On the occurrence of Tuckerella fossilibus (Acariformes: Tuckerellidae) in Bitterfeld amber

Authors:

• Mateusz Zmudziński

Abstract

An inclusion of a peacock mite species Tuckerella fossilibus Khaustov, Sergeyenko & Perkovsky, 2014 of the plant-feeding family Tuckerellidae (Acariformes: Tetranychoidea) was found in a sample of Bitterfeld amber from Germany. The finding is noteworthy because of the rare occurrence of this species in the fossil record (currently restricted to the holotype from Rovno amber in the Ukraine), a stase which is at least a tritonymph, and pine pollen grains entangled with opisthosomal setae from row H. Under these circumstances, the present discovery supplements the original diagnosis of the species and allows discussion of some aspects of its morphology, ecology and biogeography. © 2020, © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.