Brachyceran Diptera (Insecta) in Cretaceous ambers, Part IV, Significant New Orthorrhaphous Taxa.

David A Grimaldi,Martin Hauser,Antonio Arillo,Jeffrey M Cumming

doi:10.3897/zookeys.148.1809

Abstract

Thirteen species of basal Brachycera (11 described as new) are reported, belonging to nine families and three infraorders. They are preserved in amber from the Early Cretaceous (Neocomian) of Lebanon, Albian of northern Spain, upper Albian to lower Cenomanian of northern Myanmar, and Late Cretaceous of New Jersey USA (Turonian) and Alberta, Canada (Campanian). Taxa are as follows, with significance as noted: In Stratiomyomorpha: Stratiomyidae (Cretaceogaster pygmaeus Teskey [2 new specimens in Canadian amber], Lysistrata emerita Grimaldi & Arillo, gen. et sp. n. [stem-group species of the family in Spanish amber]), and Xylomyidae (Cretoxyla azari Grimaldi & Cumming, gen. et sp. n. [in Lebanese amber], and an undescribed species from Spain). In Tabanomorpha: Tabanidae (Cratotabanus newjerseyensis Grimaldi, sp. n., in New Jersey amber). In Muscomorpha: Acroceridae (Schlingeromyia minuta Grimaldi & Hauser, gen. et sp. n. and Burmacyrtus rusmithi Grimaldi & Hauser gen. et sp. n., in Burmese amber, the only definitive species of the family from the Cretaceous); Mythicomyiidae (Microburmyia analvena Grimaldi & Cumming gen. et sp. n. and Microburmyia veanalvena Grimaldi & Cumming, sp. n., stem-group species of the family, both in Burmese amber); Apsilocephalidae or near (therevoid family-group) (Kumaromyia burmitica Grimaldi & Hauser, gen. et sp. n. [in Burmese amber]); Apystomyiidae (Hilarimorphites burmanica Grimaldi & Cumming, sp. n. [in Burmese amber], whose closest relatives are from the Late Jurassic of Kazachstan, the Late Cretaceous of New Jersey, and Recent of California). Lastly, two species belonging to families incertae sedis, both in Burmese amber: Tethepomyiidae (Tethepomyia zigrasi Grimaldi & Arillo sp. n., the aculeate oviscapt of which indicates this family was probably parasitoidal and related to Eremochaetidae); and unplaced to family is Myanmyia asteiformia Grimaldi, gen. et sp. n., a minute fly with highly reduced venation. These new taxa significantly expand the Mesozoic fossil record of rare and phylogenetically significant taxa of lower Brachycera.

Highlights

Fossils, flies, Lebanon, Myanmar, New Jersey, Spain. This is the fourth paper in a series devoted to the Cretaceous record of brachyceran flies preserved in amber, the original work being a treatment of orthorrhaphans and Cyclorrhapha (Grimaldi and Cumming 1999), and the second and third being treatments of the enigmatic families Tethepomyiidae (Grimaldi and Arillo 2008) and Chimeromyiidae (Grimaldi et al 2009)
Updates to the original 1999 monograph are necessary since additional Brachycera have been uncovered in all of the major Cretaceous amber deposits dealt with (i.e., New Jersey, western Canada, Lebanon), but, most importantly, diverse Brachycera have been discovered in amber from the Early Cretaceous (Albian) of northern Spain (Alonso et al 2000; Delclòs et al 2007; Peñalver and Delclòs 2010) and the Late Albian to Early Cenomanian of northern Myanmar (Grimaldi et al 2002; Cruikshank and Ko 2003)
Other tabanids in amber are from the Miocene of the Dominican Republic and the Eocene Baltic amber (Evenhuis 1994)

Summary

Introduction

This is the fourth paper in a series devoted to the Cretaceous record of brachyceran flies preserved in amber, the original work being a treatment of orthorrhaphans and Cyclorrhapha (Grimaldi and Cumming 1999), and the second and third being treatments of the enigmatic families Tethepomyiidae (Grimaldi and Arillo 2008) and Chimeromyiidae (Grimaldi et al 2009). Updates to the original 1999 monograph are necessary since additional Brachycera have been uncovered in all of the major Cretaceous amber deposits dealt with (i.e., New Jersey, western Canada, Lebanon), but, most importantly, diverse Brachycera have been discovered in amber from the Early Cretaceous (Albian) of northern Spain (Alonso et al 2000; Delclòs et al 2007; Peñalver and Delclòs 2010) and the Late Albian to Early Cenomanian of northern Myanmar (Grimaldi et al 2002; Cruikshank and Ko 2003)

Materials and methods

Discussion