming denser marginally on T2–T3; interspaces apparently densely rugose.

Vestiture indistinct, apparently mostly glabrous, except wing membrane and legs. Integument coloration apparently dark metallic green.

Male: Unknown.

Type material

Holotype female in amber piece DZUP Bur-1154a. The specimen is intact and well preserved. The amber matrix contains dense reddish particles that partly obscure the specimen, although most structures can be observed perfectly under strong light.

Etymology

The species name is a Latin adjective meaning ‘hairless’. Remarks

The compact short body of † Protognathosega resembles the extant Isegama Krombein and, to a lesser extent, Perissosega Krombein. Notwithstanding , † Protognathosega is readily distinguished based on the following combination of unique characters, which are absent in Isegama and Perissosega : female mandible with basal tooth on the laminar edge; frons longitudinally crossed by medial groove inserted between parallel crests, extending from median ocellus towards scapal basin; pronotum crossed transversely by anterior and posterior grooves; and scutellum crossed longitudinally by medial groove. Additionally, other combinations of characters found in Isegama and Perissosega are lacking in † Protognathosega as follows: scapal basin densely cross-ridged; disc of metanotum with distinct triangular enclosure; borders of scapal basin margined above and on upper side by a ridge ( Perissosega only); mesopleuron with distinct scrobal sulcus ( Isegama only); posterolateral corner of propodeum produced into long, acute spine ( Perissosega only).