Leptoconops nosopheris

Leptoconops nosopheris is an extinct species of biting midges belonging to the family Ceratopogonidae. This species was described from fossilized remains preserved in Burmese amber from the Early Cretaceous. The amber containing the fossil was mined in the Hukawng Valley, in Kachin State, Myanmar^[1]

Leptoconops nosopheris
Holotype in Burmese amber
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Family:	Ceratopogonidae
Genus:	Leptoconops
Species:	†L. nosopheris
Binomial name
†Leptoconops nosopheris Poinar, 2008

The female type specimen was entrapped in amber shortly after ingesting a meal of blood. This blood was infected with a mass of parasitic trypanosomes, Paleotrypanosoma burmanicus, which were also preserved. L. nosopheris is the first species of Leptonocops to be associated with trypanosomes.^[1]

The species name nosopheris is from the Greek words nosos, meaning disease, and phero, meaning to carry or bear.^[1]