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The earliest records of pachytroctid booklice from Lebanese and Burmese Cretaceous ambers (Psocodea, Troctomorpha, Nanopsocetae, Pachytroctidae)
... Type 3 can be found in some genera, i.e., the extinct genus Parapsyllipsocus (family undetermined) (Fig. 3f) and the extant genus Paramphientmum (Amphientomidae) (Fig. 3e). Type 4 can be found in some extinct genera, i.e., Burmacompsocus (Compsocidae) (Fig. 3g) and Palaeosiamoglaris (Prionoglaridetae) (Fig. 3h), and some extant genera, i.e., Chelyopsocus (Troctopsocidae) (Fig. 3i) and Philedaphia (Protroctopsocidae) (Azar and Nel, 2011;Azar et al., 2015;Azar et al., 2017;Hakim et al., 2018;Hakim et al., 2020;Li, 2002;Lienhard, 1988;Perrichot et al., 2003;Sroka and Nel, 2017). However, the forewing Sc of Stimulopsocus partially fused with costal margin proximally but partially fused with R distally, leaving two crossvein-like veinlet at middle of wing (distal one present as proximal border of pterostigma) (Fig. 2a). ...
A new genus Stimulopsocus gen. nov. with one new species Stimulopsocus jiewenae sp. nov. is described from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. This new genus is assigned to the family Cormopsocidae according to the following characters: forewing anterior and posterior margins almost parallel; dark quadrangular pterostigma present; forewing with crossvein r-rs and only one A. Some characters in Stimulopsocus gen nov. differ from the other genera of Cormopsocidae, i.e., a length of Sc appearing as a crossvein-like veinlet at middle of forewing; all tibiae with spine-like setae. Remarkably, the forewing Sc of Stimulopsocus is more similar to Permopsocida than to Psocodea.
... However, Libanopsyllipsocus should be assigned to the Pachytroctidae instead of the Psyllipsocidae. The phallosome in the original illustrations may be the T-shape sclerite on the subgenital plate of the Pachytroctidae (Azar and Nel, 2011;Azar et al., 2015). ...
A new genus and species, Concavapsocus parallelus gen. et sp. nov., is assigned to the Psyllipsocidae (Trogiomorpha). Claws with preapical tooth and forewing with nodulus may not be suitable for diagnostic characters of the Psyllipsocidae. Wing polymorphism increase the difficulty of taxonomic position of psocids based on barely visible wing venation, especially in the suborder Trogiomorpha. Globopsocus aquilonius Azar and Engel may belong to the Psyllipsocidae and be closely related with the new species.
... The absolute age is earliest Cenomanian, or approximately 99 Ma. To date several psocodeans have been described from this material (Compsocidae: Burmacompsocus perreaui Nel and Waller, 2007; Lophioneuridae: Burmacypha longicornis Zherichin and Ross, 2000; Liposcelididae: Cretoscelis burmitica Grimaldi et Engel, 2005; Psyllipsocidae: Psyllipsocus banksi Cockerell, 1916; Pachytroctidae: Atapinella garroustei Azar et al., 2015;Burmipachytrocta singularis Azar et al., 2015, and the debatable Psylloneura perantiqua Cockerell, 1919 assigned erroneously to Pachytroctidae). We describe herein three new species of Prionoglarididae belonging to the fossil genus Palaeosiamoglaris Azar et Huang gen. ...
One new genus with three new species of the family Prionoglarididae, Palaeosiamoglaris leinhardi Azar, Huang et Nel gen. et sp. nov.; P. burmica Azar, Huang et Nel sp. nov. and P. inexpectata Azar, Huang et Nel sp. nov. are characterised, illustrated and described from Cretaceous Burmese amber. Palaeosiamoglaris gen. nov. share several characters with the recent genus Siamoglaris Lienhard, 2004, endemic to the Oriental (Sino-Indian) Region. A new tribe Siamoglaridini Azar, Huang et Nel trib. nov. is established to accommodate the group Siamoglaris + Palaeosiamoglaris; the other Prionoglaridinae being attributed to Prionoglaridini. This discovery implicates a palaeobiogeographic repartition for this particular tribe (Siamoglarini) that is still the same currently. Most diagnostic features show a nearly stasis state, supporting the notion that these characters appeared at least by the early Cenomanian. A checklist of all prionoglaridids is given.
... Recent findings of troctomorphs, another in-group of Psocoptera, show a minimal age for the entire group Psocodea to be 135 ma (Early Cretaceous; Azar et al., 2015a). Grimaldi and Engel (2005) estimated the evolutionary appearance of lice to be around 145 ma, where the host of lice could be an early mammal, bird, another feathered theropod dinosaur or a haired pterosaur. ...
Within Metazoa, it has been proposed that as many as two-thirds of all species are parasitic.
This propensity towards parasitism is also reflected within insects, where several
lineages independently evolved a parasitic lifestyle. Parasitic behaviour ranges from
parasitic habits in the strict sense, but also includes parasitoid, phoretic or kleptoparasitic
behaviour. Numerous insects are also the host for other parasitic insects or metazoans.
Insects can also serve as vectors for numerous metazoan, protistan, bacterial and
viral diseases. The fossil record can report this behaviour with direct (parasite associated
with its host) or indirect evidence (insect with parasitic larva, isolated parasitic insect,
pathological changes of host). The high abundance of parasitism in the fossil record
of insects can reveal important aspects of parasitic lifestyles in various evolutionary lineages.
For a comprehensive view on fossil parasitic insects, we discuss here different
aspects, including phylogenetic systematics, functional morphology and a direct comparison
of fossil and extant species.
... This special issue of Cretaceous Research contains 36 papers that reflect some of the research on Cretaceous insects. These papers covered 12 insect orders including Odonata , Dermaptera (Yang et al., 2014), Orthoptera , Psocodea (Azar et al., 2014a), Hemiptera (Chen et al., 2014;Drohojowska and Szwedo, 2014;Homan et al., 2014;Szwedo and Ansorge, 2014;, Hymenoptera (Kopylov and Zhang, 2014;Perrichot, 2014;Wang et al., 2014;Zhang et al., 2014), Raphidioptera (Makarkin & Khramov, 2014), Neuroptera (Makarkin, 2014;Shi et al., 2014a,b), Coleoptera Liu et al., 2014;Jarzembowski et al., 2014;Kirejtshuk et al., 2014;Peris et al., 2014;Yu et al., 2014a,b), Mecoptera (Krzemi nski et al., 2014b), Siphonaptera (Huang, 2014), and Diptera (Azar and Salam e, 2014;Azar et al., 2014b;Kania et al., 2014a,b;Krzemi nski et al., 2014a;Lukashevich and Przhiboro, 2014;Szadziewski et al., 2014). In total, 60 new species, 27 new genera, one new tribe, 2 new subfamilies and 2 new families were described and illustrated. ...
SYNTHESIS OF PARTS 11-20 OF THE ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS TO LIENHARD & SMITHERS, 2002: "PSOCOPTERA (INSECTA) – WORLD CATALOGUE AND BIBLIOGRAPHY".
Since the volume Psocoptera (Insecta) – World Catalogue and Bibliography was published by the Geneva Natural History Museum in 2002, twenty supplementary papers of additions and corrections have appeared in Psocid News. All available literature on Psocoptera was treated in the same style as the Catalogue (listed taxonomically, faunistically and thematically). For ease of use a synthesis of the first ten supplements was published as Special Issue 3 of Psocid News. The present compilation offers a synthesis of the supplements 11 to 20 (published annually between 2012 and 2021 in Psocid News No. 14-23) and it contains a complement to the Subject Bibliography published in Psocid News Special Issue 2, i. e. a synthesis of the annual subject bibliographies published in Psocid News No. 19-23.
See: http://hdl.handle.net/2115/35519
Amber in Lebanon is found in more than 450 outcrops. It constitutes the oldest amber with intensive biological inclusions and is considered among the most important material enabling the knowledge of continental palaeobiodiversity from the very important Lower Cretaceous, a crucial period for the coevolution between flowering plants (angiosperms) and insects. This period is largely admitted to witnessing the first occurrence and early evolution of angiosperms. Most times biological inclusions in Lebanese amber represent records of the earliest representatives of modern living insect families or the youngest ones for extinct families. Latest literature, geological data on age and lists of amber outcrops (yielding fossil inclusions), and described taxa from Lebanese amber are given.
We describe Psyllipsocus yoshizawai sp. nov., the oldest and first Cretaceous species of the extant genus Psyllipsocus (Psocodea: Trogiomorpha: Psyllipsocidae). This is the fifth genus and sixth species to be identified within the family Psyllipsocidae from the Cretaceous and the third genus and fourth species of psyllipsocids from the Cenomanian amber of Myanmar (Burmese amber, in Tanai). Its taxonomic affinities with the other fossil and living psyllipsocid genera are discussed. The attribution to the extant genus Psyllipsocus is based on the absence of any significant differences with this genus that could not correspond to a specific level. This situation is rare but not exceptional, as some other extant insect genera have already been recorded from the Burmese amber. It suggests a high morphological stability of the genus over time. A checklist of the known Cretaceous psocodean species from amber is given.
During the last “International Congress on Fossil Insects, Arthropods and Amber” held this year in the Dominican Republic, we unanimously agreed—in the International Palaeoentomological Society (IPS)—to honor our great colleagues who have given us and the science (and still) significant knowledge on the evolution of fossil insects and terrestrial arthropods over the years. Sure there have been some efforts before in this purpose, undertaken mainly by our esteemed Russian colleagues, and where several of our members in the IPS contributed in edited volumes honoring some of our great scientists.
Psocoptera, commonly known as “barklice” or “booklice”, have about 10 000 described species from all over the world. Although the Psocoptera are called “lice”, they are not parasites, instead they are free living insects. Psocoptera have incomplete metamorphosis. Most male psocopterans perform a mating dance, and after fertilization, the female lays eggs under bark, leaves or a silk mat. Some barklice are gregarious, living in small colonies beneath a silk blanket spun with glands in their mouths. Interestingly, both adults and larvae can spin silk from these glands. The Psocoptera are classified into three suborders, Trogiomorpha (booklice), Troctomorpha (booklice), and Psocomorpha (barklice). Archipsyllids are distinguished by having elongated, oval forewings, about thrice as long as broad. The mouthparts of archipsyllids have some different characters from those of other barklice or booklice. Their mandibles are elongate, with long and narrow labra.
This taxonomic list is based on Ross et al (2010) plus non-arthropod taxa and published papers up to the end of August 2018. It does not contain unpublished records or records from papers in press (including on-line proofs) or unsubstantiated on-line records. Often the final versions of papers were published on-line the year before they appeared in print, so the on-line published year is accepted and referred to accordingly. Note, the authorship of species does not necessarily correspond to the full authorship of papers where they were described. The latest high level classification is used where possible though in some cases conflicts were encountered, usually due to cladistic studies, so in these cases an older classification was adopted for convenience. The classification for Hexapoda follows Nicholson et al. (2015), plus subsequent papers. † denotes extinct orders and families. New additions or changes to the previous list (v.2018.1) are marked in blue, corrections are marked in red. The list comprises 38 classes (or similar rank), 102 orders (or similar rank), 525 families, 777 genera and 1013 species (excluding Tilin amber and copal records). This includes 8 classes, 65 orders, 480 families, 714 genera and 941 species of arthropods.
This taxonomic list is based on Ross et al (2010) plus non-arthropod taxa and published papers up to the end of April 2018. It does not contain unpublished records or records from papers in press (including on-line proofs) or unsubstantiated on-line records. Often the final versions of papers were published on-line the year before they appeared in print, so the on-line published year is accepted and referred to accordingly. Note, the authorship of species does not necessarily correspond to the full authorship of papers where they were described. The latest high level classification is used where possible though in some cases conflicts were encountered, usually due to cladistic studies, so in these cases an older classification was adopted for convenience. The classification for Hexapoda follows Nicholson et al. (2015), plus subsequent papers. † denotes extinct orders and families. New additions or taxonomic changes to the previous list (v.2017.4) are marked in blue, corrections are marked in red. The list comprises 37 classes (or similar rank), 99 orders (or similar rank), 510 families, 713 genera and 916 species. This includes 8 classes, 64 orders, 467 families, 656 genera and 849 species of arthropods.
This taxonomic list is based on Ross et al (2010) plus non-arthropod taxa and published papers up to the end of December 2017. It does not contain unpublished records or records from papers in press (including on-line proofs) or unsubstantiated on-line records. Often the final versions of papers were published on-line the year before they appeared in print, so the on-line published year is accepted and referred to accordingly. Note, the authorship of species does not necessarily correspond to the full authorship of papers where they were described. The latest high level classification is used where possible though in some cases conflicts were encountered, usually due to cladistic studies, so in these cases an older classification was adopted for convenience. The classification for Hexapoda follows Nicholson et al. (2015), plus subsequent papers. † denotes extinct orders and families. New additions or taxonomic changes to the previous list (v.2017.3) are marked in blue, corrections are marked in red. The list comprises 35 classes (or similar rank), 91 orders (or similar rank), 429 families, 668 genera and 870 species. This includes 7 classes, 57 orders, 389 families, 612 genera and 805 species of arthropods. In this version, for the non-parasitiform mites I have reverted from the 2 order (Sarcoptiformes and Trombidiformes) to 1 order (Acariformes) classification following the recent review of Burmese amber arachnids by Selden & Ren (2017).
This taxonomic list is based on Ross et al (2010) plus non-arthropod taxa and published papers up to the end of September 2017. It does not contain unpublished records or records from papers in press (including on-line proofs) or unsubstantiated on-line records. Often the final versions of papers were published on-line the year before they appeared in print, so the on-line published year is accepted and referred to accordingly. Note, the authorship of species does not necessarily correspond to the full authorship of papers where they were described. The latest high level classification is used where possible though in some cases conflicts were encountered, usually due to cladistic studies, so in these cases an older classification was adopted for convenience. The classification for Hexapoda follows Nicholson et al. (2015), plus subsequent papers. † denotes extinct orders and families. New additions or taxonomic changes to the previous list (v.2017.2) are marked in blue, corrections are marked in red. The list now comprises 34 classes (or similar rank), 91 orders (or similar rank), 412 families, 639 genera and 819 species. This includes 6 classes, 57 orders, 373 families, 584 genera and 757 species of arthropods.
This taxonomic list is based on Ross et al (2010) plus non-arthropod taxa and published papers up to the end of 2016. It does not contain unpublished records or records from papers in press (including on-line proofs) or unsubstantiated on-line records. Often the final versions of papers were published on-line the year before they appeared in print, so the on-line published year is accepted and referred to accordingly. Note, the authorship of species does not necessarily correspond to the full authorship of papers where they were described. The latest high level classification is used where possible though in some cases conflicts were encountered, usually due to cladistic studies, so in these cases an older classification was adopted for convenience. The classification for Hexapoda follows Nicholson et al. (2015), plus subsequent papers. † denotes extinct orders and families. The list comprises 31 classes (or similar rank), 85 orders (or similar rank), 375 families, 530 genera and 643 species. This includes 6 classes, 54 orders, 342 families, 482 genera and 591 species of arthropods.
Mimamontsecia cretacea gen. nov. et sp. nov. and Chalicoridulum montsecensis gen. nov. et sp. nov. from the Lower Cretaceous deposits of Sierra del Montsec, north-eastern Spain are described. It is the first record of the family Mimarachnidae in Europe. Palaeobiogeographical and palaeoecological implications of the findings are discussed.
All fossil psocid species ('Psocoptera', i. e. free living, mostly bark-dwelling members of the insect order Psocodea) known from Cretaceous amber are listed and their systematic placement is discussed. This critical evaluation of published data resulted in a list of 32 species assignable to 27 genera and 11 families. Each genus could be assigned to one of the three suborders Trogiomorpha, Troctomorpha and Psocomorpha, but five genera could not clearly be assigned to a family. No extant genus is represented in Cretaceous amber. Several systematic misallocations, a few at subordinal level, have been identified. Suborder transfers are proposed for the genera Paramesopsocus, Arcantipsocus and Libanopsyllipsocus; an infraorder transfer within Troctomorpha is proposed for Globopsacus. The extant troctomorph family Pachytroctidae is recorded for the first time from the Cretaceous. Two family-group names of Psocomorpha (Paramesopsocidae and Arcantipsocidae), based on extinct taxa, are considered as synonyms of two extant families of Troctomorpha (Electrentomidae and Amphientomidae respectively). The extant family Lachesillidae is the only family of Psocomorpha represented in Cretaceous amber. 53% of the species from Cretaceous amber belong to the Trogiomorpha, representing the basal clade of Psocoptera; 41% belong to Troctomorpha and only 6% to Psocomorpha, while the latter comprises 69% of the species known from Baltic amber (Eocene) and 82% of the extant species. The presence of the family Lachesillidae shows that the deepest divergences of the psocomorphan phylogeny date back at least to the Cretaceous, but the main radiation of Psocomorpha at generic or species level probably happened in the Cenozoic. This critical review of published information about the oldest known fossils clearly assignable to the order Psocodea (as this group is defined by taxonomists working on the extant fauna) aims to refine the data which could provide some fossil evidence for calibration of molecular trees in future research on the phylogeny of paraneopteran insects.
Two new apterous species of Psocoptera (Insecta) are described and illustrated, each belonging to a new genus: Helenatropos abrupta gen. n., sp. n. (female) (Trogiidae) from a semidesertic biotope on the mid-Atlantic island of St Helena, and Thoracotroctes spinifer gen. n., sp. n. (male) (Pachytroctidae) from the endemic Didiereaceae vegetation in southern Madagascar. The systematic positions of the new genera within their families are discussed and a new subfamily is defined for Thoracotroctes gen. n.: Thoracotroctinae subfam. n. A key to the subfamilies of Pachytroctidae is provided.
The taxonomy, fossil record, phylogeny, and systematic placement of the booklouse family Liposcelididae (Insecta: Psoco-dea: 'Psocoptera') were reviewed. An apterous specimen from lower Eocene, erroneously identifi ed as Embidopsocus eoce-nicus Nel et al., 2004 in the literature, is recognized here as an unidentifi ed species of Liposcelis Motschulsky, 1852. It represents the oldest fossil of the genus. Phylogenetic relationships within the family presented in the recent literature were re-analyzed, based on a revised data matrix. The resulting tree was generally in agreement with that originally published, but the most basal dichotomy between the fossil taxon Cretoscelis Grimaldi & Engel, 2006 and the rest of the Liposcelididae was not supported. Monophyly of Liposcelis with respect to Troglotroctes Lienhard, 1996 is highly questionable, but the latter genus is retained because of lack of conclusive evidence. Paraphyly of Psocoptera (i.e., closer relationship between Liposcelididae and parasitic lice) is now well established, based on both morphological and molecular data. Monophyly of Phthiraptera is questionable, but support for the 'Polyphyly of Lice Hypothesis' is still not defi nitive. A checklist of valid names of all presently recognized Liposcelididae taxa (10 genera, 200 species) is also included with information on their geographical distribution. Because monophyly of the subfamily Embidopsocinae is highly questionable, we list the genera alphabetically without adopting the usual subdivision into two subfamilies.
The Eumetabola (Endopterygota (also known as Holometabola) plus Paraneoptera) have the highest number of species of any clade, and greatly contribute to animal species biodiversity. The palaeoecological circumstances that favoured their emergence and success remain an intriguing question. Recent molecular phylogenetic analyses have suggested a wide range of dates for the initial appearance of the Holometabola, from the Middle Devonian epoch (391 million years (Myr) ago) to the Late Pennsylvanian epoch (311 Myr ago), and Hemiptera (310 Myr ago). Palaeoenvironments greatly changed over these periods, with global cooling and increasing complexity of green forests. The Pennsylvanian-period crown-eumetabolan fossil record remains notably incomplete, particularly as several fossils have been erroneously considered to be stem Holometabola (Supplementary Information); the earliest definitive beetles are from the start of the Permian period. The emergence of the hymenopterids, sister group to other Holometabola, is dated between 350 and 309 Myr ago, incongruent with their current earliest record (Middle Triassic epoch). Here we describe five fossils- a Gzhelian-age stem coleopterid, a holometabolous larva of uncertain ordinal affinity, a stem hymenopterid, and early Hemiptera and Psocodea, all from the Moscovian age-and reveal a notable penecontemporaneous breadth of early eumetabolan insects. These discoveries are more congruent with current hypotheses of clade divergence. Eumetabola experienced episodes of diversification during the Bashkirian-Moscovian and the Kasimovian-Gzhelian ages. This cladogenetic activity is perhaps related to notable episodes of drying resulting from glaciations, leading to the eventual demise in Euramerica of coal-swamp ecosystems, evidenced by floral turnover during this interval. These ancient species were of very small size, living in the shadow of Palaeozoic-era 'giant' insects. Although these discoveries reveal unexpected Pennsylvanian eumetabolan diversity, the lineage radiated more successfully only after the mass extinctions at the end of the Permian period, giving rise to the familiar crown groups of their respective clades.
A new genus and species of sphaeropsocid bark louse is described and figured from a single individual in Early Cretaceous amber from Hammana, central Lebanon. Asphaeropsocites neli gen. n., sp. n. is the second sphaeropsocid described from Lebanese amber. Like Sphaeropsocites lebanensis Grimaldi & Engel 2006, it has a basal phylogenetic position within Sphaeropsocidae, and adds evidence that these insects were once widespread and global, in the past. The new species is distinguished from related taxa, and a discussion and checklist of sphaeropsocids are provided.
Paramesopsocus /u n. gen., n. sp. and Paramesopsocus adibi n. sp. are respectively described from the Early Cretaceous amber of Lebanon and from the Late Jurassic limestone of Karatau (Kazakhstan). They are placed within the suborder Psocomorpha, and in the Mesozoic extinct family Paramesopsocidae n. fam. A cladistic phylogeny for Psocomorpha is given including our fossil taxa. The discovery of these new taxa demonstrates the necessity of a deep cladistic redefinition of the currently admitted major subdivisions of this suborder.
Four new trogiomorphan Psocoptera are described from the Lower Cretaceous Lebanese amber, viz. Bcharreglaris amunobi n. gen., n. sp., Setoglaris reemae n.gen., n. sp., Libanoglaris chehabi n.sp., and Libanoglaris randatae n. sp. These discoveries show that the Lower Cretaceous biodiversity of the Trogiomorpha was very high. Résumé Quatre nouveaux Psocoptera de l’ambre du Liban (Insecta: Psocomorpha: Trogiomorpha) Quatre Trogiomorpha sont décrits des ambres du Crétacé inférieur du Liban: Bcharreglaris amunobi n.gen., n.sp., Setoglaris reemae n.gen., n.sp., Libanoglaris chehabi n.sp. et Libanoglaris randatae n.sp. Ces découvertes montrent que la diversité de ce groupe était très importante au Crétacé inférieur.
Amber from Kachin, northern Burma, has been used in China for at least a millennium for
carving decorative objects, but the only scientific collection of inclusion fossils, at the Natural History Museum, London (NHML), was made approximately 90 years ago. Age of the material was ambiguous, but probably Cretaceous. Numerous new records and taxa occur in this amber, based on newly excavated material in the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) containing 3100 organisms. Without having all groups studied, significant new records and taxa thus far include the following (a † refers to extinct taxa): For Plants: An angiosperm flower (only the third in Cretaceous amber), spores and apparent sporangia of an unusual but common fungus, hepatophyte thalli and an archegoniophore of Marchantiaceae, and leafy shoots of Metasequoia (Coniferae). Metasequoia is possibly the source of the amber. For Animals: Mermithidae and other Nematoda; the oldest ixodid tick (a larval Amblyomma); bird feathers; and the only Mesozoic record of the Onychophora (‘‘velvet’’ worms), described as †Cretoperipatus burmiticus, n. gen., n. sp. (Peripatidae). Poinar’s classification of the Onychophora
is substantially revised. Still largely unstudied, the fauna of mites (Acari) and spiders
(Araneae) appears to be the most diverse ones known for the Mesozoic. For Insecta: Odonata indet. (wing fragment); Plecoptera indet.; new genera of Dermaptera, Embiidina, and Zoraptera (the latter two as the only definitive Mesozoic fossils of their orders). Within Hemiptera, there are primitive new genera in the Aradidae, Hydrometridae, Piesmatidae, Schizopteridae, and Cimicomorpha (Heteroptera), as well as in †Tajmyraphididae (Aphidoidea), and †Protopsyllidiidae. An adult snakefly (Raphidioptera: †Mesoraphidiidae) is the smallest species in the order, and new genera occur in the Neuroptera: Coniopterygidae, Berothidae, and Psychopsidae, as well as larvae of apparent Nevrorthidae. Coleoptera are largely unstudied, but are probably the most diverse assemblage known from the Cretaceous, particularly for Staphylinidae.
An adult lymexylid, the most primitive species of Atractocerus, is the first Mesozoic
record of the family. In Hymenoptera there are primitive ants (Formicidae: Ponerinae n. gen., and †Sphecomyrma n.sp [Sphecomyrminae]), the oldest record of the Pompilidae, and significant new records of †Serphitidae and †Stigmaphronidae, among others. Diptera are the most diverse and abundant, with the oldest definitive Blephariceridae and mosquito (Culicidae), as well as new genera in the Acroceridae, Bibionidae, Empidoidea; a new genus near the enigmatic genus Valeseguya, and an unusual new genus in the †Archizelmiridae. †Chimeromyia (Diptera: Eremoneura), known previously in ambers from the Lower Cretaceous, is also represented. The stratigraphic distribution of exclusively Mesozoic arthropods in Burmese amber is reviewed, which indicates a probable Turonian-Cenomanian age of this material (90–100 Ma). Paleofaunal differences between the NHML and AMNH collections are discussed, as is the
distinct tropical nature of the original biota. Burmese amber probably harbors the most diverse biota in amber from the Cretaceous, and one of the most diverse Mesozoic microbiotas now known.
Two new psychodid flies, Eophlebotomus gezei sp. nov. and E. carentonensis sp. nov., are described from Lebanese and French Lower Cretaceous ambers. They are considered here to form part of the same genus as the Upper Cretaceous Burmese amber, Eophlebotomus connectens Cockerell, 1920. These discoveries allow the description of the antenna and male genitalia of this enigmatic genus. Although the new species of Eophlebotomus share numerous characters with the Phlebotominae, especially the male genital structures, we retain this genus in the stem-group of the Sycoracinae and Trichomyiinae.
Two new species and genera of minute, coleopteriform psocopterans, family Sphaeropsocidae (Nanopsocetae), are described from fossils preserved in Cretaceous ambers: Sphaeropsocoides canadensis Grimaldi and Engel, n.gen., n.sp., from the Campanian of western Canada; and Sphaeropsocites lebanensis Grimaldi and Engel, n.gen., n.sp., from the Neocomian of Lebanon. These are the first described Mesozoic species of the family. Sphaeropsocus kuenowii Hagen in mid-Eocene Baltic amber is redescribed in detail. The 14 described Recent species of the family (in the genera Sphaeropsocopsis and Badonnelia ) have natural distributions that are largely restricted to southern portions of the Southern Hemisphere, but Eocene and now Cretaceous fossils reveal a formerly global distribution of the family. Hypothesized relationships of the five genera indicate basal positions of the fossil genera, and probably an entirely Tertiary age of the Recent genera Sphaeropsocopsis and Badonnelia, which would thus be too young for these two genera to have been affected by gondwanan drift.
The occurrence of arthropods in amber exclusively from the Cretaceous and Cenozoic is widely regarded to be a result of the production and preservation of large amounts of tree resin beginning ca. 130 million years (Ma) ago. Abundant 230 million-year-old amber from the Late Triassic (Carnian) of northeastern Italy has previously yielded myriad microorganisms, but we report here that it also preserves arthropods some 100 Ma older than the earliest prior records in amber. The Triassic specimens are a nematoceran fly (Diptera) and two disparate species of mites, Triasacarus fedelei gen. et sp. nov., and Ampezzoa triassica gen. et sp. nov. These mites are the oldest definitive fossils of a group, the Eriophyoidea, which includes the gall mites and comprises at least 3,500 Recent species, 97% of which feed on angiosperms and represents one of the most specialized lineages of phytophagous arthropods. Antiquity of the gall mites in much their extant form was unexpected, particularly with the Triassic species already having many of their present-day features (such as only two pairs of legs); further, it establishes conifer feeding as an ancestral trait. Feeding by the fossil mites may have contributed to the formation of the amber droplets, but we find that the abundance of amber during the Carnian (ca. 230 Ma) is globally anomalous for the pre-Cretaceous and may, alternatively, be related to paleoclimate. Further recovery of arthropods in Carnian-aged amber is promising and will have profound implications for understanding the evolution of terrestrial members of the most diverse phylum of organisms.
Libanopsyllipsocus alexanderasnitsynigen. et sp. n., of Psyllipsocidae is described and figured from the Lower Cretaceous amber of Lebanon. The position of the new taxon is discussed and the fossil is compared to other psyllipsocids. The species represents the earliest record of the family Psyllipsocidae.
Two new species and genera of minute, coleopteriform psocopterans, family Sphaeropsocidae (Nanopsocetae), are described from fossils preserved in Cretaceous ambers: Sphaeropsocoides canadensis Grimaldi and Engel, n.gen., n.sp., from the Campanian of western Canada; and Sphaeropsocites lebanensis Grimaldi and Engel, n.gen., n.sp., from the Neocomian of Lebanon. These are the first described Mesozoic species of the family. Sphaeropsocus kuenowii Hagen in midEocene Baltic amber is redescribed in detail. The 14 described Recent species of the family (in the genera Sphaeropsocopsis and Badonnelia) have natural distributions that are largely restricted to southern portions of the Southern Hemisphere, but Eocene and now Cretaceous fossils reveal a formerly global distribution of the family. Hypothesized relationships of the five genera indicate basal positions of the fossil genera, and probably an entirely Tertiary age of the Recent genera Sphaeropsocopsis and Badonnelia, which would thus be too young for these two genera to have been affected by gondwanan drift.
Proprionoglaris guyoti gen. nov., sp. nov., Parapsyllipsocus vergereaui gen. nov., sp. nov., and Prospeleketor albianensis gen. nov., sp. nov. are described from the Early Cretaceous amber of Archingeay (SW France). Libanoglaris mouawadi gen. nov., sp. nov. is described from the Early Cretaceous amber of Lebanon. They are all placed into the suborder Trogiomorpha, incertae familiae. The discovery of these new taxa together with a first phylogenetic analysis of the trogiomorphan families demonstrate the necessity of a cladistic redefinition of the currently admitted major subdivisions of this suborder.
The amber is a fossilized vegetal resin ranging from a few millions to more than 300 million years in age. It constitutes a superb material for the conservation of biological inclusions in their minute three-dimensional details. This material not only preserves life forms, but also some aspects of their mode of life and their ecology such as swarming or mating, all kind of symbiotic associations like commensalism, mutualism, and parasitism. This paper deals with the aspects of preservation and accumulation of biological inclusions and their significance in the Lebanese amber.RésuméL’ambre est une résine végétale fossile d’un âge allant de quelques millions à plus de 300 millions d’années. Il constitue un matériel superbe pour la conservation des inclusions biologiques dans leurs détails tridimensionnels minutieux. Ce matériel, non seulement préserve les formes, mais aussi les modes de vie et leur écologie, comme l’essaimage ou l’accouplement, tous les types d’associations symbiotiques comme le commensalisme, le mutualisme et le parasitisme. Cet article traite des aspects de la conservation et de l’accumulation des inclusions biologiques et leur signification dans l’ambre libanais.
The amber from Burma continues to yield interesting insects, those now reported including the largest and finest yet discovered. Mr. Swinhoe has presented the collection to the British Museum, but for obvious reasons it is retained for the present in this country.
The Eocene psocopteran fauna from the amber of Oise is shown to be very diverse, with 10 recorded families, 11 species and four new genera. Psyllipsocus eocenicus sp. nov. is the oldest accurate representative of Psyllipsocus and, maybe, of the family, as the family attributions of the Cretaceous Khatangia inclusa Vishniakova, 1975 and ?Psyllipsocus banksi Cockerell, 1916 remain debatable. Thylacella eocenica sp. nov. is the oldest record of the Lepidopsocidae. The Recent re-presentatives of this genus are known from the Afrotropical region and Central and North America. Its discovery in the lowermost Eocene of France shows that its biogeographical range differed in the past. The apterous form of the liposcelidid Embidopsocus eocenicus Nel et al., 2004 is described. The empheriid Eoempheria intermedia gen. et sp. nov. seems to be more similar to Baltic amber taxa than to the Spanish Cretaceous genera. Eorhyopsocus magnificus gen. et sp. nov. is the first described fossil Psoquillidae. As ?Psylloneura perantiqua Cockerell, 1919 is not a Pachytroctidae but an incertae sedis stat. nov., Tapinella eocenica sp. nov. is the only valid representative of this family in the fossil record. Tapinella is now known from Africa, Madagascar, India, China, Japan and Oceania. Its presence in the Early Cenozoic of western Europe suggests that it was more widely distributed in the past. The manicapsocid Eomanicapsocus melaniae gen. et sp. nov. is closely similar to the Recent genus Manicapsocus Smithers, 1967 (Rhodesia). Despite its similarities to the Recent Mexican genus Proctroctopsocus Mockford, 1967 (Troctopsocidae), we provisionally include Eoprotroctopsocus celinea gen. et sp. nov. in the Manicapsocidae. The lachesillid Eolachesilla eocenica sp. nov. is closely related to the Recent Chilean species Eolachesilla chilensis Badonnel, 1967b. We describe a fossil that we cannot separate from Archipsocus puber Hagen, 1882, previously known from Eocene Baltic amber. It is the oldest record of the family Archipsocidae and the first known insect species present in both the French and Baltic ambers. The amphientomid Amphientomum parisiensis sp. nov. is very similar to the Baltic amber species A. colpolepis Enderlein, 1905.
Amber (‘Burmite’) from the Hukawng Valley of Myanmar has been known since at least the 1st century AD. It is currently being produced from a hill known as Noije Bum, which was first documented as a source of amber in 1836.Several geologists visited the locality between 1892 and 1930. All of them believed that the host rocks to the amber are Tertiary (most said Eocene) in age, and this conclusion has been widely quoted in the literature. However, recent work indicates a Cretaceous age. Insect inclusions in amber are considered to be Turonian–Cenomanian, and a specimen of the ammonite Mortoniceras (of Middle-Upper Albian age) was discovered during the authors' visit. Palynomorphs in samples collected by the authors suggest that the amber-bearing horizon is Upper Albian to Lower Cenomanian. The preponderance of the evidence suggests that both rocks and amber are most probably Upper Albian. This determination is significant for the study of insect evolution, indicating that the oldest known definitive ants have been identified in this amber [American Museum Novitates 3361 (2002) 72].This site occurs within the Hukawng Basin, which is comprised of folded sedimentary (±volcanic) rocks of Cretaceous and Cenozoic age. The mine exposes a variety of clastic sedimentary rocks, with thin limestone beds, and abundant carbonaceous material. The sediments were deposited in a nearshore marine environment, such as a bay or estuary.Amber is found in a fine clastic facies, principally as disk shaped clasts, oriented parallel to bedding. A minority occurs as runnels (stalactite shaped), with concentric layering caused by recurring flows of resin.An Upper Albian age is similar to that of Orbitolina limestones known from a number of locations in northern Myanmar. One of these, at Nam Sakhaw, 90 km SW of Noije Bum, has also been a source of amber.
Photograph of habitus (dorsal side) of Burmipachytrocta singularis gen. et sp. n., holotype, female, NIGP159660. Fig. 19. Photograph of habitus (ventral side) of Burmipachytrocta singularis gen. et sp. n., holotype, female, NIGP159660. Etymology. After our friend and colleague
- Fig
Fig. 18. Photograph of habitus (dorsal side) of Burmipachytrocta singularis gen. et sp. n., holotype, female, NIGP159660. Fig. 19. Photograph of habitus (ventral side) of Burmipachytrocta singularis gen. et sp. n., holotype, female, NIGP159660. Etymology. After our friend and colleague " Romain Garrouste " (from MNHN) Diagnosis. As for the genus (vide supra).
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