Oribatid mites in Burmese amber I. First record of the family Achipteriidae (Acariformes, Oribatida) in Cretaceous amber, with the description of a new species of Cerachipteria Grandjean, 1935

Abstract

Burmese amber originates from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar (Burma). Shi et al. (2012) proposed an age of ca. 99 Ma based on zircon dating, whereas Smith & Ross (2018) proposed an age of 100 Ma based on sediments inside amber produced by bored bivalves. Regarding the plant producing resin Cruickshank & Ko (2003) recorded spores both of Araucariaceae and Taxodiaceae origin. Poinar et al. (2007) proposed an araucariacean origin due to the similitudes with modern kauri pines (Agathis) from New Zealand, while Grimaldi & Ross (2017) suggested the possibility of a Cupressaceae (Metasequoia) origin. Although amber inclusions from Myanmar were first described by Cockerell (1916), great interest (and a huge number of papers) in this biota started only two decades ago.