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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Sustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #367326
Research Project: Develop Pest Management Technologies and Strategies to Control the Coffee Berry Borer

Location: Sustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory

Title: Mid-Cretaceous coccoid (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) in Burmese amber

Author
item POINAR, GEORGE - Oregon State University
item Vega, Fernando
item Schneider, Scott

Submitted to: Zootaxa
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/16/2020
Publication Date: 7/13/2020
Citation: Poinar, G., Vega, F.E., Schneider, S.A. 2020. Mid-Cretaceous coccoid (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) in Burmese amber. Zootaxa. 4810:511–522.

Interpretive Summary: A new scales species is described from Burmese amber. Paleolepidotus macrocolus represents an extinct lineage and adds to our understanding of the evolution of scale insects. This information will be of interest to entomologists specialized on scale insects.

Technical Abstract: The present paper describes a female coccid (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) in mid-Cretaceous Burmese (Myanmar) amber. The small, ferruginous specimen has produced a series of long waxy scales that extend all around her body, including the head. The antennae and legs are quite long compared to other extant and extinct fossils. Of special interest are the protruding eyes and conical-triangular beak arising from between the forelegs. Also unique are the claws with bifid apices. The ovisac contains immature stages. Fossil female coccids are rare and the present species, described as Paleolepidotus macrocolus gen. et sp. nov., has such an unusual assortment of features, that it could not be assigned to any particular extant or extinct family.