title: An opilioacarid mite in Cretaceous Burmese amber.
abstract: A fossil opilioacarid mite (Parasitiformes: Opilioacarida) in Burmese amber is described as ?Opilioacarus groehni sp. nov. This ca. 99 Ma record (Upper Cretaceous: Cenomanian) represents only the third fossil example of this putatively basal mite lineage, the others originating from Eocene Baltic amber (ca. 44-49 Ma). Our new record is not only the oldest record of Opilioacarida, but it is also one of the oldest examples of the entire Parasitiformes clade. The presence of Opilioacarida-potentially Opiloacarus-in the Cretaceous of SE Asia suggests that some modern genus groups were formerly more widely distributed across the northern hemisphere, raising questions about previously suggested Gondwanan origins for these mites.
authors.affiliation: Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstrasse 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany, Jason.Dunlop@mfn-berlin.de.
authors.forename: Jason A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Dunlop
authors.forename: Leopoldo Ferreira
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: de Oliveira Bernardi
mesh_terms: D018647:Amber; D000818:Animals; D005580:Fossils; D008925:Mites / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification*; D002052:Myanmar; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D018647:Amber