The first protopsyllidiid (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha) from the Upper Jurassic of Australia

Abstract

The Protopsyllidiidae are an extinct group of plant-sucking hemipterans that were distributed worldwide. However, Jurassic and Cretaceous taxa have only been reported from the Northern Hemisphere. Here we describe and illustrate a new protopsylliidid, Talbragaropsyllidium averyi gen. et sp. nov., based on 11 well-preserved specimens from the Upper Jurassic Talbragar Fish Bed of New South Wales, Australia. These specimens represent the first Jurassic protopsyllidiid documented from both the Southern Hemisphere and Gondwana, which significantly extends the distributional and stratigraphical range of the family. Yuling Li [yulingli@connect.hku.hk] and Su-Chin Chang [suchin@hku.hk], Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China; Michael Frese [michael.frese@canberra.edu.au], Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Canberra, Bruce, ACT 2601, Australia; Robert Beattie [rgbeattie@bigpond.com], Australian Museum Research Institute, 1 William Street, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia; Jun Chen [rubiscada@sina.com], Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Shuangling Road, Linyi 276000, China; Yuling Li and Jun Chen also affiliated with State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, China.