Mid-Cretaceous sand fly (Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) illuminates early diversification of Old World fauna

Sand flies (Diptera, Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) are medically important insects with an interesting, but poorly understood, evolutionary history. The abundance and diversity of inclusions of these flies in Myanmar (Burmese) amber provide valuable data on their geological history. In this study, a new genus and species of sand fly, Longiphlebes excelsior gen. et sp. nov., is described based on an inclusion from Cretaceous Kachin amber (northern Myanmar). The systematic position of the new genus is discussed, and its morphological characters are compared with those of selected extant and fossil Phlebotominae taxa. The morphology of the genitalia, head, and wing suggests a closer relationship to recent Old World Phlebotominae fauna than to the more derived fossil genera such as Phlebotomites or the phlebotomid-like Eophlebotomus. This discovery broadens our understanding of Cretaceous sand flies, especially their evolution and diversity.