Cretaceous Burmese Amber Research Articles

Discovery of supposedly “Gondwanan” myrmeleontoids (Neuroptera) in the Lower Cretaceous of South Korea

Two new species of myrmeleontoid neuropterans are described from the Lower Cretaceous (Albian) of the Jinju formation (South Korea), Araripenymphes koreicus sp.nov. (Cratosmylidae) and Araripeneura asiatica sp.nov. (Araripeneuridae). This is the first Mesozoic record of Myrmeleontoidea from the Korean Peninsula. Genera Araripeneura Martins-Neto and Vulcano, 1989 and Araripenymphes Menon et al., 2005 have long been known only from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil. Recently Araripenymphes was discovered in middle Cretaceous Burmese amber, which was considered as evidence for its Gondwanan origin. However, new records of these genera from the Lower Cretaceous of South Korea indicate that their distribution was in fact not Gondwanan, but cross-continental, contrary to initial suggestions.

Recent Southern Hemisphere Lamprimine Stag Beetle in Cretaceous Burmese Amber and Its Biogeographic Implications (Coleoptera: Lucanidae).

A new stag beetle fossil, Prostreptocerus burmiticus Yu & Cai gen. et sp. nov., is described based on a single male specimen. This is the first representative of the subfamily Lampriminae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Lucanidae) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. The new species is distinctive among Lucanidae due to its well-developed, right-angled mandible, frons featuring a pair of large protuberances, a coarse and sparsely punctate elytral disc, and large tubercles on the humeri. Prostreptocerus Yu & Cai is placed within Lampriminae based on several key characteristics. Morphologically, it is most similar to the extant Streptocerus Fairmaire, 1850. The current distribution of Streptocerus and Lampriminae is primarily restricted to the Southern Hemisphere, suggesting that this lineage is ancient and existed on Gondwanaland, which has significant geographical implications. This discovery extends the fossil record of Lampriminae and provides additional evidence for the existence of sexual dimorphism and potential combat behavior in Mesozoic lucanids. Additionally, Electraesalopsis Bai, Zhang & Qiu, 2017, previously placed as Lucanidae incertae sedis, shares many characteristics with Prostreptocerus Yu & Cai and is also assigned to Lampriminae based on a suite of traits.

Interaction between spiders and ticks—ancient arthropod predatory behavior?

Ticks are ectoparasite vectors of pathogens affecting human and animal health worldwide. Rational integration of different control interventions including plant-derived repellents and acaricides, management of natural predators, and vaccines is required for innovative approaches to reduce the risks associated with ticks and tick-borne diseases. How tick populations are naturally controlled is always a question. Tick interactions with other arthropods including predators evolved from ancient times. In this study, Cretaceous (ca. 100 Mya) Burmese amber inclusions were identified as probably related to Compluriscutula vetulum (Acari: Ixodida: Ixodidae) tick larvae and spider silk. As illustrated in this study, ancient interactions between ticks and spiders may support arthropod predatory behavior as a natural control intervention. Rational integrative management of different tick control interventions including natural predators under a One Health perspective will contribute to effectively and sustainably reducing the risks associated with ticks and tick-borne diseases.

Calisiomorpha herczeki sp. nov. in Cretaceous Burmese amber (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Aradidae).

From inclusion in Cretaceous Burmese amber, a new species of the fossil flat bug genus Calisiomorpha Heiss, 2016, C. herczeki sp. nov., is described and illustrated.

New insights into the phylogeny of Stephanidae (Hymenoptera: Apocrita), with a revision of the fossil species

The family Stephanidae (Hymenoptera) constitutes a unique group within the Apocrita, playing a pivotal role in the evolution of parasitoid wasps. Although the phylogeny of Stephanidae has been previously inferred, it remains at a low resolution when considering both extinct and extant genera, as well as the enigmatic extinct genus †Electrostephanus. Here, we undertake a revision of Stephanidae extinct, presenting descriptions of new specimens from late Cretaceous Burmese amber and early Eocene Baltic amber. Combining all extant and extinct genera, the phylogeny of Stephanidae was analyzed, incorporating 57 species within 21 genera based on 64 morphological characters. We apply both under maximum parsimony with equal weighting and implied weighting methods, with four species representing early Apocrita as outgroups. Divergence times are estimated by utilizing extinct taxa as calibration points. A new basal subfamily of stephanid wasp, †Lagenostephaninaesubf. nov. was established, encompassing †Lagenostephanus and the newly described genera †Tumidistephanusgen. nov and †Neurastephanusgen. nov. The genus †Electrostephanus is redefined, with two species assigned under distinct genera, †Neurastephanusgen. nov. and †Aphanostephanusgen. nov.. We discuss some of the putative morphological synapomorphies of evolutionary significance within the phylogenetic framework. Our results complement several characteristics of great taxonomic importance for Stephanidae and provide new insights into the early evolution of the family.

An unexpected diversity of Cyphophthalmi (Arachnida: Opiliones) in Upper Cretaceous Burmese amber.

Ten new Cyphophthalmi specimens (Arachnida: Opiliones) from the Upper Cretaceous (Lower Cenomanian) Burmese amber of northern Myanmar are described. Seven of these are placed in Stylocellidae, the predominant extant family found today in Southeast Asia. Sirocellus iunctus gen. et sp. nov. represents the first fossil with a combination of sironid and stylocellid characters, suggesting a still ongoing transition in some lineages during the Upper Cretaceous. Mesopsalis oblongus gen. et sp. nov. represents a second fossil with elongated ozophores, a character not known from modern species. Leptopsalis breyeri sp. nov. is the first Cretaceous cyphophthalmid assignable to an extant genus. The species Foveacorpus cretaceus gen. et sp. nov. and F. parvus gen. et sp. nov., which cannot be placed in an extant family, show morphological novelties for Cyphophthalmi such as numerous pits covering the whole body. The possible function of these pits is discussed. Three more adult males with unique adenostyles and two juveniles are not formally named but further indicate an already highly diverse cyphophthalmid fauna during the Cretaceous. The total number of named Burmese amber Cyphophthalmi species is raised from one to six, and the total fossil record for this suborder now stands at eight.

Identity of the insect larva described by Zippel et al. (2022) in the mid–Cretaceous Burmese (Kachin) amber (Hymenoptera, Tenthredinoidea, Blasticotomidae = Xyelotomidae, syn. nov.)

The fossil in consideration, a small insect larva some 4 mm long, has been described, illustrated and left unnamed by Zippel et al. (2022) as a larva of the beetle family Mordellidae. The same year it was re-identified, unnamed as yet, as a sawfly larva of the family Pamphiliidae (Batelka & Engel, 2022). In our opinion, re-interpretation of the fossil by the latter authors was only partially correct. It demonstrates diagnostic characters of a sawfly larva, but the family attribution of the larva to Pamphiliidae is questionable: in our opinion it is most similar to larval Blasticotomidae (Tenthredinoidea).

A new fossil Sucinorhagonycha (Coleoptera: Cantharidae) from Baltic amber with visible female gonostili

Sucinorhagonycha carsteni sp. nov. from the Baltic amber deposits of Yantarny, Kaliningrad Region, Russia, is described and diagnosed in this paper. It is the first confirmed species of Cantharidae Cantharinae with visible female gonostyli. Until now, gonostyli were visible only in the fossil material of a species from Cretaceous Burmese (Kachin) amber which was attributed, with doubts, to the subfamily Malthininae.

A new species of Dermestidae (Coleoptera) from Cretaceous Burmese amber

Tuberphradonoma secunda sp. n. is described and illustrated from mid-Cretaceous (ca. 99 million years old) amber from Kachin State, northern Myanmar. An annotated list of Dermistidae known from Cretaceous Burmese amber is also given.

Hirsutisoma grimaldii sp. nov., a ca. 99-million-year-old ricinuleid (Primoricinulei, Hirsutisomidae) from Cretaceous Burmese amber with a corticolous, scansorial lifestyle

Ricinulei Thorell, 1876 is an order of Arachnida currently represented in the New and Old Worlds by 103 living species. The order is also represented in the fossil record from the Carboniferous (ca. 305–319 Ma) and the Cretaceous (ca. 99 Ma) periods. In the present contribution, Hirsutisoma grimaldii sp. nov., a new extinct species of the suborder Primoricinulei Wunderlich, 2015, is described from a specimen preserved in Cretaceous Burmese amber. The specimen is a well-preserved adult male in which several taxonomically informative structures are visible, allowing the new species to be differentiated from Hirsutisoma bruckschi Wunderlich, 2017, the only other congener for which a male is known. This description raises the number of Cretaceous Ricinulei species to six. A comparative table documents morphological differences among the various species of this lineage. Hypotheses concerning the paleoecology and functional morphology of this species and, by extrapolation, other primoricinuleids, are presented. The evidence suggests that Primoricinulei were corticolous, scansorial predators.

New Burmese Amber Rove Beetle Fossils Assigned to the Rare Extant Subfamily Coomaniinae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae).

Simple SummaryThe rove beetle subfamily Coomaniinae is incredibly rare, currently comprised of one described and several undescribed species of the genus Coomania in Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. Contrary to most rove beetle groups, the subfamily is only known based on a handful of specimens. Coomaniinae is the sister group to the subfamily Staphylininae, which, in contrast, is mega-diverse and abundant in terrestrial habitats globally. In this paper we describe three new species of Coomania preserved as fossils from Upper Cretaceous Burmese amber (ca. 99 million years old).The Mesozoic, ca. 99-million-year-old Burmese amber is an incredible source of fossil beetles that have been very actively studied in recent times and have already significantly improved our knowledge about the evolution of the large family of Staphylinidae, the rove beetles. Nevertheless, new extinct taxa of high phylogenetic interest are being discovered, among which the following three rove beetle species are described here: Coomania megistos sp. nov., Coomania enkarsios sp. nov. and Coomania yini sp. nov. These fossils preserved enough morphological characters to be identified as members of the rove beetle lineage formed by Staphylininae and allied subfamilies. Based on the fragments of morphology available for observation, they are hypothesized to be the extinct members of the extant rare monobasic subfamily Coomaniinae, sister to the recently mega-diverse and abundant Staphylininae. Limitations of the available fossil material prompted us to place the new species in the extant, monobasic genus Coomania Cameron, 1939, pending a more refined generic placement when more characters become available via additional material or advanced examination techniques. The odd morphology and rarity of the extant members of Coomaniinae restricted to Southeast Asia and Northern Australia make them an enigmatic subfamily among the hyper-diverse Staphylinidae. The newly described fossils, albeit without sufficient details concealed by imperfect preservation, shed some light on the past diversity of Coomaniinae and its divergence from Staphylininae.

A New Species of the Genus Amberophytum Yu, Slipinski et Pang, 2019 (Coleoptera: Cerophytidae) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese Amber

This article describes and illustrates a new species of the genus Amberophytum Yu, Slipinski et Pang, 2019 of the family Cerophytidae from mid- Cretaceous Burmese Amber. The new species, A. maculatum s.n. differs from A. birmanicum Yu, Slipinski et Pang, 2019 in the smaller body size, shorter metatarsomere 1, and more convex body. A key to the species of the genus Amberophytum is presented.

Two new genera and species of Dermestidae (Coleoptera) from Cretaceous Burmese amber

Two new genera and species of Dermestidae (Coleoptera) from Cretaceous Burmese amber

Two new genera of the Elcanidae (order: Orthoptera) from middle Cretaceous Burmese amber of northern Myanmar

Hukawnelca gracile gen. et sp. nov. and Caelielca spinocrus gen. et sp. nov. (Orthoptera: Elcanidae) from middle Cretaceous Burmese amber are characterized by morphological characteristics of the pronotum, metatibial spurs, and wing venation. The Hukawnelca gracile gen. et sp. nov. had the unique anatomical characters such as a long dorsal margin of the pronotum, large broad leaf-like metatibial spurs, several spines on the metatarsus, and forewing venations. Caelielca spinocrus gen. et sp. nov. had the unique morphologies of non-prolonged head and wing venation similar to those in Caelifera species. These unique morphologies of both species distinguished them from the earlier Elcanid species.

A New Species of the Genus Amberophytum Yu, Slipinski et Pang, 2019 (Coleoptera: Cerophytidae) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese Amber

In this article, a new species of the genus Amberophytum Yu, Slipinski et Pang, 2019 of the family Cerophytidae from mid- Cretaceous Burmese amber is described and illustrated. The new species, A. maculatum s.n. differs from A. birmanicum Yu, Slipinski et Pang, 2019 in the smaller body size, shorter metatarsomere 1, and more convex body. A key to the species of the genus Amberophytum is presented.

A new species of Cretodorus (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Fulgoroidea: Mimarachnidae) from Upper Cretaceous amber of northern Myanmar

A new species of Mimarachnidae, Cretodorus rostellatus sp. nov., with well-preserved male genitalia is described from the Upper Cretaceous (lowermost Cenomanian) Burmese amber. Diagnostic features of the genus Cretodorus are reviewed. The paedomorphic nature of this family are discussed, including sensory pits, median carinae, tarsal segment.

Electrocambalidae fam. nov., a new family of Cambalidea from Cretaceous Burmese amber (Diplopoda, Spirostreptida)

A new family, Electrocambalidae fam. nov. of the suborder Cambalidea is described from Cretaceous Burmese amber based on two new genera, Electrocambala gen. nov. and Kachincambala gen. nov. with four new species, Electrocambala ornata gen. et sp. nov., E. cretacea gen. et sp. nov., Kachincambala muelleri gen. et sp. nov. and K. distorta gen. et sp. nov. The specimens are described combining classical light microscopy with drawings and photography, and modern micro-computed tomography (μCT). Morphological characters otherwise obscured are examined and visualized by creating volume renderings and 3D-segmentations from μCT data. Electrocambalidae fam. nov. is characterized by the following character combination: (1) a forward shift of leg pair 3, resulting in an apparently legless 3rd body ring, (2) presence of metazonital setae, and (3) extensive pilosity on the head. Although some of these characters are shared with other Juliformia they are unique in this combination. The described fossils are the oldest and first Mesozoic Spirostreptida and Cambalidea known and ca 70 million years older than previous records of the group.

Three new species of the extinct spider genus Furcembolus (Araneae: Pacullidae) from Late Cretaceous Burmese amber.

Three new species of the extinct spider genus †Furcembolus Wunderlich, 2008 from Late Cretaceous Burmese amber are described: Furcembolus chuandiani Jiang Li spec. nov., F. fengzheni Jiang Li spec. nov. and F. martensi Jiang Li spec. nov. All types are deposited in the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, China.

The invisibile becomes visible: X-ray micro-CT reconstruction of emAneurus/em emdamzeni/em sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Aradidae) from Eocene Baltic amber.

The subfamily Aneurinae of the flat bug family Aradidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) contains about 150 extant species assigned to seven genera, and seven fossil species of which six were described from Eocene Baltic amber and one from Cretaceous Burmese amber. A new species Aneurus damzeni sp. nov. from Baltic amber is described and illustrated using X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT) reconstructing concealed morphological characters. A key to all five extant and fossil Aneurinae species with triangular scutellum is provided.

A new species and genus of Alienopteridae (Blattodea) from mid-Cretaceous amber of northern Myanmar

Eminespina burma gen. et sp. nov., is described and illustrated based on a female embedded in Cretaceous Burmese amber of Cenomanian age. Autapomorphic are three unique spines distributed anterior quarter of pronotum from longer posterior part. The new evidence of Batesian mimicry in the insect fossil record is briefly discussed.