The Weevil Fauna Preserved in Burmese Amber—Snapshot of a Unique, Extinct Lineage (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea)
Only a few weevils have been described from Burmese amber, and although most have been misclassified, they show unusual and specialised characters unknown in extant weevils. In this paper, we present the results of a study of a much larger and more diverse selection of Burmese amber weevils. We prep...
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MDPI AG
2018-12-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/11/1/1 |
| _version_ | 1811183833334153216 |
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| author | Dave Clarke Ajay Limaye Duane McKenna Rolf Oberprieler |
| author_facet | Dave Clarke Ajay Limaye Duane McKenna Rolf Oberprieler |
| author_sort | Dave Clarke |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Only a few weevils have been described from Burmese amber, and although most have been misclassified, they show unusual and specialised characters unknown in extant weevils. In this paper, we present the results of a study of a much larger and more diverse selection of Burmese amber weevils. We prepared all amber blocks to maximise visibility of structures and examined these with high-magnification light microscopy as well as CT scanning (selected specimens). We redescribe most previously described taxa and describe 53 new species in 26 new genera, accompanied by photographs. We compare critical characters of these weevils with those of extant taxa and outline the effects of distortion on their preservation and interpretation. We conclude that only two weevil families are thus far represented in Burmese amber, Nemonychidae and a newly recognised family, Mesophyletidae, which appears closely related to Attelabidae but cannot be accommodated in this family. The geniculate antennae and long rostrum with exodont mandibles of most Mesophyletidae indicate that they were highly specialised phytophages of early angiosperms preserved in the amber, likely ovipositing in flowers or seeds. This weevil fauna appears to represent an extinct mid-Cretaceous ecosystem and fills a critical gap in the fossil record of weevils. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T13:03:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e5c933762bef4a598c16ca334ec45e3a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T13:03:15Z |
| publishDate | 2018-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-e5c933762bef4a598c16ca334ec45e3a2022-12-22T04:22:52ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182018-12-01111110.3390/d11010001d11010001The Weevil Fauna Preserved in Burmese Amber—Snapshot of a Unique, Extinct Lineage (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea)Dave Clarke0Ajay Limaye1Duane McKenna2Rolf Oberprieler3Department of Biological Sciences, University of Memphis, 3700 Walker Ave, Memphis, TN 38152, USANational Computational Infrastructure, Australian National University, 143 Ward Road, Acton, Canberra, A.C.T. 2601, AustraliaDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Memphis, 3700 Walker Ave, Memphis, TN 38152, USACSIRO, Australian National Insect Collection, G.P.O. Box 1700, Canberra, A.C.T. 2601, AustraliaOnly a few weevils have been described from Burmese amber, and although most have been misclassified, they show unusual and specialised characters unknown in extant weevils. In this paper, we present the results of a study of a much larger and more diverse selection of Burmese amber weevils. We prepared all amber blocks to maximise visibility of structures and examined these with high-magnification light microscopy as well as CT scanning (selected specimens). We redescribe most previously described taxa and describe 53 new species in 26 new genera, accompanied by photographs. We compare critical characters of these weevils with those of extant taxa and outline the effects of distortion on their preservation and interpretation. We conclude that only two weevil families are thus far represented in Burmese amber, Nemonychidae and a newly recognised family, Mesophyletidae, which appears closely related to Attelabidae but cannot be accommodated in this family. The geniculate antennae and long rostrum with exodont mandibles of most Mesophyletidae indicate that they were highly specialised phytophages of early angiosperms preserved in the amber, likely ovipositing in flowers or seeds. This weevil fauna appears to represent an extinct mid-Cretaceous ecosystem and fills a critical gap in the fossil record of weevils.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/11/1/1CurculionoideaMesophyletidaeCretaceoustaxonomymorphologyCT scanningamber preparationangiosperm associations |
| spellingShingle | Dave Clarke Ajay Limaye Duane McKenna Rolf Oberprieler The Weevil Fauna Preserved in Burmese Amber—Snapshot of a Unique, Extinct Lineage (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) Diversity Curculionoidea Mesophyletidae Cretaceous taxonomy morphology CT scanning amber preparation angiosperm associations |
| title | The Weevil Fauna Preserved in Burmese Amber—Snapshot of a Unique, Extinct Lineage (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) |
| title_full | The Weevil Fauna Preserved in Burmese Amber—Snapshot of a Unique, Extinct Lineage (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) |
| title_fullStr | The Weevil Fauna Preserved in Burmese Amber—Snapshot of a Unique, Extinct Lineage (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Weevil Fauna Preserved in Burmese Amber—Snapshot of a Unique, Extinct Lineage (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) |
| title_short | The Weevil Fauna Preserved in Burmese Amber—Snapshot of a Unique, Extinct Lineage (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) |
| title_sort | weevil fauna preserved in burmese amber snapshot of a unique extinct lineage coleoptera curculionoidea |
| topic | Curculionoidea Mesophyletidae Cretaceous taxonomy morphology CT scanning amber preparation angiosperm associations |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/11/1/1 |
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