New amber fossil Anthomyzidae (Diptera): an unexpected Eocene diversity

Examination of inclusions of Anthomyzidae (Diptera) in Baltic (and Bitterfeld) amber (Tertiary: Eocene) resulted in the finding of 10 new species, eight belonging to Protanthomyza Hennig, Citation1965 (fossil Protanthomyzinae) and two to Lacrimyza gen. nov. (Anthomyzinae). Protanthomyza and Protanthomyzinae are rediagnosed on the basis of nine species, P. collarti Hennig, Citation1965 (revised), P. hennigi sp. nov., P. hoffeinsorum sp. nov., P. krylovi sp. nov., P. loewi sp. nov., P. meunieri sp. nov., P. presli sp. nov., P. tschirnhausi sp. nov. and P. sp. nov. (unnamed), and their relationships are discussed with particular reference to new features including vein A2 being first recorded within the family and the Opomyzoidea as a whole. All Protanthomyza species are (re)described in detail, illustrated and keyed. Lacrimyza and its two species, L. lacrimosa sp. nov. and L. christelae sp. nov., are recorded as the first representatives of the subfamily Anthomyzinae in the Eocene, described, illustrated and their relationships to fossil (Grimalantha Roháček, Citation1998 from Dominican amber) and extant genera are discussed. The few other fossil taxa of Anthomyzidae are reviewed but the affiliations of Anthomyza rhenana Statz, Citation1940 (upper Oligocene, Germany), Ephydra oligocena Cockerell, Citation1915 and E. sepulta Cockerell, Citation1915 (both Eocene–Oligocene, Isle of Wight, England) with this family are rejected. Habitat and host–plant association and diversity of Anthomyzidae in the Eocene Baltic amber forest are discussed and it is concluded that they probably had a biology similar to extant species but obviously a higher species diversity than known in the contemporary European fauna. The resemblance of Anthomyzidae in amber inclusions from the Baltic (Samland peninsula) and Bitterfeld (Germany) deposits are demonstrated at generic level, with one species each of Protanthomyza and Lacrimyza recorded from the latter. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:76CD9F2C-5C00-4CC6-862E-14FCC4F926A8