The oldest representative of the Trichomyiinae (Diptera:Psychodidae) from the Lower Cenomanian French amber studied with phase-contrast synchrotron X-ray imaging

Malvina Lak (1, 2) , Dany Azar (3) , André Nel (4) , Didier Neraudeau (2) , Paul Tafforeau (1)

1 ESRF - European Synchrotron Radiation Facility
2 GR - Géosciences Rennes
3 Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences II
4 OSEB - Origine, structure et évolution de la biodiversité

Trichomyia lengleti, sp. nov., is described from the Lower Cenomanian amber of La Buzinie, Charente (southwest France) from a piece of fully opaque amber. The Upper Albian Trichomyia swinhoei Cockerell, 1917 is transferred from the Trichomyiinae to the Sycoracinae incertae sedis, stat. nov. Trichomyia lengleti, sp. nov. is the oldest representative of the subfamily Trichomyiinae, supporting at least a Cretaceous diversification for the Psychodidae. The discovery of this fossil fly and its study (thanks to propagation-phase-contrast synchrotron X-ray imaging) improves our knowledge of the biodiversity and the historical evolution of psychodoid flies. A checklist of fossil trichomyiine species is given.

Keywords: Charente; Cretaceous amber; south-west France

Domains: Paleontology

Malvina Lak, Dany Azar, André Nel, Didier Neraudeau, Paul Tafforeau. The oldest representative of the Trichomyiinae (Diptera:Psychodidae) from the Lower Cenomanian French amber studied with phase-contrast synchrotron X-ray imaging. Invertebrate Systematics, 2008, 22 (4), pp.471-478. ⟨10.1071/IS08008⟩. ⟨insu-00339262⟩