Behavior of extinct organisms can be inferred only indirectly, but occasionally rare fossils document particular behaviors directly. Brood care, a remarkable behavior promoting the survival of the next generation, has evolved independently numerous times among animals including insects. However, fossil evidence of such a complex behavior is exceptionally scarce. Here, we report an ensign scale insect (Hemiptera: Ortheziidae), Wathondara kotejai gen. et sp. nov., from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, which preserves eggs within a wax ovisac, and several freshly hatched nymphs. The new fossil is the only Mesozoic record of an adult female scale insect. More importantly, our finding represents the earliest unequivocal direct evidence of brood care in the insect fossil record and demonstrates a remarkably conserved egg-brooding reproductive strategy within scale insects in stasis for nearly 100 million years.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05447.001

Representatives of the Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha, Fulgoromorpha, Cicadomorpha and Heteroptera from the Late Eocene of the Isle of Wight, UK, are analysed and discussed. Psylloidea were reviewed and a key to the described taxa is given. Aphidoidea were studied, previously described taxa revised and new taxa described. New taxa of Aphidoidea are Hormaphididae: Hormaphis? longistigma Wegierek sp. nov.; Eriosomatidae: Eriosoma gratshevi Wegierek sp. nov. and Colopha? incognita Wegierek sp. nov.; Drepanosiphidae: Panfossilis anglicus Wegierek gen. et sp. nov. and Betulaphis kozlovi Wegierek sp. nov. Previously described Fulgoromorpha were revised and new taxa are described. The homonym Hastites Cockerell, 1922 (Cixiidae) preoccupied by Hastites Mayer-Eymar, 1883 is replaced by Catulliastites Szwedo nom. nov. for Catulliastites muiri (Cockerell) comb. nov. New taxa described are Cixiidae: Klugga gnawa Szwedo gen. et sp. nov., Klugga regoa Szwedo sp. nov., Liwakka gelloa Szwedo gen et sp. nov., Delwa morikwa Szwedo gen. et sp. nov., Kommanosyne wrikkua Szwedo gen. et sp. nov., Kernastiridius nephlajeus Szwedo gen. et sp. nov., Margaxius angosus Szwedo gen. et sp. nov., Dweivera reikea Szwedo gen. et sp. nov., Samaliverus bikkanus Szwedo gen. et sp. nov., Komsitija tuberculata Szwedo gen. et sp. nov., Langsmaniko marous Szwedo gen. et sp. nov., Komnixta jarzembowskii Szwedo gen. et sp. nov. and Worodbera nimakka gen. et sp. nov.; Tropiduchidae: Reteotissus hooleyi Szwedo gen. et sp. nov., Phatanako gen. nov. for Phatanako wilmattae (Cockerell) comb. nov., Senogaetulia kwalea Szwedo gen. et sp. nov., Dakrutulia mikhailkozlovi Szwedo gen. et sp. nov., Keriophettus atibenus Szwedo gen. et sp. nov. and Sognotela emeljanovi Szwedo gen. et sp. nov.; Issidae: Krundia korba Szwedo gen. et sp. nov., Breukoscelis vadimgratshevi Szwedo gen. et sp. nov., Breukoscelis phrikkosus Szwedo sp. nov. and Uphodato garwoterus Szwedo gen. et sp. nov.; Nogodinidae: Ambitaktoinae Szwedo subfam. nov., Ambitaktoa stoumma Szwedo gen. et sp. nov., Phariberea gurdonika Szwedo gen. et sp. nov., Wixskimoa torxsea Szwedo gen. et sp. nov., and Nadrimini trib. nov. with Niadrima yulei Szwedo gen. et sp. nov.; Lophopidae: Ankomwarius brodiei Szwedo gen. et sp. nov.; Ricaniidae: Ankwlanno bluga Szwedo gen. et sp. nov. Previously described Cicadomorpha were revised and new taxa are described: Cicadidae: Kintusamo boulardi Szwedo gen. et sp. nov; Aphrophoridae: Blenniphora Szwedo gen. nov. for Blenniphora woodwardi (Cockerell) comb. nov., Blenniphora skaka Szwedo sp. nov. and Blenniphora bikkanoa Szwedo sp. nov.; Luisphantyelus briwus Szwedo gen. et sp. nov., Natajephora lijanka Szwedo gen. et sp. nov.; Cercopidae: Berro enissuextaensis Szwedo gen. et sp. nov.; Cicadellidae: Mileewinae: Teniwitta andrewrossi Szwedo gen. et sp. nov. Formerly described true bugs (Heteroptera) are revised and several new taxa are described – Nepomorpha: Corixidae: Diacorixites szwedoi Popov gen. et sp. nov.; Cimicomorpha: Tingidae: Parasinalda wappleri Popov sp. nov., Viktorgolubia Popov gen. nov. for Viktorgolubia seposita (Cockerell) comb. nov.; Miridae: Gurnardinia herczeki Popov gen. et sp. nov.; Pentatomomorpha: Lygaeidae: Gurnardobayini Popov trib. nov., Gurnardobaya rossi Popov gen. et sp. nov.; Cydnidae: Eocenocydnus lisi Popov gen. et sp. nov.; Pentatomidae: Podopinites coloratus Popov gen. et sp. nov. and Podopinites acourti (Cockerell) comb. nov. An overview of the Late Eocene fauna of the Hemiptera is presented. Ecological and biogeographical patterns of the Hemiptera from the Isle of Wight deposits are discussed.

The fore wings of scale insect males possess reduced venation compared with other insects and the homologies of remaining veins are controversial. The hind wings are reduced to hamulohalterae. When adult males are prepared using the standard methods adopted to females and nymphs, i.e. using KOH to clear the specimens, the wings become damaged or deformed, an so these structures are not usually described or illustrated in publications. The present study used dry males belonging to seven species of the family Coccidae to check the presence of stable, structural colour patterns of the wings. The visibility of the wing interference patterns (WIP), discovered in Hymenoptera and Diptera species, is affected by the way the insects display their wings against various backgrounds with different light properties. This frequently occurring taxonomically specific pattern is caused by uneven membrane thickness and hair placement, and also is stabilized and reinforced by microstructures of the wing, such as membrane corrugations and the shape of cells. The semitransparent scale insect’s fore wings possess WIPs and they are taxonomically specific. It is very possible that WIPs will be an additional and helpful trait for the identification of species, which in case of males specimens is quite difficult, because recent coccidology is based almost entirely on the morphology of adult females.

Abstract. Ovaries of Puto superbus and Ceroputo pilosellae are composed of numerous short telotrophic ovarioles that are arranged around the distal part of the lateral oviduct. An individual ovariole consists of a distal trophic chamber (= tropharium) and proximal vitellarium. The tropharia enclose individual trophocytes (= nurse cells) and early previtellogenic oocytes termed arrested oocytes. A single oocyte develops in each vitellarium. Analysis of serial sections has shown that ovarioles of P. superbus contain from 16 to 51 germ cells (13-43 trophocytes, 2-7 arrested oocytes, 1 developing oocyte) while those of C. pilosellae from only 8 to 10 germ cells (5-7 trophocytes, 0-2 arrested oocytes, 1 developing oocyte). The classification and phylogeny of scale insects are discussed taking into consideration the results of this study.

The structure of ovary in a representative of the scale insect family Matsucoccidae, Matsucoccus pini, is described at the ultrastructural level. The paired ovaries of M. pini are composed of about 50 ovarioles of telotrophic type that develop asynchronously. An individual ovariole consists of an anterior tropharium (trophic chamber) and posterior vitellarium. The tropharium encloses trophocytes (nurse cells) and early previtellogenic oocytes termed arrested oocytes. In the vitellarium from 1 to 6, linearly arranged oocytes may develop. Analysis of serial sections has shown that each ovariole contains 32 germ cells (trophocytes, arrested oocytes, and developing oocytes). In the cytoplasm of all these cells, small rod-shaped bacteria are present. In the early vitellogenic oocytes, accessory nuclei arise. As vitellogenesis progresses, these nuclei migrate toward the cortical ooplasm. The obtained results are discussed in a phylogenetic context.