scholarly journals The blueprint of the Amphiesmenoptera – Tarachoptera, a new order of insects from Burmese amber (Insecta, Amphiesmenoptera)

Fossil Record ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfram Mey ◽  
Wilfried Wichard ◽  
Patrick Müller ◽  
Bo Wang

Abstract. Based on a total of 14 inclusions from Burmese amber the new insect order Tarachoptera is established. The family Tarachocelidae previously described from Burmese amber and then placed in Amphiesmenoptera incertae sedis is assigned to this new order. The genus Kinitocelis gen. nov. is established to accommodate three new fossil species: K. hennigi spec. nov., K. divisinotata spec. nov. and K. brevicostata spec. nov. The new genus differs from Tarachocelis gen. nov. by the absence of androconial scales on the wings and the loss of Cu2 in the forewings. The species are described in detail and the critical characters are illustrated by line drawings and photos. Both males and females were described. The species can be distinguished by traits in the wing venation. The new order Tarachoptera is placed in the superorder Amphiesmenoptera based on the presence of seven amphiesmenopteran apomorphies and nine tarachopteran apomorphies. Apomorphic characters of Trichoptera and Lepidoptera could not be disclosed, which suggests an independent origin and evolution from an amphiesmenopteran ancestor which was not the ancestor of the Trichoptera-Lepidoptera clade. The species of Tarachoptera are tiny insects with a wing span of 2.3–4.5 mm but highly specialized according to their aberrant morphology. Aspects of the presumed life history of the adults were deduced from some of the derived morphological traits that could be interpreted as adaptations to a highly structured micro-environment.

2001 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 381-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nils Møller Andersen ◽  
David Grimaldi

AbstractSemiaquatic bugs (Hemiptera: Gerromorpha) comprise about 1,800 extant species classified in eight families. So far, 38 fossil species belonging to six families have been described or recorded, most of Cenozoic age. Knowledge about the evolutionary history of the major groups of Gerromorpha is seriously hampered by the scarcity of well-preserved Mesozoic fossils, especially from the Cretaceous. The present paper reports on a well-preserved semiaquatic bug from amber collected in the northern part of Myanmar (Burma). The source of this fossiliferous amber was previously considered to be Eocene in age, but recent evidence indicates that it originated in the Middle Cretaceous (Turonian-Cenomanian), or 100-90 Ma. The fossil species is described as Carinametra burmensis gen. et sp. n. The presence of three pairs of cephalic trichobothria, a prolonged head, long slender antennae and legs, reduced wing venation, etc., places the fossil in the gerromorphan family Hydrometridae or water measurers. Other characters suggest a close relationship with the two extant genera of the most basal of the hydrometrid subfamilies, Heterocleptinae. We present and discuss the available evidence used in the dating of Burmese amber. Finally, we discuss the phylogenetic, paleobiological, and biogeographic significance of the new fossil.


Author(s):  
Wolfram Mey ◽  
Wilfried Wichard ◽  
Patrick Müller ◽  
Bo Wang

During examination of new material of Burmese amber three individuals of Tarachoptera were discovered. The inclusions are sufficiently well preserved and allow identification and description of these rare, fossil insects. The species belong to the family Tarachocelidae and are described as Kinitocelis macroptera spec. nov. (†) and Retortocelis spicipalpia spec. nov. (†). The species and their preservations are described in detail, and photos and line drawings are provided for wing venation, head, mouthparts, and abdomen. The hitherto described species of Tarachoptera are summarized in a checklist.   Taxonomic acts Kinitocelis macroptera Mey & Wichard, spec. nov. – urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:E0B1624A-C69E-4B53-851F-4368AC21C614Retortocelis spicipalpia Mey & Wichard, spec. nov. – urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9778E7E2-EEFE-4DC5-B891-54DF114D525C


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 47 ◽  
Author(s):  
RYSZARD SZADZIEWSKI ◽  
ELŻBIETA SONTAG

The family Corethrellidae, called frog-biting midges, with the single genus Corethrella Coquillett, 1902, is a small group of dipterans including 107 extant species (Borkent, 2017). Females of most species are haematophagous and feed on males of frogs and toads locating them by their calls (Borkent, 2008). Extant frog-biting midges have a pantropical distribution, absent in Europe, north Africa, middle and northern Asia (Giłka & Szadziewski, 2009). The genus during its phylogenetic history dated back to Lower Cretaceous (125–129 Ma) had a broader geographical distribution, and during Eocene was present in Europe. Till now nine fossil species have been described from Lower Cretaceous Lebanese amber (1), mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber (1), Eocene Baltic amber (5) and Miocene Dominican amber (2) (a complete annotated list is provided below). 


Fossil Record ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-236
Author(s):  
Volker Lohrmann ◽  
Qi Zhang ◽  
Peter Michalik ◽  
Jeremy Blaschke ◽  
Patrick Müller ◽  
...  

Abstract. Rhopalosomatidae, currently considered the sister group of the Vespidae, are an enigmatic family of aculeate wasps that originated in the Late Jurassic or Early Cretaceous. Despite their considerable age, very few fossils of the family have been reported – all of them in amber (Miocene Dominican, Miocene Mexican, and mid-Cretaceous Burmese ambers). Here we report a new mid-Cretaceous rhopalosomatid wasp, Cretolixon alatum Lohrmann, gen. et sp. nov., from Burmese (Kachin) amber. This new genus has a unique mixture of characters, some of which are only known from the recent brachypterous genus Olixon and others of which are known only from the recent macropterous genera. Thus, Cretolixon Lohrmann, gen. nov. not only provides further evidence for the monophyly of the family but also contributes evidence for the monophyly of the Rhopalosomatinae. Key characters of the family are discussed, and an updated checklist of the world genera and fossil species and occurrences of Rhopalosomatidae is provided. Additionally, a chemical analysis was performed for three of the newly reported fossils as well as for the amber piece containing the rhopalosomatid larva described by Lohrmann and Engel (2017) to ascertain their amber vs. copal nature and their affinities with each other and previously described Burmese amber.


Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4320 (3) ◽  
pp. 597 ◽  
Author(s):  
PAVEL SROKA ◽  
ANDRÉ NEL

A new fossil species of the family Compsocidae, namely Burmacompsocus coniugans sp. nov. is described from Late Cretaceous Burmese amber. Diagnostic characters separating the new species from the previously known representatives of the genus are discussed. Details of mouthparts and genitalia are described for the genus for the first time. The discovery of the new species supports the hypothesis of higher Compsocidae diversity existing in the past compared with the present. 


Author(s):  
Erok Tihelka ◽  
Diying Huang ◽  
Chenyang Cai

A new genus belonging to the cucujoid family Helotidae, Trihelota gen. nov., is described from mid-Cretaceous (ca.99 million years old) amber from Kachin State, northern Myanmar, containing a single species T. fulvata sp. nov. The minute fossil was documented using fluorescence microscopy and X-ray microtomography to reveal fine morphological details. Trihelota is characterised by its transverse head, antennal club about 1.5 times longer than wide, pronotum almost parallel-sided, and elytra not costate. Notably, each elytron possesses three coloured spots, a character unique within Helotidae. The new genus considerably expands the known morphological disparity of Cretaceous helotids. A keyto extinct and extant genera of the family Helotidae is provided along with a checklist of fossil species.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
George Poinar Jr. ◽  
Fernando E. Vega

A new genus and species of apsilocephalid flies, Cascomixticus tubuliferous gen. et sp. nov. (Diptera: Asiloidea: Apsilocephalidae) is described from Burmese amber. Assignment to the Apsilocephalidae is based on the wing venation that is very similar to extant members of the family. The present fossil differs from known genera of this family by a long labellum bearing tactochemical papillae, a long tubular hypopharynx and a pointed labrum as well as the structure of the scape and pedicel. The long, tubular hypopharynx may have been used to obtain nectar from angiosperm flowers, however the function of the sharp-tipped labrum is unknown.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 523-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
ERIK TIHELKA ◽  
DIYING HUANG ◽  
CHENYANG CAI

Brachypsectridae is a species-poor elateroid family containing two extant genera with a disjunct distribution range spanning the Nearctic, Palaearctic, Oriental, and Australian regions. Here we describe a second Texas beetle from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, Hongipsectra electrella gen. et sp. nov. The new genus can be distinguished from all hitherto known brachypsectrids by the 11-segmented sexually dimorphic antennae with antennomeres 6–10 bilamellate in males and serrate in females, pronotum with a pair of posterolateral carinae and an M-shaped notch in the posterior margin for the reception of a cordiform scutellum. The present discovery adds a fourth genus and eleventh species to Brachypsectridae. Given that two of the known Texas beetle genera are from the Cretaceous Burmese amber, the family probably have been much more widespread and diverse in the Mesozoic than it is today. A key to the extant and fossil genera of Brachypsectridae is provided, along with a list of fossil species.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 036-040
Author(s):  
ZIWEI YIN ◽  
DEYAO ZHOU

The tribe Scydmaenini is the second most diverse group of the ant-like stone beetle subfamily Scydmaeninae, with more than 730 extant species classified in seven extant genera (Newton, 2019). However, confirmed fossil records important for elucidating the evolutionary history of the tribe are extremely rare, represented by only two species previously reported from mid-Cretaceous Myanmar amber (Yin et al., 2018; Yin & Cai, 2019). Provided in this paper is the description of a third fossil species of Scydmaenini, again from Burmese amber, which sheds new light on the palaeodiversity and morphological disparity of this group during its early evolutionary stage.


Zootaxa ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2802 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. WILLIAMS ◽  
P. J. GULLAN ◽  
D. R. MILLER ◽  
D. MATILE-FERRERO5 ◽  
SARAH I. HAN

For almost a century, the scale insect genus Puto Signoret (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea) was considered to belong to the family Pseudococcidae (the mealybugs), but recent consensus accords Puto its own family, the Putoidae. This paper reviews the taxonomic history of Puto and family Putoidae, compares the morphology of Puto to that of Ceroputo Šulc and Phenacoccus Cockerell, and reassesses the status of all species that have been placed in Puto to determine whether they belong to the Putoidae or to the Pseudococcidae. For 49 of 57 species that have been placed in Puto, as listed in the online database ScaleNet, we score and tabulate features that are diagnostic for Putoidae and then list all species in their correct family placement. For comparison, we include a few species of Pseudococcidae, namely five species of Phenacoccus, including the type species Phenacoccus aceris (Signoret), and the type species of Ceroputo, C. pilosellae Šulc. We provide revised synonymy lists for Puto and Ceroputo, a brief diagnosis of each genus, synonymy lists and notes for several species for which we suggest recombinations or additional synonyms, or for which we have additional data on morphology. We provide a brief diagnosis of Phenacoccus for comparison with Ceroputo and Puto. As a result of our study, we recognise 47 extant and two fossil species of Puto, and six species of Ceroputo. The New World species Puto mimicus McKenzie and Puto nulliporus McKenzie are transferred to the mealybug genus Ceroputo as Ceroputo mimicus (McKenzie) comb. nov. and Ceroputo nulliporus (McKenzie) comb. nov., respectively, and the Old World species Puto pini Danzig and Puto vaccinii Danzig are recognised as Ceroputo pini (Danzig) comb. rev. and Ceroputo vaccinii (Danzig) comb. rev., respectively, in agreement with Tang (1992). The Old World species Puto graminis Danzig is transferred to Ceroputo as Ceroputo graminis (Danzig) comb. nov. Based only on a study of the literature, the following two names are treated here as junior subjective synonyms of Ceroputo pilosellae: Phenacoccus asteri Takahashi syn. nov. and Puto jarudensis Tang syn. nov. We agree with Tang (1992) that Leococcus erigeroneus Kanda should be treated as a junior subjective synonym of C. pilosellae and thus the genus name Leococcus Kanda, erected for L. erigeroneus and formerly treated as a junior synonym of Puto, is a junior synonym of Ceroputo.


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