AFFINITIES OF THE FOSSIL WASP, 
HOPLISIDEA KOHLIANA COCKERELL 
(HYMENOPTERA: SPHECIDAE: SPHECINAE) 
By A. S. Menke 1 and A. P. Rasnitsyn 2 
The fossil wasp, Hoplisidea kohliana, was described by Cockerell 
(1906) from a single specimen taken from the “Miocene” shales of 
Florissant, Colorado. These deposits are now regarded as Lower 
Oligocene (MacGintie, 1953). Cockerell placed Hoplisidea in the 
“Nyssonidae” and related it to the “Gorytinae.” He compared it with 
Gorytes mystaceus (now Argogorytes) and Gorytes quadrifasciatus, 
and stated that it came closest to “Hoplisus” (now Gorytes) in 
hindwing venation and general habitus. 
The specimen (MCZ type #2018) is a large wasp (20 mm long) 
preserved venter up (fig. 1). Unfortunately the antennae were not 
preserved. The mandibles are long and sickle-like. The occipital 
carina is a complete circle tangential with the hypostomal carina. 
One pair of wings is nearly intact — at least the venation is clear (fig. 
2). The stigma is narrow and elongate. There are 3 submarginal 
cells, the second of which receives both recurrent veins. The basal 
vein of the forewing is interstitial with cu-a, and it meets the 
subcosta well basad of the stigma. There is a forewing cloud through 
the marginal and submarginal cell area. The hindwing media 
diverges from M + Cu at crossvein cu-a. Unfortunately, the anal 
area of the hindwing is missing. The thorax and underside of the 
head are covered with long setae indicating that the wasp was fairly 
hairy. Similar long setae are visible on the abdominal sterna, but on 
III-V they seem restricted to a transverse row near the apex of each 
segment. The legs appear smooth, without obvious serration, and 
are rather slender. The coxae and femora have long setae, and one 
dislocated tarsus is spinose. The coxae are contiguous. The number 
of midtibial spurs and claw details are unclear. The connection 
between the gaster and propodeum is not clearly visible, but based 
on the shape of segment I, there was evidently a short petiole (dotted 
'Systematic Entomology Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, U.S.D.A., U.S. 
National Museum, Washington DC 20560 
2 Paleontological Institute, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow 117868. 
Manuscript received by the editor May 18, 1986 
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