A new genus of terrestrial isopods (Crustacea: Oniscidea: Armadillidae) in Myanmar amber

ABSTRACT

A female terrestrial isopod in amber from Myanmar is described as Palaeoarmadillo microsoma gen. et sp. n. (Isopoda: Oniscidea: armadillidae). Placement in the family Armadillidae is based on the 2-segmented flagellum with the flagellum nearly as stout as the basal segments, the head with 2 small medial anterior processes, the fronto-caudally compressed cephalon, the large expanded protopodite with small exopodites dorsally attached and the possibility (based on the shape of the epimera) that the specimen could have formed a global shape. Autapomorphies of the fossil are the shape of the basal antennomeres, flagellum and shape and size of the uropod exopodites. The specimen is parasitized by fly larvae (Diptera) and two mite spermatophores with sperm packets are attached to the dorsum of the isopod.

KEYWORDS:

• Terrestrial isopod
• Myanmar amber
• Armadillidae
• mid-Cretaceous

Acknowledgments

Thanks are extended to Helmut Schmalfuss for first indicating to the author that the fossil belonged to the family Armadillidae and to Barry O Connor, Gerald Krantz and Evert Linquist for concurring that the structures on the back of the fossil resemble mite spermatophores. The author is grateful to P. Broly and an anonymous reviewer whose comments greatly improved the paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.