Fossil Curtonotidae (Diptera, Schizophora, Ephydroidea). (American Museum novitates, no. 3760)

Supplemental Materials

Date

2012-10-18

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

American Museum of Natural History.

DOI

DOI

Abstract

Curtonotidae are a small, mostly tropical family of acalyptrate flies in the Ephydroidea, a superfamily that also includes the Drosophilidae. Two species of Curtonotidae are described from Miocene amber of the Dominican Republic, 17-20 Ma: Curtonotum [dagger]electrodominicum Grimaldi and Kirk-Spriggs, sp. n., and Depressonotum [dagger]priscum Grimaldi and Kirk-Spriggs, gen. et sp. n. The fossil Curtonotum is based on a female specimen and has some features of Neotropical species and a small clade of African species. Depressonotum priscum, gen. et sp. n., is based on a male and female and has a unique combination of features that are plesiomorphic and derived for the Curtonotidae. These are the only definitive fossils of the family and the only Curtonotidae known from the Caribbean. The fossil Curtonotidae provide rare data on the geological occurrence of ephydroid flies, essential for estimates of divergence times.

Description

16 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 26 cm.

Keywords

Curtonotum electrodominicum., Depressonotum priscum., Curtonotidae., Diptera, Fossil., Amber fossils., Dominican Republic.

Citation