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First identifiable Mesozoic harvestman (Opiliones: Dyspnoi) from Cretaceous Burmese amber - PubMed

  • ️Sat Jan 01 2005

Comparative Study

First identifiable Mesozoic harvestman (Opiliones: Dyspnoi) from Cretaceous Burmese amber

Gonzalo Giribet et al. Proc Biol Sci. 2005.

Abstract

Two inclusions in a piece of Upper Cretaceous (Albian) Burmese amber from Myanmar are described as a harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones), Halitherses grimaldii new genus and species. The first Mesozoic harvestman to be named can be referred to the suborder Dyspnoi for the following reasons: prosoma divided into two regions, the posterior formed by the fusion of the meso- and metapeltidium; palp lacking a terminal claw, with clavate setae, and tarsus considerably shorter than the tibia. The bilobed, anteriorly projecting ocular tubercle is reminiscent of that of ortholasmatine nemastomatids. The status of other Mesozoic fossils referred to Opiliones is briefly reviewed.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1

Halitherses grimaldii new genus and species. The first fossil harvestman from Burmese amber, Lower Cretaceous (amber). (a) Lateral aspect of holotype Bu-1583a; scale bar, 1 mm. (b) Detailed lateral view of holotype Bu-1583a; scale bar, 0.5 mm. (c) Front end of lateral view of holotype Bu-1583a showing extended right pedipalp; scale bar, 0.5 mm. (d) Detail of Bu-1583a tarsus and tibia of right pedipalp showing the clavete setae; scale bar, 0.1 mm. (e) Ventrolateral view of paratype Bu-1583b; scale bar, 0.5 mm. (f) Posterodorsal view of paratype Bu-1583b; scale bar, 0.5 mm.

Figure 2
Figure 2

Camera lucida drawing of the specimens shown in figure 1. Scale bar, 2 mm.

Figure 3
Figure 3

Detail of the body of the holotype Bu-1583a in lateral view. Scale bar, 0.2 mm.

Figure 4
Figure 4

(a) Detail of the right pedipalp of the holotype and (b) the end of a disarticulated walking leg. Scale bar, 0.2 mm.

Figure 5
Figure 5

Detail of the paratype Bu-1583b in ventral view. Scale bar, 0.5 mm.

Figure 6
Figure 6

Strict consensus cladogram illustrating the phylogenetic position of Halitherses grimaldii new genus and species, derived from a modified version of the character matrix of Giribet et al. (2002). Outgroup relationships not shown. Numbers above branches indicate jackknife proportions. The search consisted of 100 Wagner addition replicates followed by tree bisection and reconnection branch swapping. A total of 138 trees of 495 steps were found.

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References

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