Abstract
Amecephala pusillagen. et sp. nov. is described and illustrated on the basis of a well-preserved female psyllid (Liadopsyllidae) in a piece of Cretaceous Myanmar amber. The new genus differs from other members of Liadopsyllidae in details of the antennae and forewings. For the first time, the presence of a circumanal ring is documented for Mesozoic psyllids. Based on differences in the length of female terminalia, it is suggested that Liadopsyllidae may have displayed a diversified oviposition biology. As far as known, Liadopsyllidae lack a pulvillus, a putative autapomorphy supporting the monophyly of Liadopsyllidae. An identification key to genera and an annotated checklist of known Liadopsyllidae species are provided. New synonyms and combinations are proposed and the status of the subfamily Miralinae is discussed.
Highlights
Psyllids or jumping plant-lice are a group of small, generally host-specific plant-sap sucking insects with around 4000 described s pecies[1]
Recent molecular phylogenetic analyses of modern Psylloidea[20] support largely the classification by Burckhardt & Ouvrard[1] which is based to a great extent on the morphology of immatures and on adult characters such as details of the head, legs and terminalia
The remaining two characters constitute autapomorphies defining Mirala but leaving Liadopsyllidae sensu Shcherbakov[9], Malmopsyllidae sensu Shcherbakov[9] and Malmopsyllinae sensu Shcherbakov[9] undefined (plesiomorphies!) in a phylogeny based c lassification[23]
Summary
Psyllids or jumping plant-lice are a group of small, generally host-specific plant-sap sucking insects with around 4000 described s pecies[1]. The stem-group of modern psyllids constitutes, according to Burckhardt & Poinar, 2 0194, the paraphyletic Liadopsyllidae Martynov, 1 9265 with 17 species and six genera (Liadopsylla Handlirsch, 1 9256, Gracilinervia Becker-Migdisova, 19857, Malmopsylla Becker-Migdisova, 19857, Mirala Burckhardt & Poinar, 20194, Neopsylloides Becker-Migdisova, 19857 and Pauropsylloides BeckerMigdisova, 19857) from early Jurassic to late C retaceous. He transferred two previously described species from Liadopsylla to Cretapsylla Shcherbakov[9] Further he resurrected the Malmopsyllidae Becker-Migdisova, 1 9857 splitting it into Malmopsyllinae (for Gracilinervia, Malmopsylla, Neopsylloides and Pauropsylloides) and Miralinae S hcherbakov[9] (for Mirala). Order Hemiptera Linnaeus, 175817 Suborder Sternorrhyncha Amyot et Audinet-Serville, 1 84318 Superfamily Psylloidea Latreille, 180719 Family Liadopsyllidae Martynov, 1 9265
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