Cretalepisma is an extinct genus of wingless insect belonging to family Lepismatidae in the order Zygentoma (silverfish and allies). It contains one species, Cretalepisma kachinicum. Cretalepisma is known from a single female specimen, preserved in Cretaceous aged Burmese amber. The specimen has a total body length (including paracercum) of 9.7 millimeters, almost twice that of Burmalepisma (the only other Zygentoma known from the same deposits).[1][2]

Cretalepisma
Temporal range: Albian-Cenomanian, 100 Ma
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Zygentoma
Family: Lepismatidae
Genus: Cretalepisma
Mendes & Wunderlich, 2013
Species:
C. kachinicum
Binomial name
Cretalepisma kachinicum
Mendes & Wunderlich, 2013

The genus name Cretalepisma is derived from the Latin Creta (chalk) as used in the name of the Cretaceous period, and from Lepisma. The species epithet kachinicum references Kachin, the northernmost state of Myanmar, where the Burmese amber mines are located.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Mendes, Luis F.; Wunderlich, Jörg (2013). "New data on thysanurans preserved in Burmese amber (Microcoryphia and Zygentoma lnsecta)". Soil Organisms. 85 (1): 11–22. ISSN 2509-9523.
  2. ^ Guo, Mingxia; Xing, Lida; Wang, Bo; Zhang, Weiwei; Wang, Shuo; Shi, Aimin; Bai, Ming (2017-12-31). "A catalogue of Burmite inclusions". Zoological Systematics. 42 (3): 249–379. doi:10.5281/zenodo.5455467.