The Oldest Representatives of Tree Crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidae; Oecanthinae) from Northern Myanmar †

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Two new genera and two new species of Oecanthinae (Gryllidae) are described that are from northern Myanmar amber. They are the oldest representatives of tree crickets, supporting the previous estimation of the origin of Oecanthinae by molecular data. These new findings improve our knowledge of the evolution of the Gryllidae. ABSTRACT: The abundance of insects in Burmese amber illustrates a highly diverse insect community of the mid-Cretaceous, but the records of crickets are relatively rare. Here, we erect two new genera with two new species, Birmanioecanthus haplostichus gen. et sp. nov. and Apiculatus cretaceus gen. et sp. nov., based on two new specimens from northern Myanmar amber. These new species can be assigned to the subfamily Oecanthinae (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) by their prognathous head, slender body and metatibiae, and protibiae with large tympana. These new findings are the first and earliest fossil record of tree crickets and shed light on the evolution of Oecanithinae.