Morphological features of the Upper Cretaceous planthopper Mimaeurypterus burmiticus suggest specialization for cryptic camouflage on tree bark

Abstract

The extinct planthopper family Mimarachnidae is widely known in the Cretaceous of Eurasia. Two new specimens of the monotypic genus Mimaeurypterus Fu & Huang, 2021, from the early Upper Cretaceous of northern Myanmar are described. The intraspecific variation is assessed, and the description supplemented morphology of the head, pronotum, legs, and abdomen is provided. The flattened pronotum and broad forewings are interpreted as adaptations for the reduction of shadows at body margins, thus blurring the body outline of the insect and facilitating crypsis.