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Issue: Vol. 9 No. 3: June 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-06-29
DOI: 10.11646/palaeoentomology.9.3.9
Page range: 268-278
Abstract views: 59
PDF downloaded: 2

Cretohenicops calcaratus (Lithobiomorpha: Henicopidae): A new genus and species of lithobiomorphan centipede from mid-Cretaceous Myanmar amber

Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Application of Hebei Province; College of Life Sciences; Hebei University; Baoding 071002; China
Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Application of Hebei Province; College of Life Sciences; Hebei University; Baoding 071002; China
Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Application of Hebei Province; College of Life Sciences; Hebei University; Baoding 071002; China
Myanmar amber Cretaceous Lithobiomorpha Henicopidae

Abstract

Fossil evidence indicates that the basal group of Lithobiomorpha had already appeared by the Middle Devonian at the latest. However, no Mesozoic species of Lithobiomorpha have been formally established to date. Here, a new genus and species, Cretohenicops calcaratus sp. nov. (Lithobiomorpha: Henicopidae) is described based on a well-preserved inclusion from mid-Cretaceous Myanmar amber. The new species exhibits a combination of characters that differs from extant relatives: 7+6 coxosternal teeth; uniarticulate tarsi on legs 1–13 and biarticulate tarsus on leg 14; and the female gonopods are equipped with 2+2 small coniform spurs. We also found that Cretohenicops gen. nov. combines the characteristics of distal spinose projections on most tibiae (diagnostic of Henicopidae) and large robust spurs in fixed positions on femora and tibiae (as in Lithobiidae). The discovery of this new genus and species enriches the fossil record of Henicopidae (Lithobiomorpha) from the Mesozoic and provides new fossil evidence for studies on the evolution of Lithobiomorpha.

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