Three new species of Elcanidae (Insecta: Orthoptera) from Myanmar amber and a discussion about phylogeny, ecology and evolutionary origin of Myanmar-amber Elcanidae

Three new genera and species of Elcanidae (Insecta: Orthoptera) are described from middle Cretaceous Myanmar amber. Paraxelcana coronakanthodis gen. et sp. nov. differs from previously known elcanids from Myanmar amber by showing cross veins in the precostal field of the forewing, as well as a unique combination of morphological features. Letoelcana artemisapollonque gen. et sp. nov. is one of only two species of Elcanidae from Myanmar amber showing two dark spots on the surface of the tegmina, but differing from the other species previously known, Hukawnelca gracile (Uchida in Cretaceous Research, 131, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2021.105092), in a number of characters. Trigonelca jennywinterae gen. et sp. nov. features a unique new combination of metatibial spurs, as well as a triangular shaped pronotum, distinguishing it from previously known Elcanidae from Myanmar amber. We discuss possible ecological implications of wing spots (as seen on L. artemisapollonque) and the pterostigma, a specially modified wing area that appears to characteristic for many elcanid species. Based on a morphological binary character matrix from the new and already reported species, a phylogenetic tree is created, giving a hypothetical glimpse at the possible phylogeny of Elcanidae from Myanmar amber.