| Rotoita basalis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Rotoitidae |
| Genus: | Rotoita |
| Species: | R. basalis |
| Binomial name | |
| Rotoita basalis | |
Rotoita basalis is a small parasitic wasp in the relictual family Rotoitidae. It is known only from New Zealand, and its closest known living relative (and only other extant species in the same family) is endemic to Chile ( Chiloe micropteron ).
Rotoitids are very near to the base of the chalcidoid family tree, close to the Mymaridae. [1] Unusual characteristics of Rotoita include a 14-segmented antennae in the female with a distinct 6-segmented clava (club-like segments at the end of antennae), a basal vein in the fore wing, a transverse scutellum, extremely reduced and hidden prepectus, and absence of notauli. [2]
Specimens are approximately 1mm in length. [3]
The family was established for the new genus and species Rotoita basalis by Zdenek Boucek and John S. Noyes in 1987, based on three fully winged females from New Zealand. The authors stated that they also had two other females from the North and South Islands of New Zealand that might represent two additional species. [4]
Nothing is actually known about Rotoita biology.
A slide-mounted female from St. Arnaud (formally Rotoiti Village [5] ) is listed as a paratype used to describe the species. [4] Lake Rotoiti is a large fresh water body and a dominant feature when visiting Saint Arnaud Village: it was inspiration when naming the genus. The Maori name "Rotoiti" translates simply as "Little Lake".
Hymenoptera is a large order of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. Over 150,000 living species of Hymenoptera have been described, in addition to over 2,000 extinct ones. Many of the species are parasitic.
Chalcid wasps are insects within the superfamily Chalcidoidea, part of the order Hymenoptera. The superfamily contains some 22,500 known species, and an estimated total diversity of more than 500,000 species, meaning the vast majority have yet to be discovered and described. The name "chalcid" is often confused with the name "chalcidid", though the latter refers strictly to one constituent family, the Chalcididae, rather than the superfamily as a whole; accordingly, most recent publications (e.g.,) use the name "chalcidoid" when referring to members of the superfamily.
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The Braconidae are a family of parasitoid wasps. After the closely related Ichneumonidae, braconids make up the second-largest family in the order Hymenoptera, with about 17,000 recognized species and many thousands more undescribed. One analysis estimated a total between 30,000 and 50,000, and another provided a narrower estimate between 42,000 and 43,000 species.
The Mymaridae, commonly known as fairyflies or fairy wasps, are a family of chalcid wasps found in temperate and tropical regions throughout the world. The family contains around 100 genera with 1400 species.
The Mymarommatidae, sometimes referred to as False fairy wasps. are a very small family of microscopic hymenopteran insects. Only about half of the known species are living taxa, but they are known from all parts of the world. Undoubtedly, many more await discovery, as they are easily overlooked and difficult to study due to their extremely small size.
The Pergidae are a moderate-sized family of sawflies occurring in the Western Hemisphere and the Australasian Region. The Pergidae are, with almost 450 described species, the third-largest family of Symphyta after the Tenthredinidae and the Argidae. Morphologically, most pergids are typically sawfly-like, but the form of the antennae varies considerably in number of segments and from simple to serrate and pectinate or even bipectinate. Sexual dimorphism is common and reflected in differences in type of antennae, colour, and size. Included are some of the few known apterous sawflies, those of the genus Cladomacra occurring in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, and a species with brachypterous females, Clarissa tasbates, in Tasmania.
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The Rotoitidae are a very small family of rare, relictual parasitic wasps in the superfamily Chalcidoidea, known primarily from fossils. Only two extant species are known, each in its own genus, one from New Zealand and one from Chile, and little is known about their biology. Females of the Chilean species, Chiloe micropteron, have their wings reduced to tiny bristles. Most fossil species are known from the Taimyr amber of Russia and Canadian amber, but one species, Baeomorpha liorum is known from the Burmese amber.
Rotoiti is:
Myanmymar is an extinct genus of fairyfly preserved in Burmese amber from Myanmar. It has only one species, Myanmymar aresconoides. It is dated to the earliest part of the Cenomanian stage of the Late Cretaceous, around 99 million years old. As of 2011, it is the oldest known fossil mymarid.
Chiloe micropteron is a species of wasp of the family Rotoitidae. The species was described by Gibson and Huber in 2000 from specimens collected in Chile. The generic name is derived from Chiloé Island where many of the specimens were collected, and the species name is derived from its very small fore wings.
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Archencyrtus is an extinct genus of wasp in the Chalcidoidea family Encyrtidae. The genus contains a single described species, Archencyrtus rasnitsyni known from a Middle Eocene fossil that was found in Eastern Asia.
John Stuart Noyes is a Welsh entomologist.
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