Article: Schizopterid bugs (Insecta: Heteroptera) in mid-Cretaceous ambers from France and Myanmar (Burma)
Publication: Palaeontology
Volume:
50
Part:
6
Publication Date:
November
2007
Page(s):
1367
–
1374
Author(s):
Vincent Perrichot, André Nel and Didier Néraudeau
Abstract
Bugs of two new genera and species are described as Buzinia couillardi and Tanaia burmitica. They are preserved in mid-Cretaceous amber from south-west France and northern Myanmar (Burma), respectively (c. 100 Ma). These are the first formally described fossils of the heteropteran family Schizopteridae. Both belong to the subfamily Hypselosomatinae and are very similar to the extant genus Hypselosoma Reuter, providing evidence for the antiquity and morphological stability of this small bug family and the infraorder Dipsocoromorpha. Given the putative ecology of the fossils, a discussion is provided on the French and Burmese amber forest ecosystems. The geological setting of La Buzinie, a new amber deposit in south-west France that yielded the two specimens of Buzinia couillardi, is outlined.