Triatoma dominicana

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Triatoma dominicana
Temporal range: Burdigalian
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Triatoma dominicana holotype.jpg
Holotype
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Heteroptera
Family: Reduviidae
Genus: Triatoma
Species:
T. dominicana
Binomial name
Triatoma dominicana
Poinar, 2005

Triatoma dominicana is an extinct species of assassin bug in the subfamily Triatominae, the kissing bugs known from early Miocene Burdigalian stage Dominican amber deposits on the island of Hispaniola. [1] [2]

The species is known from a single 5th instar female nymph exuvia found in Hymenaea protera amber from deposits in the Dominican Republic. [2] The holotype, deposited in the Oregon State University as specimen number He-4-73, was mined from the La Toca Dominican amber mine. The specimen was first mentioned in a 1995 paper describing the extinct tick Ornithodorus antiquus . [2] Though mostly complete the exuvia is missing the right foreleg, the left middle leg, a small section of antenna and the anteocular region. Triatoma dominicana is the first extinct Triatominae species to be described from the fossil record. [2] Included in the amber specimen are two fecal pellets from the insect which contain preserved flagellates of the extinct Trypanosoma antiquus . This association is the oldest known example of the vector association between Triatoma and Trypanosoma . [2] T. dominicana lived in an environment similar to modern moist tropical rain forests.

Though similar to the modern genera Triatoma, Panstrongylus , and Eratyrus several physical characters in the specimen are distinct to Triatoma, the size, at 19.5 millimetres (0.77 in) being smaller than Eratyrus nymphs, and the head and thorax being granulose. Modern Hispaniola does not have an endemic population of Triatominae species and only the human introduced T. rubrofasciata . [2] Of the three endemic Triatominae species found in the Greater Antilles T. dominicana resembles some features of T. obscura found on Jamaica. Based on the contents of the amber specimen including three hematophagous insects, it is likely to have been formed in a tree cavity. Associated with the insects are several mammal hairs from an unidentified Chiropteran, the likely host for T. dominicana. [2]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominican amber</span> Amber from the Dominican Republic

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<i>Leptofoenus pittfieldae</i> Extinct species of wasp

Leptofoenus pittfieldae is an extinct species of wasp in the family Pteromalidae. It is known from early Miocene Burdigalian stage Dominican amber deposits on the island of Hispaniola. The species is known from a single 8.8 millimetres (0.35 in) male specimen excavated from the La Toca mine group northeast of Santiago de los Caballeros in 2008 and deposited in the Insect Fossil Collection at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum in Lawrence, Kansas, where it was studied and described by Dr. Michael S. Engel. The species name pittfieldae honors Ms. Morgan Pittfield, niece of the specimen donor.

<i>Termitaradus mitnicki</i> Extinct species of true bug

Termitaradus mitnicki is an extinct species of true bug in the family Termitaphididae known only from early Miocene Burdigalian stage Dominican amber deposits on the island of Hispaniola.

Palaeoraphe is an extinct genus of palms, represented by one species, Palaeoraphe dominicana from early Miocene Burdigalian stage Dominican amber deposits on the island of Hispaniola, in the modern-day Dominican Republic.

Roystonea palaea is an extinct species of palm known from fossil flowers found in the early Miocene Burdigalian stage Dominican amber deposits on the island of Hispaniola. The species is known from a single staminate flower and a single pistillate flower both preserved in the same piece of amber. The amber specimen bearing the holotype and paratype is currently deposited in the collections of the Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon, as number "Sd–9–101", where it was studied and described by George Poinar. Poinar published his 2002 type description for R. palaea in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 139. The species' second name is taken from the Greek word palaios meaning "ancient". The amber specimen bearing the flowers was excavated from the La Toca mine northeast of Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic.

<i>Coprinites</i> Extinct genus of fungi

Coprinites is an extinct monotypic genus of gilled fungus in the Agaricales family Agaricaceae. At present it contains the single species Coprinites dominicana.

Aureofungus is an extinct monotypic genus of gilled fungus in the order Agaricales. At present it contains the single species Aureofungus yaniguaensis.

<i>Protomycena</i> Extinct genus of fungi

Protomycena is an extinct monotypic genus of gilled fungus in the family Mycenaceae, of order Agaricales. At present it contains the single species Protomycena electra, known from a single specimen collected in an amber mine in the Cordillera Septentrional area of the Dominican Republic. The fruit body of the fungus has a convex cap that is 5 mm (0.2 in) in diameter, with distantly spaced gills on the underside. The curved stipe is smooth and cylindrical, measuring 0.75 mm (0.030 in) thick by 10 mm (0.39 in) long, and lacks a ring. It resembles extant species of the genus Mycena. Protomycena is one of only five known agaric fungus species known in the fossil record and the second to be described from Dominican amber.

<i>Lutzomyia adiketis</i> Extinct species of fly

Lutzomyia adiketis is an extinct species of sandfly in the moth fly subfamily Phlebotominae. L. adiketis is a vector of the extinct Paleoleishmania neotropicum and both species are solely known from early Miocene Burdigalian stage Dominican amber deposits on the island of Hispaniola.

<i>Paleoleishmania</i> Extinct genus of parasitic flagellate protist in the Kinetoplastea class

Paleoleishmania is an extinct genus of kinetoplastids, a monophyletic group of unicellular parasitic flagellate protozoa. At present it is placed in the family Trypanosomatidae. The genus contains two species, the type species Paleoleishmania proterus and the later described Paleoleishmania neotropicum.

Pintomyia falcaorum is an extinct species of sandfly in the moth fly subfamily Phlebotominae. P. falcaorum is solely known from early Miocene Burdigalian stage Dominican amber deposits on the island of Hispaniola.

Tainosia is an extinct monotypic genus of planthopper in the Nogodinidae subfamily Nogodininae and at present, it contains the single species Tainosia quisqueyae. The genus is solely known from the early Miocene, Burdigalian stage, Dominican amber deposits on the island of Hispaniola.

<i>Vetufebrus</i> Extinct genus of single-celled organisms

Vetufebrus is an extinct genus of haemospororida in the family Plasmodiidae. At the time of its description the new genus comprised a single species Vetufebrus ovatus known from a single Miocene Dominican amber fossil found on Hispaniola. V. ovatus was vectored by Enischnomyia stegosoma, the first fossil streblid bat fly described from a fossil, and the only member of the subfamily Nycterophiliinae described from Hispaniola. V. ovatus is the first instance of a Streblidae bat fly as a host for a malarial parasite.

Termitaradus dominicanus is an extinct species of termite bug in the family Termitaphididae known from a Miocene fossil found on Hispaniola. T. dominicanus is the third species in the genus Termitaradus to have been described from fossils found in Dominican amber after Termitaradus avitinquilinus and Termitaradus mitnicki.

Syndesus ambericus is an extinct species of stag beetles in the subfamily Syndesinae known from a single possibly Miocene fossil found on Hispaniola. S. ambericus is the first species of stag beetle to have been described from fossils found in Dominican amber and is one of four species from amber, and the only stag beetle species known from the Caribbean.

<i>Enischnomyia</i> Extinct genus of flies

Enischnomyia is an extinct genus of bat fly in the family Streblidae. At the time of its description the new genus comprised a single species, Enischnomyia stegosoma, known from a single Miocene fossil found on Hispaniola. E. stegosoma was the first fossil streblid bat fly described from a fossil, and the only member of the subfamily Nycterophiliinae described from Hispaniola. The species is host for the plasmodiid Vetufebrus ovatus preserved in its salivary glands and midgut.

References

  1. Iturralde-Vinent, M.A.; MacPhee, R.D.E. (1996). "Age and Paleogeographical Origin of Dominican Amber". Science. 273 (5283): 1850–1852. Bibcode:1996Sci...273.1850I. doi:10.1126/science.273.5283.1850. S2CID   129754021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Poinar, G. (2005). "Triatoma dominicana sp. n. (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae), and Trypanosoma antiquus sp. n. (Stercoraria: Trypanosomatidae), the First Fossil Evidence of a Triatomine-Trypanosomatid Vector Association". Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases. 5 (1): 72–81. doi:10.1089/vbz.2005.5.72. PMID   15815152.