Morphological Phylogeny of New Cretaceous Fossils Elucidates the Early History of Soil Dwelling Among Bugs

Burrowing bugs are distinctive, beetle-like insects of the pentatomoid family Cydnidae, noteworthy for their morphological specializations digging and a hemiedaphic life history. However, less is known about biological significance early origin soil dwelling. Direct fossil evidence illuminating evolutionary history dwelling in cydnids extremely rare. In this study, we report four new species burrowing bug subfamily Amnestinae from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, including two exhibiting specialized bulldozing traits on anterior head forelegs. Associated features phylogenetic placement indicate that Acanthamnestus represents earliest unequivocal soil-dwelling pushes back geological record true to 99 Ma. Environmental evidence, distribution host plants, fossils provide window understanding habits may be linked appearance Moraceae.