<i>Aneurus</i> sp. from the early Miocene Foulden Maar, New Zealand: the first Southern Hemisphere record of fossil Aradidae (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera)

Abstract

Abstract The first specimen of fossil Heteroptera (Aradidae, Aneurinae) from New Zealand is figured and described. The ventrally preserved specimen from early Miocene lake sediments at Foulden Maar, Otago is assigned to Aneurus , a flat‐bug genus that is represented by six species in the modern New Zealand fauna. Aneurus sp. from Foulden Maar represents the first Southern Hemisphere fossil record of the family Aradidae. Its occurrence at Foulden Maar indicates that the genus has been present in the Australasian region at least since the early Miocene and supports previous suggestions of a long evolutionary history of New Zealand aradids closely linked to rainforest habitats.