Cambridge Entomological Club, 1874
PSYCHE

A Journal of Entomology

founded in 1874 by the Cambridge Entomological Club
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This is the CEC archive of Psyche through 2000. Psyche is now published by Hindawi Publishing.

T. D. A. Cockerell.
Arthropods in Burmese Amber.
Psyche 24(2):40-45, 1917.

This article at Hindawi Publishing: https://doi.org/10.1155/1917/83242
CEC's scan of this article: http://psyche.entclub.org/pdf/24/24-040.pdf, 492K
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Psyche
[April
ARTHROPODS IN BURMESE AMBER.
BY T. D. A. COCKERELL,
University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado. A study of a considerable quantity of Burmese amber, additional to that previously reported on, reveals a remarkably interesting fauna. Hymenoptera are represented by Bethylidse, which are abundant, though often fragmentary; Evaniidse of several genera, and a Trigonalp. A very thorough examination fails to reveal a single ant. Hemiptera (Heteroptera) are represented by two genera and four species of Enicocephalidse. There are some Homoptera, not yet closely examined. The Diptera include Empididse, Sciara, Psychodidse (Trichomyia), and a Cecidomyiid. The Coleoptera include Elateridse, Dermestidse, Rhipiphoridse, Ipidse, and others not yet studied; but no Carabidse or Paussidse. There are many Blattids, young or fragmentary in every case; Termites are also frequent, but probably of few species. The mites are numerous and varied, but usually in poor condition for description; no spiders have yet been found. The Diplopods are represented by Polyxenus, and there is a good Pseudoscorpion, representing an apparently extinct genus. There is a very good Lepismatid, referred rather doubtfully to Lampropholis. The pres- ent paper puts on record a number of these discoveries. The amber (Burmite) was found in clay of Miocene age, but was derived from elsewhere, and may be much older. The specimens have been presented by Mr. R. C. J. Swinhoe of Mandalay to the British Museum. All the species described below were in a single large lump of amber, and therefore lived at the same time and place, PSELAPHOGNATHA.
Polyxenus burmiticus sp. nov. (Polyxenidse) . Length about 2400 microns; antennse about 320; width of head about 560; longest lateral bristles about 560 microns long, longest caudal bristles about 720. Apparently sixteen pairs of legs. An- tennse apparently 7-jointed, counting a very minute and rather doubtful apical joint; fifth joint longest; first, second, fourth and Pu&e 24:40.44 (1917). hup Ytpsychu einclub orgt24/24-IMO html



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19171 Cockerell-Arthropods in Burmese Amber 41 Fig. 1. Polyxenus burmi-
ticus.
sixth subequal; third shorter. Bristles
exceedingly abundant and long, dark
fuscous.
Burmese amber, from R. C. J. Swin-
hoe; in the same piece as Electrofcenus
gracdipes, about 30 mm. from it. This
appears to be a true Polyxenus, but it is remarkable for the very long and copious bristles. The species described by Koch
and Berendt from Baltic amber have
short bristles, and are entirely different. Our animal is curiously like an Anthre-
nid larva, and on account of its long
bristles resembles the much more an-
cient Palo~ocampa from the Pennsylva-
nian of Illinois. The structure figured
at A, which I at first took for a pair of caudal appendages, is evidently the end
of a piece of vegetable debris which ap- pears on the other side.
Cheyletus burmiticus sp. nov. (Cheyletidse). Length about 736 microns; shining reddish-brown, with very little hair; mandibles ordinary; palpi extremely stout, strongly elbowed at base; claw well-formed, curved, on left palpus, but the right one appears minutely bidentate at end; thumb-papillae lengthened, long and slender, ribbon-like, as usual in the genus, so far as can be
seen; abdomen broadly rounded poste-
riorly. The following measurements are
in microns: length of palpus about 208;
second joint of anterior leg about 160, the third about 120; last joint of second leg about 160.
Burmese amber, from R. C. J. Swinhoe.
In the same slab as the type of Winnert- ziola burmitica, and 3 mm. from it; also 6 but not pectinate; legs
Fig. 2. Cheyletus burmi-
ticus. A, palpi; B, base of
first leg.




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42 Psyche [April
mm. from the type of Scleroderma quadridentaturn. Although I
cannot make out any palpal combs, the animal is evidently not a Cheyletiella.
Winnertziola burrnitica sp. nov. (Cecidomyiidae) . 9 .
Piceous, including legs and antennae; wings clear, nervures ferruginous; surface of wings not conspicuously hairy, margin with long hairs; thorax narrow; abdomen long and narrow, the caudal appendages long and slender; venation as usual in the genus, the cross-vein not very oblique; antennae apparently 11-jointed, but there is-doubtless a second basal joint not seen, making 12 in all; antenna1 joints with long hairs, but no circumfili, whether with sur- Fig. 3. Winnertziola burmitica. A, wing; B, halter; C, claws; D, palpus; E, basal part of an- tenna; F, end of antenna; G, caudal appendages. face markings cannot
be determined; the
three joints before the
last broader basally
than apically; palpi
large, apparently 3-
jointed, but there is
probably a small basal
joint not seen, joint
before the last not ap-
preciably shorter than
the last; tarsi with 5 joints, basal joint very short, second long; claws small, apparently simple, emporium so small that it cannot be clearly made out; halteres very large, the large club dark brown. The following measurements are in microns: total length about 1760; length of wing about 1120; length of antennae apparently about 400, but they are seen obliquely, and are probably about 480; last joint of palpus 57; width of club of halter 64; length of hind femur 400; hind tarsal joints (1) 64, (2) 240, (3) 112, (4) 80, (5) 64.
Burmese amber, from R. C. J. Swinhoe; in the same slab as the type of Enicocephalus swinhoei, and 10 mm. from it. This may pos- sibly be separable from Winnertziola on account of the long caudal appendages, the form of the palpi, the probably simple claws, etc., but some of these differences
are doubtful, and the others are
slight, so a separate genus hardly seems to be required. The allied
genus Winnertzia is known from Baltic amber.



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Cockerell-Arthropods in Burmese Amber
Dermestes larvalis sp. nov. (Dermestidse) . A minute larva, about 750 microns long (not counting hairs); head, legs and hairs ferruginous; apical half of mandibles piceous, exactly as in modern Anthrenus larvae; body covered with spinulose hairs, the dorsal ones,
very long and abun-.
. dant, not tufted;,
longest hair from vi-
cinity of head about
Fig. 4. Dermestes larvalis n. sp. A, hind leg; B, 960 microns; caudal end of front leg; C, mandible; D, hair.
end with extraordi-
narily long hairs, the longest 3200 microns, not forming a distinct tuft; legs as in modern Anthrenus larvae, with single sharp claw; femora with short hairs, tibiae with bristles, hind tibiae with small spines. The hind legs are about 320 micronslong. The body is without corneous plates.
, Burmese amber, from R. C. J. Swinhoe. In same slab as type of Cryphalites rugosissmus, and 33.5 mm. from it. The characters
are exactly those of modern Dermestid larvae, but the generic ref- erence is of course not precise. The long hairs suggest Dermestes rather than some of the other common genera. Evidently the museum curator and entomologist, had they existed in Tertiary times, would have been troubled by Dermestids as they are today. Scleroderma (?) quadridentatum sp. nov. (Bethylidae) . $ .
Apterous.
Head and thorax 1.7 mm. long; abdomen be- yond first segment missing, but total length was probably about 3.5 mm. ; head and thorax black, legs
and abdomen f erruginous ; antennae
pale ferruginous at base, the flagellum
,
darker; mandibles ferruginous, at least
3-dentate, the outer margin strongly
and evenly curved; antennae 10-
jointed, the scape extremely large and




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44 Psyche [April
narrowed and truncate posteriorly; eyes large and prominent; prothorax long, narrowly conical in outline, but the sides bulging, the whole thorax very long and narrow; metathorax posteriorly at sides with short but distinct teeth, four in all; anterior femora with upper margin concave, lower convex; hind femoravery broad, cunei- form, the large end basad, the basal upper corner very prominent, obtusely rectangular; abdomen with a slender petiole, but rapidly widening, as in living forms. Hind tibiae with a single long spur. The following measurements are in microns: greatest width of head 440; length of eyes 224; width of thorax in middle 368; width first abdominal segment 592.
Burmese amber, from R. C. J. Swinhoe. In the same slab as the type of Winnertziola burmitica, and 7.5 mm. from it. The speci-
men shows the ventral view, and the palpi are not visible, so the generic reference may be somewhat doubtful. The insert is, however, of this immediate alliance, and the relatively large laterally placed eyes indicate a more primitive type than typical living Scleroderm. Species of this genus (8. tuberculata Magr. and 8. luteicolle Kieff .) are known in the existing fauna of Burma. The great antiquity of the genus is indicated by the fact that although the females are wingless, species occur on the most remote islands; the Hawaiian Is. (many species), Guam, the Seychelles and St. Helena.
Apenesia electriphila sp. nov. (Bethylidse) . 8.
Length about 2.5 mm.; black or piceous; wings clear, with light ferruginous stigma and nervures, venation typical for genus, stigma large, marginal cell open at end. Mandibles bidentate, the
Fig. 6. Apenesia electriphila. A, stigma and adja- cent parts; B, base of antenna; C, labial palpus; D, anterior basitarsus; E, posterior femur. teeth stout; labial
palpi %jointed; an-
tennse apparently
12-jointed, but
turned down at
ends, . and possibly
only 11-jointed;
scape broad and
flattened, curved;
flagellar joints short and broad, antenna1 joints 2-7 longer than broad, 8-10 as broad as long; head broad, occipital margin sharp; eyes rather large, prominent, about 144 microns long; width of hea,d



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