''Caputoraptor'' is an extinct genus of insect from the

Cenomanian The Cenomanian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy's (ICS) geological timescale, the oldest or earliest age (geology), age of the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or the lowest stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Upper Cretace ...

aged

Burmese amber Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, during the latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian ages of the mid-Cretaceous period. Th ...

containing two species: the

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

''Caputoraptor elegans'', as well as ''Caputoraptor vidit''. It is part of the extinct order

Alienoptera Alienopteridae is an extinct family of dictyopterans, known from the Early Cretaceous to the Eocene epoch. They are noted for their unusual combination of features not found in other dictyopterans. Description Alienopterid nymphs vary in morp ...

. ''C. elegans'' is notable for the presence of a scissor like mechanism consisting of a straight edge on the back of the head and corresponding serrated edges on the first thoracic segment, these were initially suggested to be used by the female to grasp the male during mating, but the structure is not

sexually dimorphic Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...

, so a use to hold prey was subsequently suggested. Its morphology suggests a predatory habit inhabiting shrubs and trees. In 2020 a ''Caputoraptor elegans'' nymph was described that was in the process of being predated upon by a ''

Ceratomyrmex ''Ceratomyrmex'' is an extinct genus of ant in the Formicidae subfamily Haidomyrmecinae. The genus contains a single described species ''Ceratomyrmex ellenbergeri'' and is known from several Late Cretaceous fossils which have been found in Asia. ...

'' hell ant.

References

Prehistoric insect genera Burmese amber Fossil taxa described in 2018 Dictyoptera {{cretaceous-insect-stub