Eur. J. Entomol. 103 (1): 109-114, 2006 | DOI: 10.14411/eje.2006.016

Oldest records of Bombyliidae: Phthiriinae and Mythicomyiidae: Glabellulinae from the Lowermost Eocene amber of France (Diptera: Bombylioidea)

André NEL
CNRS UMR 5143, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Entomologie, 45 rue Buffon, F-75005, Paris, France;


Elektrophthiria magnifica gen. n., sp. n., oldest bee fly of the bombyliid subfamily Phthiriinae, is described from the Lowermost Eocene amber of Oise (France). It suggests at least a Late Cretaceous age for this group, coincident with the diversification of the flowering plants. Eurodoliopteryx inexpectatus gen. n., sp. n., oldest representative of the mythicomyiid subfamily Glabellulinae, is probably the sister genus of extant Doliopteryx, distributed in Africa and the Arabian peninsula, under very arid conditions. This discovery suggests a relatively humid forest close to a river with a drier surrounding area for the palaeoenvironment of the Oise amber.

Keywords: Diptera, Bombyliidae, Mythicomyiidae, Glabellulinae, Phthiriinae, gen. n., sp. n., Lowermost Eocene, French amber

Received: February 16, 2005; Revised: September 12, 2005; Accepted: September 12, 2005; Published: January 30, 2006  Show citation

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NEL, A. (2006). Oldest records of Bombyliidae: Phthiriinae and Mythicomyiidae: Glabellulinae from the Lowermost Eocene amber of France (Diptera: Bombylioidea). EJE, 103(1), 109-114. doi: 10.14411/eje.2006.016
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