The first jumping plant-louse from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber and its impact on the classification of Mesozoic psylloids (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Psylloidea s. l.)

Abstract

The first jumping plant-louse from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber is described as Mirala burmanica gen. et sp. nov. The absence of modified hind legs places the new taxon near the Mesozoic Liadopsyllidae (1 genus, 12 species) and Malmopsyllidae (4 genera, 4 species). The latter is defined by the presence of a pterostigma in the fore wing but is otherwise morphologically heterogeneous. Mirala has a pterostigma but shares also characters with Liadopsyllidae. It is concluded that Malmopsyllidae is polyphyletic and following synonymy is proposed: Liadopsyllidae = Malmopsyllidae syn. nov. Mirala differs from the other five Mesozoic psylloid genera in the straight, subparallel veins Rs, M and Cu1a, the unforked vein M in the fore wing and the straight vein Cu1b which is directed toward the wing base. A key is provided for the identification of the genera of Liadopsyllidae. The new taxon described here represents only the third specimen of Liadopsyllidae preserved in amber, and the fourth species from the Cretaceous (the majority being Jurassic). A member of the plant family Lauraceae is discussed as a possible host plant for the psyllid lineage in Burmese amber.