FOSSIL OONOPID SPIDERS IN CRETACEOUS AMBERS FROM CANADA AND MYANMAR

Abstract:  The spider family Oonopidae is described from Cretaceous ambers from Myanmar and Canada for the first time. Orchestina albertenis sp. nov. is the first spider to be described from Canadian Grassy Lake amber and only the second spider to be described from Canadian amber. The specimen in amber from Myanmar extends the known range of the extant genus Orchestina back another 10 million years from the previously oldest specimen in Turonian New Jersey amber. Despite being unknown as sedimentary fossils, Oonopidae occur in more fossil deposits than any other spider family and were already widespread by the Cretaceous. The family contains the oldest example of an extant spider genus along with Archaeidae, also from Burmese amber.     

Miocene spiders in Dominican amber (Oonopidae,Mysmenidae)

Oonops seldeni sp. nov. and Mysmenopsis lissycoleyae sp. nov. are described from male specimens preserved in Miocene amber from the Dominican Republic and are the first fossil records of these extant genera. Gamasomorpha incerta Wunderlich, 1988 is transferred to Stenoonops. Two females previously described as Orchestina dominicana? Wunderlich, 1981 are transferred to Orchestina sp. indet., and one new specimen of a male of Orchestina dominicana Wunderlich, 1988 is identified. Oonopidae is reported for the first time from Cretaceous ambers of Burma, Lebanon and New Jersey. These are the oldest records of this family, extending the known range from the Rupelian (Oligocene) to the Valanginian (Lower Cretaceous). Recent StenoonopsMysmenopsis are unknown from Hispaniola. The presence of these genera in amber suggests that they will be found. The presence of Mysmenopsis in amber is further evidence of kleptoparasitic/commensal spiders in the Miocene.     

TWO NEW PARROTS (PSITTACIFORMES) FROM THE LOWER EOCENE FUR FORMATION OF DENMARK

Abstract:  Two new fossil psittaciform birds from the Lower Eocene 'Mo Clay' (Fur Formation) of Denmark ( c . 54 Ma) are described. An unnamed specimen is assigned to the extinct avian family of stem-group parrots, Pseudasturidae (genus and species incertae sedis ), while a second ( Mopsitta tanta gen. et sp. nov.) is the largest fossil parrot yet known. Both specimens are the first fossil records of these birds from Denmark. Although the phylogenetic position of Mopsitta is unclear (it is classified as family incertae sedis ), this form is phylogenetically closer to Recent Pstittacidae than to other known Palaeogene psittaciforms and may, therefore, represent the oldest known crown-group parrot.     

Macrosiagon deuvei n. sp. (Coleoptera: Ripiphoridae) from the French Eocene amber

Macrosiagon deuvei n. sp., the second fossil representative of this extant genus of Ripiphoridae: Ripiphorinae: Macrosiagonini is described from the lowermost Eocene amber of Oise (France). The new species is compared with the extant species of the genus. Taxonomic position of other two fossil representatives of the family described from France by Perrichot et al. (2004) is discussed. The genus Paleoripiphorus Perrichot et al. 2004 is tentatively transferred from Ripiphorinae to Ripidiinae.     

First British Mesozoic Spider, From Cretaceous Amber Of The Isle Of Wight, Southern England

Cretamygale chasei , a new genus and species of spider, is described from a single specimen preserved in amber of early Barremian age from the Isle of Wight. This is the oldest (and second Cretaceous) amber spider to be described, and the first record of a Mesozoic spider from Britain. It belongs to the group Bipectina of the infraorder Mygalomorphae, and is tentatively referred to the family Nemesiidae. It is the oldest bipectinate, extending the record by around 90 myr, the only known fossil nemesiid, and the second oldest fossil mygalomorph.     

Advances in the Taxonomy of Spiders in Miocene Amber from the Dominican Republic (Arthropoda: Araneae)

Trachelas poinari sp. nov. (Corinnidae), Miagrammopes sp. indet. (Uloboridae) and the first indisputable fossil Lycosidae (gen. et sp. indet.) are newly identified and described in Miocene amber from the Dominican Republic. The following are junior synonyms: Nops segmentatus Wunderlich, 1988 of N. lobatus Wunderlich, 1988 (Caponiidae); Azilia muellenmeisteri Wunderlich, 1988 of A. hispaniolensis Wunderlich, 1988 (Tetragnathidae); and Lyssomanes galianoae Reiskind, 1989 of L. pristinus Wunderlich, 1986 (Salticidae). The specimens described as Nops sp. (Caponiidae), Selenops beynai Schawaller, 1984, S. sp. 1, and S. sp. 2 (Selenopidae) by Wunderlich (1988) are unrecognizable as distinct species. The following new combinations are presented: gen. indet. clypeatus (Wunderlich, 1988) (= Anelosimus clypeatus ) (Theridiidae); Meioneta bigibber (Wunderlich, 1988) (= Agyneta bigibber ), M. fastigata (Wunderlich, 1988) (= Agyneta fastigata ), M. separata (Wunderlich, 1988) (= Agyneta separata ) (Linyphiidae); Enacrosoma verrucosa (Wunderlich, 1988) (= Cyclosa verrucosa ) (Araneidae); Pseudosparianthis pfeiferi (Wunderlich, 1988) (= Tentabunda pfeiferi ) (Sparassidae). Theridion wunderlichi nom. nov. is proposed as a replacement name for T. ovale Wunderlich, 1988 (nom. preocc.). The previously unknown male of Styposis pholcoides Wunderlich, 1988 (Theridiidae) is described. Additional features of Argyrodes crassipatellaris Wunderlich, 1988 (Theridiidae) are described; this species is transferred from the trigonum to the cancellatus species group. Nine specimens belonging to six previously described species, and six juvenile Selenops sp. (including one exuvium) are newly identified. These are the first fossil records of Trachelas, Enacrosoma and Pseudosparianthis, giving them stratigraphic ranges of 15–20 my; the genera Anelosimus, Cyclosa and Agyneta are unknown in the fossil record.     

Two new genera of cuckoo wasps (Chrysididae: Amiseginae) from Rovno and Baltic ambers

Cuckoo wasps of the subfamily Amiseginae, Eosega heterotarsata gen. et sp. nov. and Foveorisus kilimniki gen. et sp. nov., from the Late Eocene Baltic (Russia) and Rovno ambers (Ukraine), respectively, are described. Primitive Eosega is close to the extinct genus Palaeobethylus Brues in Kieffer, 1914 and represents the so-called American series of genera of Amiseginae. Foveorisus is found to be morphologically close to a number of extant oriental genera. All known fossil Amiseginae are listed. Stick insects of the family Archipseudophasmatidae, possible hosts of the Eocene amisegines, are recorded in the Rovno amber for the first time.     

Four new Laniatorean harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber

Four new laniatorean harvestmen specimens (Arachnida: Opiliones: Laniatores) are described from the mid-Cretaceous (upper Albian–lower Cenomanian) Burmese amber of Northern Myanmar. One is placed as Insidiatores indet., but is not formally named as it is probably immature. Burmalomanius circularis n. gen. n. sp. and Petroburma tarsomeria n. gen. n. sp. represent the first fossil records of the extant families Podoctidae and Petrobunidae respectively. Finally, Mesodibunus tourinhoae n. gen. n. sp. belongs to Epedanidae, a family previously recorded from Burmese amber. These new records bring the total number of Burmese amber laniatorean species to ten, and the total number of fossil laniatoreans to fifteen. The new finds offer additional calibration points for the Laniatores tree of life and are consistent with the hypothesis that the modern Laniatores fauna of Southeast Asia may have had Gondwanan, as opposed to a Laurasian, origins.     

Two new fossil genera and species of Cerocephalinae (Hymenoptera,Chalcidoidea, Pteromalidae), including the first record from the Eocene

Cerocephalinae (Chalcidoidea, Pteromalidae) is a small group of parasitoid wasps characterized by a number of derived diagnostic features. Their hosts are endophytic beetles. So far, 43 species of Cerocephalinae have been described, including one fossil species from the Miocene. In this study, we add two new genera and species from Baltic and Dominican amber to the fossil record. Tenuicornus dominicus gen. et sp. n. is the second genus described from Dominican amber, and Pteropilosa lailarabanorum gen. et sp. n., described from Baltic amber, represents the oldest record of the subfamily, pushing the minimum age of Cerocephalinae back to the Eocene. Diagnostic characters of both species are discussed in comparison with other Cerocephalinae. An updated key to extant and fossil Cerocephalinae is presented.     

Spiders in Upper Cretaceous Amber from New Jersey (Arthropoda: Araneae)

The oldest described fossils of the extant spider families Segestriidae, Oonopidae, Oecobiidae, Dictynidae and Linyphiidae, previously known from the Tertiary, are presented from Upper Cretaceous amber of New Jersey. The third and oldest known specimen of the fossil spider family Lagonomegopidae is also described and provides further palaeontological evidence of a common Laurasian fauna. The extant genera Segestria and Oecobius are taken back a further 52 and 69–74 myr respectively in the fossil record. These fossils predict the presence of the Caponiidae, Tetrablemmidae, Orsolobidae, Dysderidae, Hersiliidae, Eresidae, Pimoidae, Scytodoidea s.l. , cyatholipoids, theridioids and symphytognathoids in the Cretaceous. They also extend the known geological range of extant spider families through and beyond the end–Cretaceous extinction. This event, which affected numerous marine and some terrestrial organisms, probably had little effect on the Araneae.     

New tribe,genus, and species of paedogenetic gall midges (Diptera,Lestremiidae: Krassiloviolini trib. nov.) from the Late Cretaceous Taimyr amber

Paedogenetic fossil midges of the family Lestremiidae are revealed for the first time. Only eight species of eight gall midge genera belonging to five tribes of the subfamily Micromyinae (Lestremiidae) and two species of two genera of Porricondylinae (Cecidomyiidae: Porricondylinae sp., Holoneurini sp.) have previously been described from the Santonian Taimyr amber of Yantardakh. The new tribe Krassiloviolini trib. nov. differs from other tribes of Lestremiidae in the strong reduction of veins and flagellomeres, slightly differing in length first and second tarsomeres of the middle and hind tarsi, 3-segmented apical plates of the ovipositor, and the presence of paedogenesis. A new genus and species, Krassiloviola geniusloci gen. et sp. nov., is described based on a female that is characterized by the first front tarsomere 1.3 times as long as the second, short 2+7-segmented antennae, presence of stem and large narrow sensoria on flagellomeres, wide wings with strongly reduced vein R5, slightly forked Cu, and absence of fragment C behind the fusion with R5. The presence of two very large specific eggs is evidence of the existence of paedogenesis in the Late Cretaceous. Previously, fossil paedogenetic eggs have only been known in Miastor vlaskini (Fedotova et Perkovsky) described from the Late Eocene Rovno amber.     

Gall midges of the supertribe stomatosematidi (Diptera,Cecidomyiidae) in the Palaearctic region,with descriptions of new taxa from the late Eocene Rovno Amber. 2. The genera <Emphasis Type="Italic">Didactylomyia</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rovnodidactylomyia</Emphasis> gen. n.

One new genus (Rovnodidactylomyia Fedotova et Perkovsky, gen. n.) and four new species (Didactylomyia dlusskyi sp. n., Rovnodidactylomyia zosimovichi gen. n. et sp. n., R. sidorenkoi sp. n., and R. iconica sp. n.) are described from an amber sample of the late Eocene Period (Rovno District, Ukraine). Two species from a Baltic amber sample of the late Eocene Period, described earlier in the genus Bryocrypta, are attributed to the genus Rovnodidactylomyia (R. girafa (Meunier, 1904) comb. n. and R. capitosa (Meunier, 1904)). The first fossil species of the genus Didactylomyia is described for the first time; two contemporary Palaearctic species are recorded. Keys to the species of the genus Didactylomyia are given.     

MYGALOMORPH SPIDERS (ARANEAE: DIPLURIDAE) FROM THE LOWER CRETACEOUS CRATO LAGERSTÄTTE, ARARIPE BASIN, NORTH-EAST BRAZIL

Abstract:  The first mygalomorph spiders from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Lagerstätte of Cearà Province, north-east Brazil, are described, from adult males and females, in two new genera and species: Cretadiplura ceara Selden, gen. et sp. nov. and Dinodiplura ambulacra Selden, gen. et sp. nov. They belong to the extant family Dipluridae, hitherto known as fossils only from Tertiary strata; thus this occurrence extends the family record by some 90 myr.     

LUTETIACADER, A PUZZLING NEW GENUS OF CANTACADERID LACE BUGS (HETEROPTERA: TINGIDAE) FROM THE MIDDLE EOCENE MESSEL MAAR, GERMANY

Abstract:  A new genus of cantacaderid lace bugs, Lutetiacader gen. et sp. nov., is described from the lower Middle Eocene of Messel Quarry, Germany. It clearly belongs to the cantacaderid lineage of Tingidae, and is the second known fossil genus of the tribe Cantacaderini (after Paleocader Froeschner). It appears to be most similar to extant species of the genera Nectocader Drake (Brazil) and Teratocader Drake (Malay Peninsula). Lutetiacader occupies a central position with respect to the geographical gap between the ranges of these two extant genera. Its biogeographical significance is discussed.     

The ant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aphaenogaster dlusskyana</Emphasis> sp. nov. (Hymenoptera,Formicidae) from the Sakhalin amber—the earliest described species of an extant genus of Myrmicinae

The earliest member of an extant ant genus of the subfamily Myrmicinae, Aphaenogaster dlusskyana sp. nov., from the Sakhalin amber (Russia, Middle Eocene, 43–47 Ma) is described. Fossil representatives of the genus Aphaenogaster are critically analyzed and it is proposed to transfer many of these to the fossil morphotaxon Paraphaenogaster. The morphology, distribution, and possible evolutionary trends of the genus Aphaenogaster are reviewed and it is suggested that this genus appeared in the territory currently occupied by the Palearctic not later than the Early Eocene (over 50 Ma). Aphaenogaster dlusskyana can be considered the oldest described representative of an extant genus of the subfamily Myrmicinae, although earlier, as yet undescribed, records of extant genera of Myrmicinae belong to the Early Eocene.     

A new genus and species of fossil scorpion (?Euscorpiidae) from the Early–Middle Eocene of Pesciara (Bolca,Italy)

Fossil scorpions are among the oldest terrestrial arthropods known from the fossil record. They have a worldwide distribution and a rich fossil record, especially for the Paleozoic. Fossil scorpions from Mesozoic and Cenozoic deposits are usually rare (except in amber-deposits). Here, we describe the only fossil scorpion from the Early to Middle Eocene Pesciara Lagerstätte in Italy. Eoeuscorpius ceratoi gen. et sp. nov. is probably a genus and species within the family Euscorpiidae. This may be the first fossil record of the Euscorpiidae, which are so far only known from four extant genera. Eoeuscorpius ceratoi gen. et sp. nov. was found in the “Lower Part” of the Pesciara Limestone, which is actually dated Late Ypresian stage (between 49.5 and 49.7 Ma). Besides a possible pseudoscorpion, the here-described fossil scorpion is the second arachnid species known from the Bolca Locality.     

AN ARCHAIC SLIME MOULD IN BALTIC AMBER

Abstract:  Several sporocarps of a slime mould are preserved on a plant fragment in a piece of Baltic amber (Tertiary, Eocene). The fossil is assigned to the extant genus Protophysarum (Myxomycota sensu stricto , Physarales) and described as P. balticum sp. nov. It is the third record of fossil sporocarps of a slime mould and the second record of the subclass Myxogasteromycetidae. All three records of fossil sporocarps are inclusions in Baltic amber. The find provides new insights regarding the occurrence and phylogeny of myxomycetes in the Palaeogene.     

An ant-associated mesostigmatid mite in Baltic amber

Fossil mesostigmatid mites (Acari: Parasitiformes: Mesostigmata) are extremely rare, and specimens from only nine families, including four named species, have been described so far. A new record of Myrmozercon sp. described here from Eocene (ca 44–49 Myr) Baltic amber represents the first—and so far only—fossil example of the derived, extant family Laelapidae. Significantly, modern species of this genus are habitually myrmecophilous and the fossil mite described here is preserved attached to the head of the dolichoderine ant Ctenobethylus goepperti (Mayr, 1868). It thus offers the oldest unequivocal evidence for an ecological association between mesostigmatid mites and social insects in the order Hymenoptera.     

Pterosaur and dinosaur remains from the Middle Jurassic Balabansai Svita in the northern Fergana Depression, Kyrgyzstan (Central Asia)

Abstract: Isolated pterosaur and dinosaur teeth and a sauropod metatarsal I and manual phalanx V-1 from the Middle Jurassic (Callovian) Balabansai Svita in the northern Fergana Valley, Kyrgyzstan, are described and attributed to the pterosaur taxon Rhamphorhynchinae indet., a theropod Tetanurae indet., a sauropod Neosauropoda indet., and a new pachycephalosaurid Ferganocephale adenticulatum gen. et sp. nov. The Balabansai theropod is possibly a stem-lineage representative of Dromaeosauridae. The new pachycephalosaurid is the oldest representative of the group and extends its known history by 10–20 myr. The Balabansai vertebrate assemblage is most similar to the Callovian assemblages from the Qigu and Upper Shaximiao formations in China, and intermediate in the evolutionary level of the taxa present between the Bathonian assemblages from Wucaiwan and the Lower Shaximiao formations (China) and the Late Jurassic Shar Teg fauna from Mongolia.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Protocopidosoma</Emphasis> gen. nov. (Hymenoptera,Chalcidoidea, Encyrtidae) from the Late Eocene Danish amber

Protocopidosoma kononovae gen. et sp. nov. from Danish amber is described. The specimen is very similar to representatives of the extant genus Copidosoma Ratzeburg, 1844 and differs from them in the long and wide veins in the forewing, as in most encyrtids from Late Eocene European ambers.