Fossil Curtonotidae (Diptera, Schizophora, Ephydroidea)

Related Titles

Series: American Museum novitates, no. 3760

By

Grimaldi, David A.

Kirk-Spriggs, Ashley H.

Type

Book

Material

Published material

Publication info

[New York], American Museum of Natural History, c2012

Notes

Caption title.

"October 18, 2012."

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.

Subjects

Amber fossils , Curtonotidae , Curtonotum electrodominicum , Depressonotum priscum , Diptera, Fossil , Dominican Republic , Insects, Fossil , Miocene , Paleoentomology

Call Number

QL1 .A436 no.3760 2012

Language

English

Identifiers

OCLC: 813832709