A new genus and species of bee fly (Diptera: Asiloidea: Bombyliidae) in Late Cretaceous (Coniacian) Iwaki amber from the Futaba Group of Iwaki, Fukushima, Japan
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: We report a new genus and species of the family Bombyliidae (Diptera: Asiloidea), Futababombylia kishini gen. et sp. nov., based on a fossil preserved in amber from the Upper Cretaceous (Coniacian, ca. 87–86 Ma) Kohisagawa Member of the Tamayama Formation, Futaba Group in Iwaki, Fukushima, Japan. To date, a total of nine Cretaceous bombyliid genera have been reported, all of which are monotypic. Futababombylia kishini gen. et sp. nov. represents the first fossil record of the family Bombyliidae from the Coniacian, as well as the first Cretaceous bombyliid fossil discovered outside of Kachin amber. It differs markedly from all other extinct and extant bombyliid species in having a bell-shaped head and the bifurcation of vein M1+2 positioned opposite to bifurcation of vein R4+5. Futababombylia kishini gen. et sp. nov. plays an important role in bridging a gap in the evolutionary timeline of the family Bombyliidae during the Late Cretaceous.
Source: Paleontological Research
DOI: 10.2517/prpsj.260012
Language: English
Topic: Fossil Insects in Amber
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7225017147