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Moltenia rieki n. gen., n. sp. (Hymenoptera: Xyelidae?, a tentative sawfly from the Molteno Formation (Upper Triassic), South Africa

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Kurzfassung

Der Vorderflügel vonMoltenia rieki, einer neuen Gattung und Art, die eventuell zur rezenten Hymenopteren-Familie der Blattwespen (Xyelidae) gehört, wird aus der Molteno-Formation (Obere Trias) von Südafrika beschrieben. Dieses Fossil stellt einen der ursprünglichsten Vertreter der Hymenopteren überhaupt und den ältesten Nachweis dieser Ordnung für das zentrale Gondwanaland dar. Aus den Merkmalen des Flügelgeäders läßt sich jedoch nicht mit Sicherheit auf das Vorhandensein von rezenten Teilgruppen der Hymenopteren während der Trias schließen.

Abstract

The fore wing of the new genus and speciesMoltenia rieki of the order Hymenoptera, tentatively belonging to the family Xyelidae, is described from the Molteno Formation (Upper Triassic) of South Africa. This fossil is a representative from the early evolutionary history of this order and the oldest Hymenoptera from central Gondwanaland. However, the plesiomorphic characters in its wing venation do not allow a clear assignment to a recent subgroup of the Hymenoptera, although generally it can be assumed that the Xyelidae had a much higher diversity during the Triassic than today.

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  1. UNESCO Nairobi Office, UN Gigiri Complex, P. O. Box 30592, Nairobi, Kenya

    Thomas Schlüter

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  1. Thomas Schlüter
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Correspondence to Thomas Schlüter.

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Schlüter, T. Moltenia rieki n. gen., n. sp. (Hymenoptera: Xyelidae?, a tentative sawfly from the Molteno Formation (Upper Triassic), South Africa. Paläont. Z. 74, 75–78 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02987953

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02987953

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