New fossil genus and species of Sinoalidae (Hemiptera: Cercopoidea) from the Middle to Upper Jurassic deposits in northeastern China

Taxonomic review and phylogenetic inference elucidate the evolutionary history of Mesozoic Procercopidae, with new data from the Cretaceous Jehol Biota of NE China (Hemiptera, Cicadomorpha)

“…Our cladistic analyses based on wing character states recovered the high‐level relationships within the Cercopoidea as follows: Sinoalidae + (Procercopidae + (Cercopionidae + modern cercopoids)) (Figures and ). Sinoalidae, recently reported in Middle–Late Jurassic deposits in northeastern China and mid‐Cretaceous Burmese amber (Chen et al, , , , ; Chen, Wang, Zhang, et al, ; Chen, Wang, Zheng, Jarzembowski, et al, ; Chen, Zhang, Wang, Jiang, Jiang, et al, ; Fu, Cai, & Huang, ; Fu & Huang, , ; Wang et al, ), shares some plesiomorphic characters with ancient Clypeata and bears some remarkably specialized traits. This family occupies the most basal position as the sister clade to all other Cercopoidea in our phylogenetic reconstruction, indicating that the family likely represents a primitive cercopoid lineage.…”

“…Chengdecercopis Hong, , reported from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of NE China, is widely accepted as a representative of Procercopidae (Chen, Zhang, et al, ; Hamilton, ; Hong, ; Wang et al, ). However, Chengdecercopis bears a tegmen with costal area more sclerotized and punctate, ScP + R, MP, and CuA dividing almost at the same point, crossvein cua‐cup connecting CuA almost at the branching position of ScP + R + MP + CuA, and crossvein mp‐cua connecting CuA at its bifurcation, resembling the sinoalid Stictocercopis Fu and Huang, but differing from all known procercopids. Therefore, the genus should be transferred from the family Procercopidae to the Sinoalidae.…”

“…Hylicelloidea is considered to be the ancestral group to all the five modern superfamilies of Cicadomorpha (Szwedo, ; Wang et al, ), but just a few genera, for example, Vietocycla Shcherbakov, , contain information on both tegmen and hind wing, and so Vietocycla is chosen as the ultimate out‐group herein. Stictocercopis Fu and Huang, is chosen as another out‐group because the genus is one of primitive forms of the Sinoalidae (Chen et al, , ; Chen, Wang, Zheng, Jarzembowski, et al, ). The Mesozoic monogeneric family Cercopionidae is represented by its nominal genus Cercopion Hamilton, .…”

“…Procercopidae, widely spread in Eurasia in the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous (Figure ), is accepted as one of the stem cercopoid lineages and the ancestral group of modern ones (Chen, Wang, et al, ; Shcherbakov & Popov, ; Wang et al, ). Sinoalidae, recorded in the Middle to Upper Jurassic of NE China and the mid‐Cretaceous Burmese amber, is closely related to early Procercopidae and also shares some plesiomorphic characters with ancient Hylicelloidea, likely representing one of early diversifications of Cercopoidea (Chen et al, ; Chen, Zheng, Wei, & Wang, ; Fu & Huang, ; Wang et al, ). The little known Cercopionidae, with only one definite record from the mid‐Cretaceous of Brazil, was likely derived from the Procercopidae in the Early Cretaceous and represents an offshoot of ancestral group of modern Cercopoidea (Chen et al, ; Hamilton, ; Wang et al, ).…”

“…of Cercopoidea Chen, Zheng, Wei, & Wang, 2017;Fu & Huang, 2018;Wang et al, 2012). The little known Cercopionidae, with only one definite record from the mid-Cretaceous of Brazil, was likely derived from the Procercopidae in the Early Cretaceous and represents an offshoot of ancestral group of modern Cercopoidea Hamilton, 1990;Wang et al, 2012).…”