@article {439, title = {The first known fossils of the Platydesmida{\textemdash}an extant American genus in Cretaceous amber from Myanmar (Diplopoda: Platydesmida: Andrognathidae)}, journal = {Organisms Diversity and Evolution}, volume = {19}, year = {2019}, month = {01/09/2019}, pages = {423-433}, abstract = {

Millipedes have been inhabiting the earth for more than 400 my and show a great diversity regarding their morphology and ecology. For a better understanding of the timing and pattern of millipede evolution, Burmese amber offers a unique window into the Cretaceous period, ca. 99 Ma. Here, we describe the first known fossil of the colobognathan order Platydesmida, the species Andrognathus burmiticus n. sp. based on 15 specimens from Cretaceous Burmese amber. We combine classical light-microscopy and modern micro-computer tomography (\μCT) with computer aided 3D-reconstructions. These non-invasive techniques allow us to describe the fossil millipedes as detailed as is general practice for extant species, and to grant the scientific community open access to the deposited \“Cybertypes\”. Based on the combination of unique morphological characters such as surface structures, body type, the unique size and shape of tergite 5, the absence of a hypoproct at the anal segment, and detailed gonopod characteristics, the studied fossils can be placed in the family Andrognathidae and the extant genus Andrognathus, which nowadays is restricted to the eastern USA and Mexico with three extant species. Therefore, the minimum age of the genus Andrognathus is pushed to the Cenomanian, 99 Ma. It can be assumed that the genus was much more diverse and wider distributed in the past and migrated between Asia and America via one of the once existing land bridges. These unique fossils prove the unusual relictual distribution of Andrognathus and can serve as key-fossils for the dating of the diplopod phylogeny.

}, keywords = {Burmese amber, Migration, Southeast Asia, Virtual paleontology, μCT}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s13127-019-00408-0 }, author = {Moritz, Leif and Wesener, Thomas} } @article {437, title = {Symphylella patrickmuelleri sp. nov. (Myriapoda: Symphyla): The oldest known Symphyla and first fossil record of Scolopendrellidae from Cretaceous Burmese amber}, journal = {Creatceous Research}, volume = {84}, year = {2017}, month = {22/12/2017}, pages = {258-263}, abstract = {

Symphyla are one of the least known of the four classes of the Myriapoda. While Symphyla are dated to have split from the other myriapods at about 430\–593 Ma, there are no fossil specimens known aside from seven specimens of the family Scutigerellidae preserved in Dominican and Baltic amber, with a maximum age of ca. 54 Ma. Here we describe the first fossil representative of the second Symphyla family, the Scolopendrellidae, Symphylella patrickmuelleri sp. nov., from Burmese amber (ca. 99 Ma). Utilizing micro-computed tomography (mCT) technology, as well as light microscopy and multi-layer photography, our specimen, despite being juvenile, can be assigned to the genus Symphylella Silvestri, 1902, a species-rich Recent genus that has an almost worldwide distribution. The specimen is preserved after ejecting long threads of silk from its large spinnerets. Our findings show that the recent genera and families of the Symphyla diverged already before the end of the Mesozoic

}, keywords = {Burmese amber, Cretaceous, CT scan, Mesozoic, soil arthropod}, issn = {0195-6671}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2017.11.018}, author = {Moritz, Leif and Wesener, Thomas} }