The first Mesozoic Leptopodidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Leptopodomorpha), from Canadian Late Cretaceous amber |
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| Authors: | Ryan C. McKellar Michael S. Engel |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Division of Entomology (Paleoentomology), Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, 1501 Crestline Drive, Suite 140, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA;2. Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, 1-26 Earth Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E3,ryan.mckellar@ku.edu |
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| Abstract: | A new genus and species of leptopodid bug, Cretaceomira phalanx McKellar and Engel, is described from Canadian Late Cretaceous (Campanian) amber originating near Grassy Lake, in southern Alberta, Canada. This new record is the first described for the family within the Mesozoic, extending their fossil range by at least 26 Ma. The discovery adds further support to the idea that the subfamily was once much more widespread than its modern, relict distribution in the tropics – adding an occurrence in warm temperate conditions, on the western side of Laurentia (in the modern Palearctic). Beyond confirming the presence of the lineage in the Cretaceous, their expanded distribution suggests that the group is likely to be found in other Cretaceous amber deposits. Furthermore, the distinctive disk-shaped amber nodule that contains the C. phalanx holotype provides limited support for the interpretation of Leptosaldinae as subcortical inhabitants of resin-producing trees as early as the Cretaceous.http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E324DF2B-8D99-42B3-BBAC-8F9DC3603490 |
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| Keywords: | Leptopoidea Grassy Lake amber fossil insect Campanian biogeography |
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