A termite bug in early Miocene amber of the Dominican Republic (Hemiptera, Termitaphididae)

Related Titles

Series: American Museum novitates, no. 3619

By

Grimaldi, David A.

Engel, Michael S.

Type

Book

Material

Published material

Publication info

New York, NY American Museum of Natural History c2008

Notes

Caption title.

"June 16, 2008."

A new species of the highly specialized hemipteran family of social ectosymbionts, the Termitaphididae, is reported in Miocene amber from the Dominican Republic: Termitaradus avitinquilinus, n.sp. It differs from the only other fossil termitaphidid (Termitaradus protera Poinar and Doyen), in Miocene Mexican amber, and from modern species by various distinctive features. Two of the three specimens of T. avitinquilinus are preserved in a piece of amber with its presumed host, a worker of the basal termite, Mastotermes electrodominicus Krishna and Grimaldi. The hypothesis that the family Termitaphididae is ancient and inhabited Pangaea is disputed in favor of a much more recent, Tertiary origin. It is suggested, in fact, that termitaphidids are highly modified Aradidae, possibly derived from Mezirinae.

Subjects

Dominican Republic , Miocene , Paleontology , Termitaradus avitinquilinus , Termites, Fossil

Call Number

QL1 .A436 no.3619 2008

Language

English

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1206/610.1
OCLC: 232352624