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ShareOct. 5, 2011 — Researchers have discovered the earliest known fossil caddisflies, of the family Psychomyiidae, preserved in Burmese amber.
The examination of insects in Burmese amber by researchers at the University of Cologne, Germany and National Museums Scotland revealed a new genus of caddisfly, which has been named Palerasnitsynus.
The discovery, based on two specimens, constitute the first record of the living family Psychomyiidae in Burmese amber and the oldest known member of this family in the fossil record. Burmese amber is 100 million years old, from the Cretaceous Period, so this discovery adds to our understanding of the caddisfly fauna in that part of the world at that time.
The research is published in in the open access journal ZooKeys.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Pensoft Publishers, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
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Journal Reference:
- Wilfried Wichard, Emma Ross, Andrew Ross. Palerasnitsynus gen. n. (Trichoptera, Psychomyiidae) from Burmese amber. ZooKeys, 2011; 130 (0): 323 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.130.1449
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
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