''Leptoconops amplificatus'' is an extinct species of biting

midge A midge is any small fly, including species in several families of non-mosquito Nematoceran Diptera. Midges are found (seasonally or otherwise) on practically every land area outside permanently arid deserts and the frigid zones. Some mid ...

belonging to the family Ceratopogonidae. This species was described from

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

ized remains preserved in

Lower Cretaceous Lower may refer to: *Lower (surname) *Lower Township, New Jersey *Lower Receiver (firearms) *Lower Wick Lower Wick is a small hamlet located in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is situated about five miles south west of Dursley, eight ...

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 ...

from

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

. The species name ''amplificatus'' (enlarged, extended) was given in reference to the presence of 13

flagellomeres Antennae ( antenna), sometimes referred to as "feelers", are paired appendages used for sensing in arthropods. Antennae are connected to the first one or two segments of the arthropod head. They vary widely in form but are always made of one o ...

in the female antennae. ''L. amplificatus'' is the only species of Ceratopogonidae to possess this many antennal flagellomeres as well as an elongate, slender

cercus Cerci (singular cercus) are paired appendages on the rear-most segments of many arthropods, including insects and symphylans. Many forms of cerci serve as sensory organs, but some serve as pinching weapons or as organs of copulation. In many inse ...

. Another species of ''Leptoconops'' discovered in the same piece of amber, '' Leptoconops antiquus'', also possesses 13 flagellomeres, but is differentiated by a basally broadened cercus.

References

† Fossil taxa described in 2001 † Prehistoric insects of Asia Prehistoric Diptera {{cretaceous-insect-stub