Evolutionary insights from a rare male palm bug (Thaumastocoridae) in Cretaceous amber

We report the earliest occurrence of the hemipteran family Thaumastocoridae, relict in the extant entomofauna and with representatives infamous for the damage they cause to palm crops. The new taxon, Popovocoris punctatus nov. gen. et sp., based on a unique male specimen exquisitely preserved in Cretaceous Burmese amber, exhibits a dorsoventrally flattened body with fine punctate sculpturing, four-segmented antennae, areolate hemelytra, and distinctive forewings with a dull-white membrane lacking visible venation. By undertaking a morphological-based cladistic analysis, this specimen is placed within Cimicomorpha, specifically alongside extant family Thaumastocoridae, and with high certainty in its subfamily Thaumastocorinae, based on other key features as is asymmetrical male genitalia. This discovery indicates early evolution of the family and the record of asymmetrical genitalia in East Asia at least since the Late Cretaceous. The affinity of this specimen with Thaumastocorinae, predominantly distributed in the South Hemisphere (particularly Australia and southern India), provides compelling evidence for an Asian origin of the lineage. Furthermore, this finding supports the hypothesis of Gondwanan connections for certain Burmese amber taxa, contributing to our understanding of Cretaceous palaeobiogeography and the evolutionary history of this enigmatic hemipteran family, while highlighting the typically low diversity of Cretaceous Cimicomorpha.