Burmacoccus
| Burmacoccus Temporal range:
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|---|---|
Scientific classification
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Suborder: | Sternorrhyncha |
| Family: | †Burmacoccidae |
| Genus: | †Burmacoccus |
| Species: | †B. danyi
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| Binomial name | |
| †Burmacoccus danyi Koteja, 2004
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Burmacoccusis anextinctgenusofscale insectin the extinctmonotypicfamilyBurmacoccidae,containing a single species,Burmacoccus danyi.The genus is solely known from theAlbian–CenomanianBurmese amberdeposits.[1][2]
History and classification[edit]
Burmacoccusis known from theholotypespecimen, collection number BMNH In. 20708, which is aninclusionin a transparent chunk of Burmese amber. As of 2004, the type insect was part of the amber collections housed at theBritish Museum of Natural History,London, England.[1]Theamberspecimen was recovered from deposits exposed in theHukawng ValleyofKachin State,Myanmar. Burmese amber has beenradiometrically datedusingU-Pbisotopes, yielding an age of approximately 99 million years old, close to theAptian–Cenomanianboundary.[2]
The holotype was first studied by paleoentomologist and coccid researcher Jan Koteja, of theAgricultural University of Kraków.Kotejas 2004type descriptionof the family, genus and species was published in theJournal of Systematic Palaeontology.He coined thespecific epithetdanyito honor the Lebanese amber researcher Dany Azar, who assisted Koteja with fossil coccid research. The family name is a derivative of the genus nameBurmacoccus,its self a derivation of Burma, the former name of Myanmar, and "coccus" a common genus name suffix for scale insects.[1]
Burmacoccusis one of three Burmese amber coccid genera that Koteja described in the same paper, the other two beingAlbicoccus,monotypic to the family Albicoccidae, and theincertae sedisgenusMarmyan.[1]He placedBurmacoccusinto the monotypic family Burmacoccidae based on the combination of characters that indicate a relationship to the archaeococcoid group scale insects, but are not found in any one particular family. Koteja noted thescutellumshape indicates a possible relationship to the familyMonophlebidae,however the wing venation is very different between the two families. Another similar family, known fromNew Jersey amberisGrimaldiidae.In that family though, the eye has a single row ofommatidia,while inBurmacoccusthe ommatidia are grouped into a compound eye rather than placed in a row.[1]Phylogeneticanalysis of coccid males from a number of families was performed by Hodgson and Hardy in 2013. The extinct generaAlbicoccus,Apticoccus,Grimaldiella,Kukaspis,Marmyan,Palaeosteingelia,Palaeotupo,Solicoccus,Turonicoccusand possiblyPennygullania,all with simple rows of eyes, were found to form a clade that includedBurmacoccus.The clade also includes the modern familiesPutoidae,SteingeliidaeandPityococcidaeplus the neococcoids clade as a group.[3]
Description[edit]
The single described adult male is approximately 1,300 μm (0.051 in) long, with hyaline wings. The details of the head are not readily discernible, being obscured by one wing, but the eyes are clearly composed of approximately fifteen ommatidia grouped into a compound eye. The antennae are composed of ten segments, with thepedicelbeing the longest segment and the joints between the segments bearing numerous setae. The fore-wings are about 1,050 μm (0.041 in) long, withmicrotrichia,and a small but distinct lobe which couples with thehamuli.The hind-wings are modified into elongatedhalteresbearing two developed hamuli. The abdomen is conical in outline, narrowing towards the tip, with two short setae and having a developed penial sheath. The sheath is divided into a basal rounded section and a narrow style with pointed end. The abdomen is translucent enough for the preserved testes to be visible.[1]
References[edit]
- ^abcdefKoteja, J (2004). "Scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccinea) from cretaceous Myanmar (Burmese) amber".Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.2(2): 109–114.doi:10.1017/S1477201904001166.S2CID86393735.– viaTaylor & Francis(subscription required)
- ^abVea, IM; Grimaldi, DA (2015)."Diverse New Scale Insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) in Amber from the Cretaceous and Eocene with a Phylogenetic Framework for Fossil Coccoidea".American Museum Novitates(3823): 1–80.doi:10.1206/3823.1.hdl:2246/6575.S2CID73702369.
- ^Hodgson, C.J.; Hardy, N.B. (2013)."The phylogeny of the superfamily Coccoidea (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha) based on the morphology of extant and extinct macropterous males".Systematic Entomology.38(4): 794–804.doi:10.1111/syen.12030.