Original paper
Kedysi akokolvek gen. et sp. n. (Mantides: Mesoblattinidae; burmite) further complicates transition pattern towards Ectobiidae evidences
Vršanský, Peter; Koubová, Ivana
Palaeontographica Abteilung A Band 331 Lieferung 4-6 (2025), p. 97 - 108
88 references
published: Nov 24, 2025
published online: Oct 27, 2025
manuscript accepted: Oct 13, 2025
manuscript received: Aug 11, 2025
DOI: 10.1127/pala/0171
Abstract
Besides the Baltic amber (GCNRP2), Kachin amber (GCNRP8) flora and fauna represent a dinosaur-age assemblage of a natural ecosystem that can be directly compared with modern ecosystems as the only complex reference point. Research focus on this amber is necessary, due to extinction of the unique ancient conifer forests that produced it and its correlation to modern day effects that influence ongoing extinction of important and the only sustainable bioms – the forests. To exploit the potential of this site, we carefully examined well-preserved cockroach (Kedysi akokovek gen. et sp. n.; syninclusions are fuzzy plant seed fragment with minor roots, a chironomid male and possible cyxiid planthopper) of the now extinct family Mesoblattinidae – directly hit by the “Big Green Revolution” associated with the switch to angiosperm bioms. Its small size (9.2 mm) confirms extremely small insects preserved within burmite (cockroaches just 7.0 mm in average) due to low viskosity of the amber. It apparently reveals number of characters present only in living genus Neoblattella Shelford, 1911 which represents the extant family Ectobiidae s.l. This might indicate that the major cockroach family, housing also the common German cockroach, might have been polyphyletically derived from the Mesoblattinidae and that the splitting of this important family possibly has a taxonomical basis. The reasons for the turnover of the cockroach families were apparently beyond the change to-angiosperm ecosystems.
Keywords
fossil insects • Mesozoic amber • North Myanmar • Cretaceous cockroach • new species