A new sinoalid froghopper in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, with inference of its phylogenetic position (Hemiptera, Cicadomorpha)

Abstract

The froghopper family Sinoalidae was previously recognized from the uppermost Middle–lowermost Upper Jurassic Daohugou Biota and coeval strata of northeastern China. Very recently, a froghopper bearing some unique morphological characters from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber was described and placed in this family. Here, a second sinoalid taxon Jiaotouia minuta Chen and Wang, gen. et sp. nov., is described and illustrated from Burmese amber, and a cladistic analysis is also performed to establish its phylogenetic position. The new taxon can be discriminated from all known sinoalids by displaying some unique tegminal characters as follows: Pc+CP extremely long, extending to apical margin and slightly concave at end of longitudinal veins at apical margin, and MP connected to CuA1 by fusing into a common stalk instead of crossvein mp-cua. Our find further explores the taxonomic diversity and morphological disparity of Sinoalidae.