A new, putatively primitive Cretaceous fossil braconid subfamily from New Jersey amber (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) HASAN H. BASIBUYUK,ALEXANDR P. RASNITSYN,KEES VAN ACHTERBERG,MIKE G. FITTON & DONALD L. J. QUICKE Accepted 17 December 1998 Basibuyuk, H. H., Rasnitsyn, A. P., Achterberg, C. van, Fitton, M. G. & Quicke, D. L. J. (1999) A new, putatively primitive Cretaceous fossil braconid subfamily from New Jersey amber (Hymenoptera, Braconidae). Ð Zoologica Scripta 28, 211±214. Protorhyssalus goldmani gen. n., sp. n., in a new subfamily of braconid wasps, the Protorhyssalinae, is described from Late Cretaceous amber fossils from New Jersey, USA. The Protorhyssalinae appears to be cyclostome and shows a similar set of plesiomorphic characters to the extant Rhyssalinae. However, it possesses hindwing vein 2-CU, a feature only found among the cyclostome braconids in the rare and putatively primitive Chilean subfamily Apozyginae. Hasan H. Basibuyuk, Unit of Parasitoid Systematics, CABI Bioscience UK Centre (Ascot), Department of Biology, Imperial College at Silwood Park, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, UK., Department of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK, and Department of Biology, Cumhuriyet University, 58140-Sivas, Turkey. E-mail: H.basibuyuk@nhm.ac.uk Alexandr P. Rasnitsyn, Palaeontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117647 Moscow, Russia. Kees Van Achterberg, Nationaal Natuurhistorisch Museum, Postbus 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands. Mike G. Fitton, Department of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK. Donald L. J. Quicke, Unit of Parasitoid Systematics, CABI Bioscience UK Centre (Ascot), Department of Biology, Imperial College at Silwood Park, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, UK, and Department of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK. Introduction We have recently had the opportunity to examine nine amber fossils of Braconidae from the New Jersey Late Cretaceous (Turonian), which are approximatley 92 million years old (Agosti et al. 1998). Although impression fossils of Braconidae are also known from the Cretaceous (Rasnitsyn 1983), the state of preservation of this new material is such that we have been able to see nearly all characters that are important for assessing subfamilial placement and relationships. The fossils appear to belong to a single species which displays a combination of charac- ters not known in any extant subfamily and we therefore erect a new subfamily here to receive them. Further, the presence in these of both cyclostome mouthparts and hindwing vein 2-CU has led us to reappraise the homolo- gies and signi®cance of various features of hindwing vena- tion within the family. Terminology follows van Achterberg (1988, 1993). Abbreviation for the museum holding specimens, The American Museum of Natural History, New York is AMNH. Family BRACONIDAE Subfamily Protorhyssalinae Basibuyuk, Quicke & van Achterberg, subfam. n. (Figs 1-6) Type genus. Protorhyssalus gen. n. by present designation and monotypy Description. Head orthognathous and almost certainly cyclostome (see Remarks). Clypeus short, lower margin concave medially and recessed. Mandibles robust with two teeth, upper tooth larger. Labio-maxillary complex slightly exserted. Maxillary palp with six segments. Pronotal collar long. Propleuron with longitudinal lateral carina produced posteriorly into a ¯ange which partly overlaps pronotum. Notauli complete and uniting at posterior margin of mesoscutum. Transscutal articulation absent. Scutellum strongly raised. Metapostnotum laterally exposed, sepa- rated from propodeum by a groove. Vein R of forewing, where it forms part of the combined C + SC + R, con¯u- ent with pterostigma. Forewing vein CU1b absent. Vein 2 m-cu absent. Vein 1-SR distinct. Vein SR1 reaching Q The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters . Zoologica Scripta, 28, 1±2, 1999, pp211±214 211