Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Type: Article
Published: 2020-04-30
Page range: 204–211
Abstract views: 217
PDF downloaded: 2

New empidoid flies (Diptera: Atelestidae; Dolichopodidae) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber

Université de Rennes, CNRS, Géosciences Rennes, UMR 6118, F-35000 Rennes, France
UFR Sciences du Vivant, Université Paris Diderot, Université de Paris, F-75013 Paris, France Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, SU, EPHE, UA, 57 rue Cuvier, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
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, Nanjing 210008, China Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany
Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, SU, EPHE, UA, 57 rue Cuvier, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
Diptera Atelestidae Dolichopodidae Myanmar Empidoidea new species paleobiogeography

Abstract

Examination of mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber reveals a new species of Atelestidae: Alavesia myanmarensis sp. nov., and the female of the dolichopodid Microphorites pouilloni Ngô-Muller & Nel, 2020. Both are described and illustrated. Alavesia myanmarensis sp. nov. is the first species of Alavesia from the mid-Cretaceous amber of northern Myanmar. The oldest records of this genus of small Diptera are from the Early to Late Cretaceous ambers of Spain, while the Burmese amber was probably produced on an island during the mid-Cretaceous, which had separated from Gondwana during the Jurassic. It suggests a possible Late Jurassic origin of the genus Alavesia.

References

  1. Arillo, A., Peñalver, E. & Delclòs, X. (2008) Microphorites (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) from the Lower Cretaceous amber of San Just (Spain), and the co-occurrence of two ceratopogonid species in Spanish amber deposits. Zootaxa, 1920, 29–40.

    https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.1920.1.2

    Becker, T. (1902) Ägyptische Dipteren. Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum in Berlin, 2, 1–66.

    https://doi.org/10.1002/mmnz.4830020237

    Bickel, D.J. 2009. Chapter 49. Dolichopodidae (long-legged flies). In: Brown, B.V., Borkent, A., Cumming, J.M., Wood, D.M., Woodley, N.E. and Zumbado, M.A., Manual of Central American Diptera. Volume 1. National Research Council of Canada, Monograph Publishing Program, Ottawa, pp. 671–694.

    Bramuzzo, S. & Nel, A. (2017) Youngest representative of the extinct genus Microphorites in the Eocene amber of France (Diptera: Dolichopodidae: Microphorinae). Zootaxa, 4231 (4), 590–594.

    https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4231.4.11

    Brooks, S.E., Cumming, J.M. & Grimaldi, D.A. (2019) Remarkable new fossil species of Schistostoma Becker (Diptera: Dolichopodidae: Microphorinae) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Zootaxa, 4624 (1), 121–131.

    https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4624.1.8

    Chvála, M. (1983) The Empidoidea (Diptera) of Fennoscandia and Denmark. II. General Part. The families Hybotidae, Atelestidae and Microphoridae. Fauna Entomologica Scandinavica, 12, 1–279.

    Chvála, M. (1986) Revision of Palaearctic Microphoridae (Diptera). 1. Microphor Macq. Acta Entomologica Bohemoslovaca, 83, 432–454.

    Collin, J.E. (1933) Empididae. Diptera of Patagonia and South Chile based mainly on material in the British Museum (Natural History), 4, i–viii + 1–334.

    Collin, J.E. (1960) Some Empididae from Palestine. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 13 (2), 385–420.

    https://doi.org/10.1080/00222935908650872

    Collins, K.P. & Wiegmann, B.M. (2002) Phylogenetic relationships and placement of the Empidoidea (Diptera: Brachycera) based on 28S rDNA and EF-1α sequences. Insect Systematics & Evolution, 33, 421–444.

    https://doi.org/10.1163/187631202X00226

    Cruickshank, R.D. & Ko, K. (2003) Geology of an amber locality in the Hukawng Valley, northern Myanmar. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 21, 441–455.

    https://doi.org/10.1016/S1367-9120(02)00044-5

    Cumming, J.M., Sinclair, B.J. & Wood, D.M. (1995) Homology and phylogenetic implications of male genitalia in Diptera—Eremoneura. Entomologica Scandinavica, 26, 120–151.

    https://doi.org/10.1163/187631295X00143

    Curtis, J. (1837) A guide to an arrangement of British insects; being a catalogue of all the named species hitherto discovered in Great Britain and Ireland. Second edition, greatly enlarged. J. Pigot & Co., London, 294 cols.

    https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.46860

    Grichanov, I.Ya. (2011) An illustrated synopsis and keys to Afrotropical genera of the epifamily Dolichopodoidae (Diptera: Empidoidea). Priamus, Serial Publication of the Centre for Entomological Studies Ankara Supplement, 24, 1–99.

    Grimaldi, D.A. & Cumming, J. (1999) Brachyceran Diptera in Cretaceous ambers and Mesozoic diversification of the Eremoneura. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 239, 1–124.

    Grimaldi, D. & Ross, A.S. (2017) Extraordinary Lagerstätten in amber, with particular reference to the Cretaceous of Burma. In: Fraser, N.C. & Sues, H.D. (Eds), Terrestrial conservation Lagerstätten: windows into the evolution of life on land. Dunedin Press, Edinburgh, UK, pp. 287–342.

    Grimaldi, D.A., Engel, M.S. & Nascimbene, P.C. (2002) Fossiliferous Cretaceous amber from Myanmar (Burma): its rediscovery, biotic diversity, and paleontological significance. American Museum Novitates, 3361, 1–71.

    https://doi.org/10.1206/0003-0082(2002)361<0001:FCAFMB>2.0.CO;2

    Hennig, W. (1970) Insektenfossilien aus der Unteren Kreide. 2. Empididae (Diptera, Brachycera). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde, 214, 1–12.

    Hennig, W. (1971) Insektenfossilien aus der unteren Kreide. 3. Empidiformia (“Microphorinae”) aus der unteren Kreide und aus dem Baltischen Bernstein; ein Vertreter der Cyclorrhapha aus der unteren Kreide. Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde, 232, 1–28.

    Huang, D.Y., Nel, A., Zompro, O. & Waller, A. (2008) Mantophasmatodea now in the Jurassic. Naturwissenschaften, 95, 947–952.

    https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-008-0412-x

    Kirk-Spriggs, A.H. & Sinclair, B.J. (2017a) Manual of Afrotropical Diptera. Volume 1. Introductory chapters and keys to Diptera families. Suricata, 4. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, 425 pp.

    Kirk-Spriggs, A.H. & Sinclair, B.J. (2017b) Manual of Afrotropical Diptera. Volume 2. Nematocerous Diptera and lower Brachycera. Suricata, 5. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, 1,361 pp.

    Latreille, P.A. (1809) Genera crustaceorum et insectorum secundum ordinem naturalem in familias disposita, iconibus exemplisque plurimis explicata. Tomus quartus et ultimas. Koenig. Paris & Strasbourg, France, 399 pp.

    Linnaeus, C. (1758) Systema naturae per regna tria naturae secundum classes, ordines, genera, species cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Editio decima reformata. L. Salvii, Holmiae [= Stockholm], 824 pp.

    https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.542

    Loew, H. (1850) Meghyperus und Arthropeas, zwei neue Dipterengattungen. Stettiner Entomologische Zeitung, 11, 302–308.

    Macquart, J. (1827) Insectes Diptères du nord de la France. Platypézines, Dolichopodes, Empides, Hybotides. L. Danel, Lille, 159 pp.

    https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.148911

    Moulton, J.K. & Wiegmann, B.M. (2007) The phylogenetic relationships of flies in the superfamily Empidoidea (Insecta: Diptera). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 43, 701–713.

    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2007.02.029

    Nel, A., Perrichot, V., Daugeron, C. and Néraudeau, D. (2004) A new Microphorites in the Lower Cretaceous amber of the Southwest of France (Insecta: Diptera: Dolichopodidae: ‘Microphorinae’). Annales de la Société Entomologique de France, (N.S.), 40, 23–29.

    https://doi.org/10.1080/00379271.2004.10697401

    Ngô-Muller, V., Garrouste, R., Pouillon, J.M. & Nel, A. (2020) A new species of the long-legged fly genus Microphorites in Burmese amber (Dolichopodidae: Microphorinae). Cretaceous Research, 107, 104284.

    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2019.104284

    Peñalver, E. & Arillo, A. (2007) A new species of the family Hybotidae in the Lower Cretaceous amber of El Caleyu (Asturias, Spain); Alavesia prietoi n. sp. Alavesia, 1, 63–68.

    https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235569375

    Perrichot, V. & Engel, M.S. (2014) Youngest occurrence of the genus Microphorites (Diptera: Dolichopodidae): a new species in Late Cretaceous Vendean amber. Paleontological Contributions, 10G, 30–33.

    https://doi.org/10.17161/PC.1808.15987

    Pollet, M., Germann, C., Tanner, S. & Bernasconi, M.V. (2010) Hypotheses from mitochondrial DNA: congruence and conflict between DNA sequences and morphology in Dolichopodinae systematics (Diptera: Dolichopodidae). Invertebrate Systematics, 24, 32–50.

    https://doi.org/10.1071/IS09040

    Ross, A.J. (2019) Burmese (Myanmar) amber checklist and bibliography 2018. Palaeoentomology, 2, 22–84.

    https://doi.org/10.11646/palaeoentomology.2.1.5

    Shi, G.H., Grimaldi, D.A., Harlow, G.E., Wang, J., Wang, J., Yang, M., Yang, M., Lei, W., Li, Q. & Li, X. (2012) Age constraint on Burmese amber based on U-Pb dating of zircons. Cretaceous Research, 37, 155–163.

    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2012.03.014

    Sinclair, B.J., (2017) Chapter 54. Atelestidae (atelestid dance flies). In: Kirk-Spriggs, A.H. & Sinclair, B.J. (Eds), Manual of Afrotropical Diptera. Volume 2. Nematocerous Diptera and Brachycera. Suricata, 5, South African Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, pp. 1253–1260.

    Sinclair, B.J. & Cumming, J.M. (2006) The morphology, higher-level phylogeny and classification of the Empidoidea (Diptera). Zootaxa, 1180, 1–172.

    https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.1180.1.1

    Sinclair, B.J. & Kirk-Spriggs, A. (2010) Alavesia Waters and Arillo a Cretaceous era genus discovered extant on the Brandberg Massif, Namibia (Diptera: Atelestidae). Systematic Entomology, 35, 268–276.

    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3113.2009.00506.x

    Tang, C.F., Shi, C., Wang, S. & Yang, D. (2019) The first report of Dolichopodidae from mid-Cretaceous amber of northern Myanmar. Cretaceous Research, 104, 1–4.

    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2019.07.009

    Tkoč, M., Nel, A. & Prokop, J. (2016) Discovery of a new species of the Cretaceous genus Microphorites Hennig, 1971 (Diptera: Dolichopodidae s. lat.) in Paleogene amber from eastern Moravia (Czech Republic). Insect Systematics & Evolution, 47, 181–193.

    https://doi.org/10.1163/1876312X-47022139

    Ulrich, H. (2005). Predation by adult Dolichopodidae (Diptera): a review of literature with an annotated prey-predator list. Studia dipterologica, 11, 369–403.

    Wahlberg, E. & Johanson, K.A. (2018) Molecular phylogenetics reveals novel relationships within Empidoidea (Diptera). Systematic Entomology, 43, 619–636.

    https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.12297

    Wiegmann, B.M., Mitter, C. & Thompson, F.C. (1993) Evolutionary origin of the cyclorrhapha (Diptera): tests of alternative morphological hypotheses. Cladistics, 9, 41–81.

    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-0031.1993.tb00208.x

    Yu, T.T., Kelly, R., Mu, L., Ross, A., Kennedy, J., Broly, P., Xia, F.Y., Zhang, H.C., Wang, B. & Dilcher, D. (2019) An ammonite trapped in Burmese amber. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, 116, 11345–11350.

    https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1821292116