Is this a mosquito in burmite?

[Mochaccino]

Hello,

 

Does this look like a mosquito in burmese amber? I see the huge proboscis which should be the diagnostic feature to distinguish between other similar insects.

 

 

[oilshale]

A long proboscis is not necessarily for sucking blood - there are a number of insects (and Diptera) that have a long proboscis for sucking nectar. I do not think it is a culicidae - the wing veining does not seem to fit (but I am not a specialist for insects).

[Mochaccino]

13 hours ago, oilshale said:

A long proboscis is not necessarily for sucking blood - there are a number of insects (and Diptera) that have a long proboscis for sucking nectar. I do not think it is a culicidae - the wing veining does not seem to fit (but I am not a specialist for insects).

 

I see, thank you. I was mistaken in looking at just this one diagnostic feature so I'm glad I asked.

[Yoda]

Mosquitos are very rare in Burmite. 

Gnats and Midges are a lot more common. 

Edited May 5, 2023 by Yoda

[Mochaccino]

1 hour ago, Yoda said:

Mosquitos are very rare in Burmite. 

Gnats and Midges are a lot more common. 

 

So I'm told, but I thought those two wouldn't have such a proboscis?

Edited May 5, 2023 by Mochaccino

[DinoFossilsUK]

I'm no expert but you'd expect to see wing veining with no cells (like this) if it were a mosquito.  Judging by your pic, I'd say the wings look about right for a mosquito but the veining is a little hard to make out.

 

And no, you wouldn't see a proboscis if it were a midge or a gnat.

[Mochaccino]

11 hours ago, DinoFossilsUK said:

I'm no expert but you'd expect to see wing veining with no cells (like this) if it were a mosquito.  Judging by your pic, I'd say the wings look about right for a mosquito but the veining is a little hard to make out.

 

And no, you wouldn't see a proboscis if it were a midge or a gnat.

 

Hmm, "wing veining with no cells" certainly seems to match the specimen. But it's hard to do comparisons since the internet is flooded with mosquito mimics in burmite. Is there an paleoentomology expert on the forum that I can contact?

[Randyw]

Mosquito wings from researchgate…

[Mochaccino]

4 minutes ago, Randyw said:

Mosquito wings from researchgate…

 

Thank you, they do look quite close. Is this sort of venation specific and unique to mosquitos? Another thing I notice is the fuzzy "scales" on the wings in those figures, which I'm not sure if this specimen has, though I do think I seem some fine hairs. I might try to get a better view of the wings.

[Randyw]

It is one of the defining identifyers for mosquitos from what i understand. When i blow up your picture though it gets fuzzy i do believe i can see them on your speciman. I’m leaning mosquito myself…

[Mochaccino]

6 hours ago, Randyw said:

It is one of the defining identifyers for mosquitos from what i understand. When i blow up your picture though it gets fuzzy i do believe i can see them on your speciman. I’m leaning mosquito myself…

So I dug a little and asked the seller for some photos, and he mentioned that this is of the family Bittacidae. That's of the order Mecoptera (scorpionflies), and are definitely not mosquitos which are of the order Diptera. Does this seem consistent with the specimen?

[MarcoSr]

@vermiculosis should be able to help with the ID of your specimen.  I know of only a couple of amber with insect sellers who can take that high quality of a picture of an insect in amber.  If your seller is one of them. their IDs are reliable.  But if it is from a reseller instead using their picture, then who knows in that case.  As said mosquitos in amber are extremely rare.

 

Marco Sr.

[Randyw]

Bittacidae Are a part of the scorpion fly family called hanging flys. Heres a picture for comparison

[Mochaccino]

52 minutes ago, MarcoSr said:

@vermiculosis should be able to help with the ID of your specimen.  I know of only a couple of amber with insect sellers who can take that high quality of a picture of an insect in amber.  If your seller is one of them. their IDs are reliable.  But if it is from a reseller instead using their picture, then who knows in that case.  As said mosquitos in amber are extremely rare.

 

Marco Sr.

 

28 minutes ago, Randyw said:

Bittacidae Are a part of the scorpion fly family called hanging flys. Heres a picture for comparison

Funny thing, I was wondering why this specimen only seemed to have two wings and such a long proboscis. So I searched for Bittacidae in Burmese amber and came across this:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270679027_The_long-tongued_Cretaceous_scorpionfly_Parapolycentropus_Grimaldi_and_Rasnitsyn_Mecoptera_Pseudopolycentropodidae_New_Data_and_Interpretations

"The long-tongued Cretaceous scorpionfly Parapolycentropus Grimaldi and Rasnitsyn (Mecoptera: Pseudopolycentropodidae): New Data and Interpretations"

 

The photos of Parapolycentropus seem like a very close match with this specimen:

 

And what do you know, the paper mentions a couple unique features for this genus:

"The genus Parapolycentropus, originally described for two species in 99 myo Burmese amber, is unique among Mecoptera for its long, thin proboscis and possession of just the mesothoracic pair of wings."

 

 

Here's another paper: 

 

Apparently "long-tongued" or "long-proboscid" scorpionflies are a thing, possibly partaking in pollination (and perhaps nectar-sucking as suggested by@oilshale) with two genera characterized by said proboscis and reduced hindwings.

Edited May 6, 2023 by Mochaccino

[vermiculosis]

Hello,

I am sorry for late answer.

Its definitely a Scorpionfly ( Mecoptera ) and they are quite common in Burmite.
Real mosquito ( Culicidae Culex ) is something extremely rare still, for all ambers around the world.

My friend made small tutorial about this topic, he used many of my pictures and some of my experience in this material.

 

[Mochaccino]

13 hours ago, vermiculosis said:

Hello,

I am sorry for late answer.

Its definitely a Scorpionfly ( Mecoptera ) and they are quite common in Burmite.
Real mosquito ( Culicidae Culex ) is something extremely rare still, for all ambers around the world.

My friend made small tutorial about this topic, he used many of my pictures and some of my experience in this material.

 

Thank you and thank you for the video. That does seem consistent with what I'm finding.

Edited May 14, 2023 by Mochaccino