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Issue: Vol. 8 No. 3: June 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-06-27
DOI: 10.11646/palaeoentomology.8.3.2
Page range: 243-248
Abstract views: 155
PDF downloaded: 6

Redescription and systematic affinities of Moltenia rieki Schlüter, 2000 (Xyelidae: Archexyelinae) (Molteno Formation, South Africa), one of the rare Gondwanan Triassic Hymenoptera

Faculty of Dinosaur Paleontology, Fukui Prefectural University, 4-1-1 Matsuoka , Eiheiji, Fukui 910-1195, Japan; Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie – Paris (CR2P), MNHN – CNRS – Sorbonne Université, Paris, France; The Kyushu University Museum, 6-10-1 Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan
Department of Natural History, Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany; Bonner Institut für Organismische Biologie, Abteilung Paläontologie, Universität Bonn, Germany
Evolutionary Studies Institute, Witwatersrand University, Johannesburg, South Africa
Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie – Paris (CR2P), MNHN – CNRS – Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
Xyelidae Archexyelinae Molteno Formation South Africa Symphyta sawfly RTI

Abstract

Using Reflectance Transformation Imaging, we re-examined the holotype of Moltenia rieki Schlüter, 2000, one of the few Triassic Hymenoptera known from Gondwana. The new data revealed characters of venation which were overlooked and/or misapprehended in the original description, and which have putative systematic relevance. Notably, the branching point of Rs, previously assumed to be located in a distal position, is actually located basal to the 2r-rs cross-vein, a trait suggesting a placement within the subfamily Archexyelinae. In combination with other traits, such as a very short 1-Rs and a fully sclerotized pterostigma, Moltenia rieki stands out as a distinctive member of this taxon. This study broadens our knowledge of early Hymenoptera evolution and suggests a wide Triassic distribution for Archexyelinae.

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