The Chironomidae diversity based on records from early Eocene Cambay amber, India, with implications on habitats of fossil Diptera

Abstract

A fossil fauna of Chironomidae in early Eocene Cambay amber from India is reported for the first time. The fossil assemblage consists of 192 specimens from five subfamilies. Chironomidae from Cambay amber represent a fauna whose composition in the fossil record is most similar to Dominican amber, with the exception of the presence of Podonominae in Cambay amber. Chironomidae genera recorded from Cambay amber indicate the presence of freshwater habitats and standing water bodies as well as springs. Incorporation of other dipteran groups from Cambay amber adds evidence of diverse aquatic and semi-aquatic habitats in the Cambay amber forest and implies entrapment of the fossils from a wide range of different locally separated areas.