Creaphididae, A New and the Oldest Aphid Family From the Triassic of Middle Asia

Abstract

The only aphid specimen recorded in pre‐Jurassic strata is the holotype forewing of Triassoaphis cubitus, which has not been referred to any family (Evans 1956. Heie 1987). Recently, another specimen has been discovered among numerous Triassic Homoptera collected in the rich locality. Dzhailou‐Tcho (South Fergana, Middle Asia), and deposited in the Paleontological Institute (Moscow). According to paleobotanical data, the locality is of Ladinian‐Carnian age, i.e., roughly synchronous or somewhat older than Carnian Ipswich Group (Dobruskina 1982) that harboured Triassoaphis. The newly found aphid is very primitive and peculiar enough to merit new family status.

A new species representing the oldest aphid (Hemiptera, Aphidomorpha) from the Middle Triassic of China

“…In Creaphis, the claval furrow is distinct, slender, and almost reaches the CuA 2 apex. The claval veins Pcu+A 1 border the clavus posteriorly in this genus, continuing across the CuA 2 apex as a coupling fold (Shcherbakov and Wegierek 1991). Such an arrangement is also very probable for Vosegus, as Shcherbakov and Wegierek (1991) stated that a slight and hardly perceptible (i.e., nonfunctional) claval furrow and convex marginal Pcu+A 1 are nearly universal amongst the Aphidomorpha.…”

“…6-7. = Vosegus triassicus Szwedo andNel, 2011: 758. Shcherbakov (2010) described subfamily Leaphidinae in the family Creaphididae Shcherbakov and Wegierek, 1991. In the same paper he suppressed the superfamily Triasso− phidoidea under Paleoaphidoidea, but gave no arguments for this action or opinion on content of this superfamily. Shcher− bakov (2010) is not referring to the most recent classification and definitions of families and superfamilies proposed by Heie and Wegierek (2009a, b).…”

“…nov. His opinion on the similar range of morphological disparity in Creaphis Shcherbakov and Wegierek, 1991 and Leaphis in comparison with the dis− parity observed among polyphyletic and highly variable Dre− panosiphidae Herrich−Schaeffer, 1857 could be challenged, as most of drepanosiphid characters are apparently plesio− morphies (Heie and Wegierek 2009a). Difference in relative length of CuA stem in Creaphis and Leaphis also pointed as paralleled by the variation observed in Ellinaphididae is, however, used as diagnostic feature in this group (Kania and Wegierek 2008).…”

“…Triassoaphis cubitus Evans, 1956 was reported from the Carnian deposits of Ipswich, Australia, and later assigned to a monogeneric family Triassoaphididae Heie, 1999(Evans 1956Heie 1981Heie , 1999. The second known early aphidomorph, Crea− phis theodora Shcherbakov and Wegierek, 1991, was de− scribed from the Ladinian-Carnian Dzhailou−Tcho (South Fergana, Kyrgyzstan), and placed in its own family Crea− phididae Wegierek, 1991 (Shcherbakov andWegierek 1991).…”

The Plant–Aphid Universe

“…The majority of extant taxa can be found in the family Aphididae, which underwent a striking radiation in the Miocene (approx. 5-26 million years ago) (Heie, 1994;Richards, 1966;Shcherbakov and Wegierelc, 1991;Stadler and Dixon, 2005). The oldest known aphid fossil is of the species Triassoaphis cubitus Evans from the Triassic (Johnson et al, 2001).…”