New fossil Ochteridae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Ochteroidea) from the Upper Mesozoic of north-eastern China, with phylogeny of the family

Abstract

Specimens of the velvety shore bugs (Hemiptera: Ochtheridae) occur in the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation in north-eastern China. We describe two new genera and three new species -Pristinochterus ovatus Yao, Zhang & Ren sp. nov.,Floricaudus multilocellus Yao, Ren & Shih gen.n. et sp.n. and Angulochterus quatrimaculatus Yao, Zhang & Ren gen.n. et sp.n.- from this deposit. A cladistic analysis based on a combination of fossil and extant taxa, and their morphological characters, clarifies the phylogenetic status of the new fossils and allows the reconstruction of relationships within the family Ochteridae. Two main clades within Ochteridae are recognized from the cladistic analysis: Pristinochterus Yao Cai & Ren and Floricaudus Yao, Ren & Shih gen.n. form a monophyletic lineage; and Angulochterus Yao, Zhang & Ren gen.n. emerges as a sister group to all extant velvety shore bugs. A key to all fossil and extant genera of Ochteridae is provided. © 2011 The Authors. Systematic Entomology © 2011 The Royal Entomological Society.