Dryinus grimaldii
Encyclopedia
Dryinus grimaldii is an extinct species
of wasp
in the dryinid
genus Dryinus. The species is solely known from the early Miocene
, Burdigalian
stage, Dominican amber
deposits on the island of Hispaniola
.
, specimen number "AMNH, No. DR-10-1426" and paratype
, specimen number "AMNH, No. DR-10-1423". Three additional specimens, two labeled "H-10-23C" and one labeled "H-10-100", were identified later and were used in a redescription of the species. The holotype and paratype specimens are composed of complete female specimens which are entombed in blocks of orange colored amber. The type specimens are currently preserved in the paleoentomology collections housed in the American Museum of Natural History
, located in Manhattan
, New York City
, USA. The three additional specimens are part of the private amber collection maintained by George Poinar, Jr.
from Oregon State University
in Corvallis, Oregon
, USA. D. grimaldii was first studied by Massimo Olmi of the University of Tuscia, Viterbo
, Lazio region, Italy. Olmi's 1995 type description of the new species was published in Redia: Journal of Entomology. Olmi coined the specific epithet grimaldii in honor of David Grimaldi
, Curator of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History. At the time of the species description, Dryinus grimaldii was only Dryinus species placed in the lamellatus species group to be described. In 2011 Olmi and Adalgisa Guglielmino redescribed D. grimaldii based on the type specimens and the three newly identified specimen in the Poinar collection. They also described a second Dominican amber lamellatus species, D. rasnitsyni
which bring to fossil record for the species group to two.
on the front pair of legs are modified into claws each with a pair of teeth just below the claw apex. The morphology of the claw is a key distinguishing feature between D. grimaldii and D. rasnitsyni, which has a much more spatulate shaped claw then that of D. grimaldii. The antennae of D. grimaldii are notably long, being over nine times the length of the head, with a filiform morphology. The ten antennomere segments have a coating of dense short hairs.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of wasp
Wasp
The term wasp is typically defined as any insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a bee nor an ant. Almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it or parasitizes it, making wasps critically important in natural control of their...
in the dryinid
Dryinidae
Dryinidae is a family of hymenopteran insects with about 1,400 described species found worldwide. These are solitary wasps whose larvae are parasitoids on other insects. The only known hosts are Hemiptera, especially leafhoppers....
genus Dryinus. The species is solely known from the early Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
, Burdigalian
Burdigalian
The Burdigalian is, in the geologic timescale, an age or stage in the early Miocene. It spans the time between 20.43 ± 0.05 Ma and 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma...
stage, Dominican amber
Dominican amber
Dominican amber is amber from the Dominican Republic. Resin from the extinct species Hymenaea protera is the source of Dominican amber and probably of most amber found in the tropics....
deposits on the island of Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
.
History and classification
Dryinus grimaldii is known from a total of five female fossils, the holotypeHolotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
, specimen number "AMNH, No. DR-10-1426" and paratype
Paratype
Paratype is a technical term used in the scientific naming of species and other taxa of organisms. The exact meaning of the term paratype when it is used in zoology is not the same as the meaning when it is used in botany...
, specimen number "AMNH, No. DR-10-1423". Three additional specimens, two labeled "H-10-23C" and one labeled "H-10-100", were identified later and were used in a redescription of the species. The holotype and paratype specimens are composed of complete female specimens which are entombed in blocks of orange colored amber. The type specimens are currently preserved in the paleoentomology collections housed in the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
, located in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, USA. The three additional specimens are part of the private amber collection maintained by George Poinar, Jr.
George Poinar, Jr.
George O. Poinar, Jr. is an entomologist and writer. He is known for popularizing the idea of extracting DNA from insects fossilized in amber, an idea which received widespread attention when adapted by Michael Crichton for the book and movie Jurassic Park.Poinar earned a B.S. and M.S. at Cornell...
from Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
in Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
, USA. D. grimaldii was first studied by Massimo Olmi of the University of Tuscia, Viterbo
Viterbo
See also Viterbo, Texas and Viterbo UniversityViterbo is an ancient city and comune in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo. It is approximately 80 driving / 80 walking kilometers north of GRA on the Via Cassia, and it is surrounded by the Monti Cimini and...
, Lazio region, Italy. Olmi's 1995 type description of the new species was published in Redia: Journal of Entomology. Olmi coined the specific epithet grimaldii in honor of David Grimaldi
David Grimaldi
David A. Grimaldi is an entomologist and Curator of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. He received his graduate training at Cornell University, where he earned his doctorate in Entomology in 1986. Dr. Grimaldi is an authority in many fields of insect...
, Curator of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History. At the time of the species description, Dryinus grimaldii was only Dryinus species placed in the lamellatus species group to be described. In 2011 Olmi and Adalgisa Guglielmino redescribed D. grimaldii based on the type specimens and the three newly identified specimen in the Poinar collection. They also described a second Dominican amber lamellatus species, D. rasnitsyni
Dryinus rasnitsyni
Dryinus rasnitsyni is an extinct species of wasp in the dryinid genus Dryinus. The species is solely known from the early Miocene, Burdigalian stage, Dominican amber deposits on the island of Hispaniola.-History and classification:...
which bring to fossil record for the species group to two.
Description
Dryinus grimaldii females ranges in size from 4.3 to 6.3 mm (0.169291338582677 to 0.248031496062992 in) with a overall body coloration thought to have been brick-red to brownish-yellow. The chelaChela
Chela has two main meanings. One derivation comes from Hindi from Sanskrit , meaning "slave" or "servant". In English, the word means a religious student or disciple...
on the front pair of legs are modified into claws each with a pair of teeth just below the claw apex. The morphology of the claw is a key distinguishing feature between D. grimaldii and D. rasnitsyni, which has a much more spatulate shaped claw then that of D. grimaldii. The antennae of D. grimaldii are notably long, being over nine times the length of the head, with a filiform morphology. The ten antennomere segments have a coating of dense short hairs.