First stratiomyomorphan larvae in the mid-Cretaceous amber from Myanmar (Diptera: Brachycera)

Abstract

Two different stratiomyomorphan larvae are described and illustrated based on two well-preserved specimens from the mid-Cretaceous amber of Myanmar. They both exhibit the diagnostic feature of the Stratiomyomorpha: integument hardened and shagreened with small rounded facets. One of the larvae (form 1) presents distinctive morphological characters of both Stratiomyidae and Xylomyidae: prothoracic and mesothoracic segments with normal shagreened pattern on dorsum and venter, a transverse row of teeth developed before the anal cleft, and anal plates bordered with a row of similar teeth. These features may indicate that form 1 occupies a basal position within the clade Xylomyidae + Stratiomyidae. This new material is the first record of stratiomyomorphan larvae from Burmese amber.