First record of the genus Thaumastoptera Mik, 1866 (Diptera, Limoniidae) from Myanmar amber, mid-Cretaceous, with description of a new species
Abstract
A new species of the genus Thaumastoptera Mik, 1866, Thaumastoptera burmanica sp. nov., from mid-Cretaceous Myanmar ambers is described and illustrated. The new species represents the first record of the genus Thaumastoptera from Myanmar amber. The new species is similar to another fossil species Thaumastoptera electra Alexander, 1931, by the wing venation, but differs from the latter by the shorter R2+3+4, longer R5, and the position of the r-m distal to R2. A key to all fossil species in this genus is provided.
References
Alexander C.P. 1931. Crane-flies of the Baltic amber (Diptera). Bernstein Forschungen 2: 1–135.
Cockerell T.D.A. 1921. Fossil Tipulidae from the Oligocene of the Isle of Wight, continued. The Entomologist 54: 109–112.
Cumming J.M. & Wood D.M. 2017. Adult morphology and terminology. In: Kirk-Spriggs A.H. & Sinclair B.J. (eds) Manual of Afrotropical Diptera, Volume 1: Introductory Chapters and Keys to Diptera Families. Suricata 4: 89–133. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
Evenhuis N.L. 1996. Catalog of the fossil flies of the world (Insecta: Diptera). Version. 2.0. Available from http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/fossilcat/ [accessed 14 May 2026].
Fujiyama I. 1985. Early Miocene insect fauna of Seki, Sado Island, Japan, with notes on the occurrence of Cenozoic fossil insects from Sado to San-In district. Memoirs of the National Science Museum of Tokyo 18: 35–56.
Gao J.Q., Shih C.K. & Ren D. 2016. New species of Limoniidae (Diptera) from Myanmar amber, Upper Cretaceous. Cretaceous Research 58: 42–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2015.09.017
Jong H. de 2017. Limoniidae and Tipulidae (Crane Flies). In: Kirk-Spriggs A.H. & Sinclair B.J. (eds) Manual of Afrotropical Diptera. Volume 2: Nematocerous Diptera and Lower Brachycera. Suricata 5: 427–477. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
Kania I. 2015. The taxonomy of selected genera of the subfamily Limoniinae (Diptera: Limoniidae) from Baltic amber (Eocene), with notes on their phylogeny. Annales Zoologici 65 (1): 71–100. https://doi.org/10.3161/00034541ANZ2015.65.1.007
Kania I., Krzemiński W. & Krzemińska E. 2015a. The oldest representative of the genus Gonomyia (Diptera, Limoniidae) from Lebanese amber (Lower Cretaceous): New subgenus and species. Cretaceous Research 52: 516–521. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2014.05.011
Kania I., Wang B. & Szwedo J. 2015b. Dicranoptycha Osten Sacken, 1860 (Diptera, Limoniidae) from the earliest Cenomanian Burmese amber. Cretaceous Research 52: 522–530. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2014.03.002
Kania-Kłosok I., Jordan-Stasiło W., Kopeć K., Janiszewska K. & Krzemiński W. 2021. The first stage of the evolution of Rhabdomastix (Diptera, Limoniidae) and the taxonomic implications of genus. The European Zoological Journal 88 (1): 1152–1169. https://doi.org/10.1080/24750263.2021.2003880
Kania-Kłosok I., Arillo A., Tuchowski M., Zhang Q. & Krzemiński W. 2022. Early stage of evolution of Gonomyia (Diptera: Limoniidae), new significant discoveries in the Cretaceous Iberian and Kachin amber. Scientific Reports 12: 21118. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-25803-0
Kopeć K., Krzemiński W. & Albrycht M. 2021a. The oldest representatives of the Pilaria (Diptera, Limoniidae) genus from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, northern Myanmar. Cretaceous Research 118: 104671. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104671
Kopeć K., Soszyńska-Maj A., Kania-Kłosok I., Coram R.A. & Krzemiński W. 2021b. Morphology of the oldest fossil subfamily of Limoniidae (Diptera, Architipulinae) in the light of exceptionally preserved Mesozoic material. Scientific Reports 11: 24137. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-03350-4
Kopeć K., Kania-Kłosok I., Zhang Q. & Krzemiński W. 2023. New fossil data reveal evolutionary pathways within the genus Trichoneura Loew, 1850 (Diptera, Limoniidae). Scientific Reports 13: 16794. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-43468-1
Krzemiński W. 1985. Limoniidae (Diptera, Nematocera) from Baltic amber (in the collection of the Museum of the Earth in Warsaw) Part 1. Subfamily Limoniinae. Prace Muzeum Ziemi 37: 113–117.
Krzemiński W. 1992. Triassic and Lower Jurassic stage of Diptera evolution. Bulletin de la Société entomologique Suisse 65: 39–59.
Krzemiński W. 1996. A revision of fossil Megistocera and Brachypremna (Diptera: Tipulidae). Polish Journal of Entomology 65: 275–278.
Krzemiński W. 2004. Fossil Limoniidae (Diptera, Tipulomorpha) from Lower Cretaceous Burmese amber of Myanmar. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 2 (2): 123–125. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1477201904001257
Krzemiński W. & Krzemińska E. 2003. Triassic Diptera: review, revisions and descriptions. Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia 46: 153–184.
Krzemiński W. & Zessin W. 1990. The Lower Jurassic Limoniidae from Grimmen (GDR). Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift (N.F.) 37: 39–43. https://doi.org/10.1002/mmnd.19900370113
Krzemiński W., Blagoderov V., Azar D., Lukashevich E., Szadziewski R., Wedmann, S. Nel A., Collomb F.-M., Waller A. & Nicholson D.B. 2019. True flies (Insecta: Diptera) from the late Eocene insect limestone (Bembridge Marls) of the Isle of Wight, England, UK. Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 110: 495–554. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1755691018000464
Krzemiński W., Kania-Kłosok I., Krzemiński E., Ševčík J. & Soszyńska-Maj A. 2021. Fossils shed a new light on the diversity and disparity of the family Limoniidae (Diptera, Nematocera). Insects 12: 206. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12030206
Krzemiński W., Kania-Kłosok I. & Wąsacz P. 2025. A new genus of Chioneinae (Diptera: Limoniidae) from the Cretaceous Burmese amber. Annales Zoologici 75: 1057–1066. https://doi.org/10.3161/00034541ANZ2025.75.4.009
Li L.F., Rasnitsyn A.P., Shih C.K. & Ren D. 2015. A new genus and species of Praeaulacidae (Hymenoptera: Evanioidea) from Upper Cretaceous Myanmar amber. Cretaceous Research 55: 19–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2015.01.007
Linnaeus C. 1758. Systema naturae per regna tria naturae: Secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Editio decima, reformata. Tomus I. Laurentius Salvius, Stockholm [Holmiae]. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.542
Men Q.L. & Podenas S. 2021. A new genus of Limoniidae (Diptera: Tipuloidea) from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Cretaceous Research 126: e104915. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2021.104915
Men Q.L., Hu Z.K. & Mu D. 2019. New species of Lebania (Diptera: Limoniidae) from mid-Cretaceous amber of northern Myanmar. Cretaceous Research 104: e104183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2019.07.013
Men Q.L., Hu Z.K. & Starkevich P. 2023. Pseudoerioptera, a new genus of Chioneinae (Diptera: Limoniidae) from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber of northern Myanmar. Cretaceous Research 143: e105418. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2022
Men Q.L., Liu F., Sun M.W. & Starkevich P. 2026. The second representative of the genus Orimarguloides (Diptera: Limoniidae) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Palaeoentomology 9 (3): 213–216. https://doi.org/10.11646/palaeoentomology.9.3.3
Mik J. 1866. Beitrag zur Dipterenfauna des Osterreichischen Kustenlandes. Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Koniglichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien 16: 301–310.
Oosterbroek P. 2026. Catalogue of the Craneflies of the World (CCW). Available from https://ccw.naturalis.nl/index.php [accessed 14 May 2026].
Podenas S. 2000. New Thaumastoptera Mik, 1896 (Diptera, Limoniidae) from the Jordan amber (Lower Cretaceous). Mitteilungen aus dem Geologisch-Paläontologischen Institut der Universität Hamburg 84: 237–240.
Podenas S. & Poinar G.O. 2009. New crane flies (Diptera: Limoniidae) from Burmese amber. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 111 (2): 470–492. https://doi.org/10.4289/0013-8797-111.2.470
Ribeiro G.C. 2003. A new fossil Helius (Diptera: Limoniidae) from Burmese amber. Studia Dipterologica 9: 403–408.
Ribeiro G.C. 2006. Homology of the gonostylus parts in crane flies, with emphasis on the families Tipulidae and Limoniidae (Diptera, Tipulomorpha). Zootaxa 1110: 47–57. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.1110.1.5
Ross A.J. 2026. Supplement to the Burmese (Myanmar) amber checklist and bibliography, 2025, with comments on the use of the terms ‘Kachin amber’ and ‘Burmite’. Palaeoentomology 9 (1): 25–44. https://doi.org/10.11646/palaeoentomology.9.1.5
Shi G.H., Grimaldi D.A., Harlow G.E., Wang J., Wang J., Yang M.C., Lei W.Y., Li Q.L. & Li X.H. 2012. Age constraint on Burmese amber based on U-Pb dating of zircons. Cretaceous Research 37: 155–163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2012.03.014
Speiser P. 1910. 4 Orthoptera. Orthoptera Nematocera. In: Sjöstedt Y. (ed.) Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Schwedischen Zoologischen Expedition nach dem Kilimandjaro, dem Meru und den umgebenden Massaisteppen Deutsch-Ostafrikas 1905-1906 unter Leitung von Prof. Dr. Yngve Sjöstedt. P. 2. Band, [Abteilung] 10 (Diptera): 31–65. “1909”. Königlich Schwedischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Stockholm.
Starý J. 1992. Phylogeny and classification of Tipulomorpha, with special emphasis on the family Limoniidae. Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia 35: 11–36.
Starý J. & Oboňa J. 2018. Palaearctic species of Thaumastoptera (s. str.) Mik (Diptera: Limoniidae). Zootaxa 4394 (2): 227–234. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4394.2.5
Zherichin V.V. & Sukacheva I.D. 1973. On Cretaceous insect bearing ambers (retinites) of northern Siberia. In: Reports of the 24th Annual Readings in Memory of N.A. Kholodkovsky (Leningrad): 3–48.
Copyright (c) 2026 Qiulei Men, Mengwei Sun, Pavel Starkevich
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Creative Commons Copyright Notices
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are NOT PERMITTED to post their submitted work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on personal websites) prior to publication, as it may lead to nomenclatural issues.
