Long-headed predators in Cretaceous amber—fossil findings of an unusual type of lacewing larva

Abstract

Lacewing larvae (Neuroptera) are known to be fierce predators which are morphologically highly specialised for a raptorial lifestyle. Mandibular-maxillary stylets are characteristic for all larvae of this group; these stylets can be extraordinarily massive. Despite these distinct sucking-piercing stylets, also other extreme features occur in some ingroups, such as an extremely elongated neck. In larvae of thread-winged lacewings (Crocinae) the neck can reach up to about one third of the body length; they are also called ‘long-necked antlions’. Even though the larvae of living neuropteran species show a variety of conspicuous morphologies today, indeed 100 million years ago, in the Cretaceous, Neuroptera seems to have had an even more “experimental phase”. Several larval specimens are known so far especially in Myanmar, Spanish and Lebanese amber from the Cretaceous with unique and unusual character combinations not found in any group living today. We describe here ten new fossil findings of one of these types of larvae with elongated head capsule in Myanmar amber, previously only known from a single specimen. We compared the head shapes of the new specimens with those of 190 specimens of other lacewing larvae and discuss further implications of our findings, especially making functional comparisons with long-necked antlions.