Abstract

Fossilized inclusions trapped in amber often display great degrees of conservation for studies concerning their taxonomy, biodiversity and evolution, and in some cases, their ecology and behaviour. Knowledge on the biology of the extinct hemipteran superfamily Protopsyllidioidea is very scarce; the insight on the ecology and behaviour of this group is still lacking. Fossil protopsyllidioids conserved in amber can be of great value for acquiring such data, and can contribute to the understanding of their evolution and palaeoenvironment. Herein, we study a case of a gregarious assemblage of protopsyllidioid individuals, belonging to the genus Postopsyllidium Grimaldi, 2003, preserved in a single piece of Burmese amber. We attempt to shed some light on the population dynamics and lifestyle of this extinct genus and possibly of protopsyllidioids in general.