''Ampezzoa triassica'' is an extinct species of

gall mite Eriophyidae is a family of more than 200 genera of mites, which live as plant parasites, commonly causing galls or other damage to the plant tissues and hence known as gall mites. About 3,600 species have been described, but this is probably ...

described from the

Carnian The Carnian (less commonly, Karnian) is the lowermost stage of the Upper Triassic Series (or earliest age of the Late Triassic Epoch). It lasted from 237 to 227 million years ago (Ma). The Carnian is preceded by the Ladinian and is followed by t ...

of northeastern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It lived as a parasite of

Cheirolepidiaceae Cheirolepidiaceae is an extinct family of conifers. They first appeared in the Triassic, and were widespread during most of the Mesozoic era. They are united by the possession of a distinctive pollen type assigned to the form genus '' Classopolli ...

trees. The only known specimen, preserved in

amber Amber is fossilized tree resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects."Amber" (2004). In Ma ...

, is 0.124 mm long. It resembles very much, in body shape and wax secretions, the contemporary gall mite '' Cymeda zealandica''. Along with '' Triasacarus fedelei'' and an unnamed

diptera Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced ...

n, it is the oldest arthropod found enclosed in amber. ''Ampezzoa'' had a vagrant lifestyle on the surface of its host. It secreted waxy filaments, as a defense against predation and desiccation.

References

Triassic arthropods Mesozoic arachnids Fossils of Italy Late Triassic animals of Europe Fossil taxa described in 2012 {{acari-stub