Khimaira is an extinct genus of Cretaceous tick found in Burmese amber from Myanmar, and the only member of the family Khimairidae. The genus only has one species, Khimaira fossus.[1] The genus was named after the chimera, a creature in Greek mythology.[2] The species, which is known from a juvenile (nymph) specimen, combines a soft body similar to those of argasid ticks with mouthparts more similar to those of hard-bodied ixodid ticks.[1] The discovery of Khimaira fossus represents a possible missing link between soft and hard bodied ticks.[3][1]
| Khimaira fossus Temporal range: mid-Cretaceous
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Ixodida |
| Family: | †Khimairidae Chitimia-Dobler et al., 2022 |
| Genus: | †Khimaira Chitimia-Dobler et al., 2022 |
| Species: | †K. fossus
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| Binomial name | |
| †Khimaira fossus Chitimia-Dobler et al., 2024
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References
edit- ^ a b c Chitimia-Dobler, Lidia; Mans, Ben J.; Handschuh, Stephan; Dunlop, Jason A. (May 2022). "A remarkable assemblage of ticks from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber". Parasitology. pp. 820–830. doi:10.1017/S0031182022000269. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "The "missing link" of ticks". Museum für Naturkunde. 2022-04-27. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
- ^ "Dunlop Lab". Museum für Naturkunde. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
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