Appearance of the family Blaberidae (Insecta: Blattaria) during the Cretaceous and a review of fossils of this family

Abstract

So far, the fossil record of Blaberidae SAUSSURE, 1864, a big family of modern "giant cockroaches" at the present time, extended only to the early Cenozoic. Based on the study of new fossil material from the Cretaceous, the minimum age of the family is now shifted back to the Cretaceous. Morphna cretacica sp. nov. from mid-Cretaceous Myanmar amber and Morphna cenozoica sp. nov. from the Eocene Messel pit contribute to the knowledge of this genus and the family. Fonsecablatta patricioi MENDES et PINTO, 2001 is transferred from the tribe Epilamprini BRUNNER VON WATTENWYL, 1865 to the tribe Morphnini MCKITTRICK, 1964. The fossil representatives of the family Blaberidae and mainly of the subfamily Epilamprinae BRUNNER VON WATTENWYL, 1865 support the already existing hypothesis of an origin of modern cockroach families during the Cretaceous, with the family Blaberidae probably splitting coevally with the families Ectobiidae BRUNNER VON WATTENWYL, 1865 and Blattidae LATREILLE, 1810 from Mesoblattinidae HANDLIRSCH, 1906. The Blaberidae became more abundant and widespread during the Cenozoic, perhaps in connection with the evolution of significant ecological advances.