Three new species of Microphorites (Diptera: Dolichopodidae sensu lato: Microphorinae) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber

Three new species of Microphorites Hennig (Diptera: Dolichopodidae: Microphorinae) are described from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber: M. complanipedis Zhang et Wang sp. nov., M. curtipedis Zhang et Wang sp. nov. and M. hamataculeus Zhang et Wang sp. nov., exhibiting remarkable leg modifications. It is the first time that leg specializations within Microphorites are recorded, and the discovery of these new species provides critical evidence for reconstructing biological adaptations and behavioral complexity in this extinct lineage.

The exceptional preservation of these amber inclusions offers new insight to investigate functional morphology and ecological strategies in Cretaceous empidoid flies. An identification key to all known species of Microphorites is also presented.