New genus and species of the extinct aphid family Szelegiewicziidae and their implications for aphid evolution

Piotr Wegierek, Dagmara Maria Zyła, Agnieszka Homan, Chenyang Cai, Diying Huang

    5 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Recently, we are witnessing an increased appreciation for the importance of the fossil record in phylogenetics and testing various evolutionary hypotheses. However, this approach brings many challenges, especially for such a complex group as aphids and requires a thorough morphological analysis of the extinct groups. The extinct aphid family Szelegiewicziidae is supposed to be one of the oviparous lineages in aphid evolution. New material from the rock fossil deposits of Shar Teg (Upper Jurassic of Mongolia), Baissa (Lower Cretaceous of Siberia-Russia), and Burmese amber (Upper Cretaceous of Myanmar) allowed us to undertake a more detailed examination of the morphological features and carry out an analysis of the taxonomical composition and evolution of the family. This led us to the conclusion that evolution of the body plan and wing structure was similar in different, often not closely related groups, probably as a result of convergence. Additionally, we present a description of a new genus and two species (Tinaphis mongolica Żyła &Wegierek, sp. nov., and Feroorbis burmensis Wegierek & Huang, gen. et sp. nov.) that belong to this family.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number95
    JournalNaturwissenschaften
    Volume104
    Issue number11-12
    Number of pages10
    ISSN0028-1042
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Dec 2017

    Keywords

    • Burmese amber
    • Fossil aphids
    • Hemiptera
    • Szelegiewicziidae

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'New genus and species of the extinct aphid family Szelegiewicziidae and their implications for aphid evolution'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this