Work

Revisiting early angiosperm pollination: a reassessment of Angimordella beetle and co-occurring thrips from mid-Cretaceous amber

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The Cretaceous rise of angiosperms profoundly reshaped terrestrial ecosystems, yet direct fossil evidence of early insect-angiosperm interactions remains scarce. Here, we re-examine a key mid-Cretaceous amber inclusion from Kachin, Myanmar, previously reported to preserve a pollen-bearing beetle (Angimordella burmitina) in close association with eudicot pollen. RESULTS: Our reassessment supports the recent transfer of Angimordella from Mordellinae (crown-group Mordellidae) to Apotomourinae (stem-group Mordellidae), based on traits such as a short pygidium and the absence of a subapical metatibial ridge. This revised placement challenges earlier interpretations of Angimordella as a specialized angiosperm pollinator and instead suggests a more generalized or transitional ecological role. We also document a co-preserved thrips in direct contact with the pollen grains, representing the first fossil record of a thrips associated with angiosperm pollen. CONCLUSIONS: This fossil assemblage sheds light on the ecological complexity of mid-Cretaceous pollination systems, offering new insights into the incremental development of structured angiosperm-insect pollination networks.

Source: BMC Biology

DOI: 10.1186/s12915-026-02572-0

Authors: Yan‑Da Li, David Peris, Constanza Peña-Kairath, Qian Zhao, Di-Ying Huang, Chen-Yang Cai