Phylogeny of the Eocene Aphalarinae (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) from Baltic amber, with description of a new species using X-ray micro-computed tomography scanning, and a new genus synonymy

A new Eocene species of Psylloidea is described from Baltic amber. <i>Eogyropsylla pankowskii</i> Ashe-Jepson &amp; Ouvrard sp. nov., along with <i>E. magna</i> and <i>E. parva</i>, is micro- computed tomography (CT) scanned to produce three-dimensional reconstructions, facilitating the detailed description of its morphology, and updated descriptions of other members of <i>Eogyropsylla</i>. The thoracic structures are described in detail. <i>Eogyropsylla pankowskii</i> may be the first fossil psyllid found excreting honeydew. With the addition of this species, a phylogeny of <i>Eogyropsylla</i> is constructed using a discrete character matrix of morphological characters. These characters have been collected from the micro-CT scans, from direct observation, and from published literature for all known members of the genus. <i>Parascenia weitschati</i> Klimaszewski, 1997 appears wrongly classified in a separate genus based on male genitalia characters only, and we conclude that <i>Parascenia</i> Klimaszewski, 1997 is a junior synonym of <i>Eogyropsylla</i> Klimaszewski, 1993. <i>Eogyropsylla</i> now contains eight species, with <i>Eogyropsylla weitschati</i> comb. nov. being the only known male of the genus. The assignment of <i>Eogyropsylla</i> to Aphalarinae is confirmed. This genus branches basally in the aphalarine cladogram, as sister group to <i>Colposcenia</i>. The early evolution and Laurasian origin of the oldest known modern Psylloidea is discussed. This study demonstrates that micro-CT techniques are an invaluable tool for palaeontology and entomology.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:DAF44D3D-4C64-41E3-B525-E9E158302CC9