A new harpactorin hemipteran insect from the Miocene Dominican amber with fossula spongiosa on all three pairs of legs
Peipei Zhang, Yunzhi Yao, Zhengkun Hu, Dong Ren, and Yingqi Liu
A new genus and species of fossil harpactorin (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), Trispongiosus hui Zhang, Yao, & Liu gen. et sp. nov., is described from Miocene Dominican amber, representing the third fossil record of Harpactorinae. The new species is remarkable for exhibiting fossula spongiosa on all three pairs of legs, which is not only the first report in Harpactorinae but also rare within Reduviidae. This structure is considered to be related to the locomotor capabilities of assassin bugs, potentially enhancing their attachment and agility in navigating complex surfaces and vegetation. Furthermore, the present study suggests that fossula spongiosa exhibits remarkable plasticity within Reduviidae by integrating fossil and extant perspective.
Key words: Insecta, Reduviidae, Harpactorinae, assassin bug, fossula spongiosa, plasticity, Miocene, Dominican amber.
Peipei Zhang [2230801008@cnu.edu.cn; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-7067-3464], Yunzhi Yao [yaoyz100@126. com; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4491-0260], Dong Ren [rendong@cnu.edu.cn; ORCID: https://orcid.org/ 0000-0001-8660-0901], and Yingqi Liu [yingqiliu0720@163.com; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0881-9670] (corresponding author), College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Xisanhuanbeilu 105, Haidian District, Beijing 100048, China. Zhengkun Hu [1428101617@qq.com; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7470-0830], Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve, Tongren 554400, China.
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