Fossil amoebae (Hemiarcherellidae fam. nov.) from Albian (Cretaceous) amber of France

Abstract: Two extraordinarily well‐preserved testate amoebae are described from Late Albian age amber from south‐western France. The specimens are attributed to a new family, the Hemiarcherellidae fam. nov., and are described as Hemiarcherella christellae gen. et sp. nov. The amoebae described herein originate from highly fossiliferous amber pieces. Based on syninclusions, Hemiarcherella christellae was a soil‐dwelling organism, probably an active bacterivore. This taxon represents the third species of testate amoebae described from mid‐Cretaceous French amber. Analysis of this fossil amoeba fauna illustrates the uniqueness of mid‐Cretaceous French amber deposits. Indeed, most amoebae found in amber have been assigned to modern species, corroborating the hypothesis of morphological stasis in different microbial lineages. However, the well‐preserved amoebae fauna found in French amber can be distinguished clearly from modern species and help us to better understand the fossil record of these organisms.     

Sayrevilleinae Legalov,a newly recognised subfamily of fossil weevils (Coleoptera,Curculionoidea, Attelabidae) and the use of synchrotron microtomography to examine inclusions in amber

Two genera of extinct weevils, Sayrevilleus Gratshev & Zherikhin from Cretaceous New Jersey amber and Baltocar Kuschel from Eocene Baltic amber, are recognized as close relatives based on similarities revealed by the use of synchrotron tomography and the availability of new amber inclusions. The subfamily Sayrevilleinae Legalov stat. nov. is characterized by possessing mandibles with an external cutting edge and an inner blunt edge. The subfamily is placed in the family Attelabidae (s.l.), although some characters also suggest a possible relationship with the ‘higher weevils’ comprising Caridae, Brentidae, and Curculionidae. Sayrevilleus is transferred from the tribe Auletini of Rhynchitinae to Sayrevilleinae, and Sayrevilleus grimaldii Gratshev & Zherikhin is redescribed. Baltocar Kuschel is transferred from Caridae to Sayrevilleinae and revised, its type species, Baltocar succinicus (Voss), is redescribed and three new species, Baltocar groehni Riedel sp. nov. , Baltocar hoffeinsorum Riedel sp. nov. , and Baltocar subnudus Riedel sp. nov. are described based on eight well‐preserved inclusions. The genera Orapauletes Legalov and Zherichiniletes Legalov previously assigned to Sayrevilleini are regarded as Curculionoidea incertae sedis. The Sayrevilleinae were distributed over areas of North America and Europe at least since the Late Cretaceous (c. 90 Mya) and were probably relatively diverse until the Eocene (c. 44 Mya). It is speculated that they became extinct through competition with Curculionidae, which used a similar oviposition strategy. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 165 , 773–794.     

The oldest known mastotermitids (Blattodea: Termitoidae) and phylogeny of basal termites

Five finely preserved termites from the mid‐Cretaceous (Cenomanian) amber of Myanmar provide new information allowing a reanalysis of the phylogeny of basal termites. The Mastotermitidae family is recovered as monophyletic, and a redefined Hodotermitidae sensu lato is also monophyletic to include Archotermopsidae, Hodotermitidae and Stolotermitidae. Such a phylogenetic relationship agrees with the results from previous molecular phylogeny. Alongside these findings, there are many taxa that can only be shown to be termites with no other phylogenetically informative data. These form a comb of ‘grade groups’ emerging in the Late Jurassic. The new amber specimens are described as two new species. Anisotermes xiai gen. et sp.n. is described from multiple castes and has symplesiomorphic characteristics: large body size, a broad pronotum, well‐developed reticulated veins, and a large anal lobe of the hindwings. It shares wing features with the other new species, Mastotermes monostichus sp.n. Both new taxa are assigned to the Mastotermitidae, as they are shown to have synapomorphies that unite the family. This published work has been registered on ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:1AD5CECA‐27B7‐48D5‐88DC‐CEC5150962D7 .     

Geophilomorph centipedes from the Cretaceous amber of Burma

The only previously known Mesozoic fossils of the chilopod order Geophilomorpha are two species from the Late Jurassic and Late Cretaceous, both known from single specimens that cannot be assigned with precision to a family. Four specimens from the Late Cretaceous (earliest Cenomanian) amber of Burma include three that can be identified as conspecific, described here as Kachinophilus pereirai gen. nov. sp. nov. These specimens preserve greater morphological detail in comparison with other fossil geophilomorphs: the form and fine features of the head, the maxillary complex, the trunk sternites with associated glandular pores and the ultimate pair of legs defend the assignment of the species to the extant family Geophilidae, and most probably to a derived subgroup including well‐known extant genera such as Ribautia Brölemann, 1909. Confocal laser scanning microscopy supplements examination under incident and transmitted light to document details of high taxonomic relevance in the head and the forcipular segment. The modern appearance of this species and its membership among deeply nested extant clades are consistent with molecular estimates that most of the diversity of crown‐group Geophilomorpha originated before the Late Cretaceous.     

First and oldest Leptochirini rove beetles illuminate diverse cephalic structures in the Cretaceous (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Osoriinae)

Osoriinae is a highly diverse, globally distributed subfamily of rove beetles (Staphylinidae), but only a single Mesozoic species, Mesallotrochus longiantennatus Cai & Huang, in mid‐Cretaceous Burmese amber is known (age c. 99 Ma). Leptochirini, which is primarily found in decaying wood in the tropics, is one of the four tribes of osoriine rove beetles. The diversity of cephalic tooth shapes in adults has attracted special research attention with regard to the evolution and classification of this group. Here, we report two well‐preserved fossils of Leptochirini for the first time from Burmese amber. Together with M. longiantennatus, they represent the oldest osoriines, highlighting the palaeodiversity of the subfamily in Burmese amber. Based on our observations and phylogenetic analyses, a remarkable new genus and species, ?Cretochirus newtoni Yamamoto gen. et sp.n. , is described. Additionally, a new species, ?Priochirus thayerae Yamamoto sp.n. , is also described and placed in the extant genus Priochirus Sharp. ?Cretochirus gen.n. has a typical body plan of Leptochirini, but it retains several primitive features that have rarely, or never, been known from modern leptochirine taxa, including simple cephalic structures with a largely depressed dorsum, undeveloped cephalic teeth, and the absence of a longitudinal median sulcus of the head, together with the only slightly crenulate external margins of the protibiae. These findings demonstrate the antiquity of Leptochirini rove beetles and even suggest a much older origin of the subfamily. Morphologically diverse leptochirines from Burmese amber also illuminate the remarkable cephalic diversity of the tribe during the Mesozoic. They were already diversified during the mid‐Cretaceous in the tropical forests of Myanmar, and possibly living underneath the bark of rotten wood and logs. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:CC5E81E8‐5621‐44A6‐A247‐A776B14A9191 .     

A new genus of hell ants from the Cretaceous (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Haidomyrmecini) with a novel head structure

An unusual Cretaceous trap jaw ant is described from Burmese amber dated to the Late Cretaceous. Linguamyrmex vladi gen.n. sp.n. is distinguished by an unusual suite of morphological characters indicating specialized predatory behaviour and an adaptive strategy no longer found among modern ant lineages. The clypeus, highly modified as in other closely related haidomyrmecine hell ants, is equipped with a paddle‐like projection similar to Ceratomyrmex. X‐ray imaging reveals that this clypeal paddle is reinforced, most probably with sequestered metals. Presumably this fortified clypeal structure was utilized in tandem with scythe‐like mandibles to pin and potentially puncture soft‐bodied prey. This unique taxon, which stresses the diversity of stem‐group ants, is discussed in the context of modern and other Cretaceous trap jaw ant species. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:40D636A3‐4D88‐470A‐BC5B‐85ABFD1A49E2 .     

Early lineages of Vespidae (Hymenoptera) in Cretaceous amber

Three wasp (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) fossils in Cretaceous amber (Late Albian) of northern Myanmar are described. Two are new species of the Mesozoic genus Curiosivespa (Rasnitsyn): C. zigrasi sp.n. and C. striata sp.n. The third species, Protovespa haxairei gen.n. et sp.n. , has a combination of features unique among Mesozoic Priorvespinae and the extant subfamilies. These well preserved fossils provide new morphological data for a cladistic analysis of the basal lineages of Vespidae. Results suggest that Euparagiinae is the sister group of all other Vespidae. The new genus Protovespa appears more closely related to extant Masarinae, Eumeninae and social wasps than to Priorvespinae. We assign it to a new subfamily: Protovespinae. Finally, fossil information combined with a phylogenetic tree shows that the main groups of Vespidae probably evolved during the Early Cretaceous. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:1E7E4796‐6E70‐4D81‐BB34‐0FEEA765DC25 .     

A Jurassic amber deposit in Southern Thailand

Published reports of amber predating the Aptian are rare and mention only amber pieces the size of millimetric marbles. Mid Cretaceous amber records, however, show a dramatic increase in number as well as in the size of the pieces, a phenomenon which is still poorly understood. The discovery of the first Jurassic deposit with comparatively large centimetric sized pieces of amber, in southern Thailand, is significant. Taphonomy and palaeobotany indicate a dense forest surrounding a coastal lake dominated by the resin-producing Agathoxylon tree. Since the palaeoecology of other amber-producing Jurassic and Cretaceous deposits is very similar a new hypothesis needs to be sought to explain the mid Cretaceous amber boom. It is suggested here that it was the result of a geological or taphonomic bias because coastal lacustrine environments are much better preserved after the Aptian on a worldwide scale.     

Heinrichsia cheilanthoides gen. et sp. nov., a fossil fern in the family Pteridaceae (Polypodiales) from the Cretaceous amber forests of Myanmar

Divergence time estimates suggest that most clades constituting the fern family Pteridaceae (Polypodiales) were in existence by the Early Cretaceous. However, fossil evidence to corroborate this remains exceedingly rare. Burmese amber is an important source of new information on the radiation of derived fern lineages during the Cretaceous Terrestrial Revolution. This study describes Heinrichsia cheilanthoides gen. et sp. nov., a fern with suggested affinities to Pteridaceae, based on fertile foliage portions preserved in Early Cretaceous (~100 Ma) amber from Myanmar. Heinrichsia cheilanthoides is characterized by a pinnate‐pinnatifid frond that bears apical, marginal sori protected by a pseudoindusium. Sporangia are of the polypod type and contain tetrahedral‐globose, trilete spores with a striate perine. This discovery provides a new calibration point to test and refine molecular clock‐based concepts of the evolutionary history of the Pteridaceae. Heinrichsia cheilanthoides further substantiates the suggestion that the Cretaceous forests of Myanmar were home to a rich fern flora.     

Phylogeny of the rove beetle tribe Gymnusini sensu n. (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae): implications for the early branching events of the subfamily

The rove beetle subfamily Aleocharinae is the largest subfamily of animals known in terms of species richness. Two small aleocharine tribes, Gymnusini and Deinopsini, are believed to be a monophyletic clade, sister to the rest of the Aleocharinae. Although the phylogenetic relationships of the extant lineages have been well investigated, the monophyly of Gymnusini has been questioned due to a series of previous studies and the recent discovery of the aleocharine †Cretodeinopsis Cai & Huang (Deinopsini) from mid‐Cretaceous Burmese amber. Using an additional specimen of †Cretodeinopsis and well‐preserved specimens of †Electrogymnusa Wolf‐Schwenninger from Eocene Baltic amber, we present here two types of morphology‐based phylogenetic analyses, employing all extant/extinct genera of Gymnusini and Deinopsini for the first time. The maximum parsimony and Bayesian analyses recovered a monophyletic clade of the two tribes combined, but each analysis suggested nonmonophyly of Gymnusini. In agreement with the results of the present study, we synonymize Deinopsini syn.n. under Gymnusini sensu n. , by priority. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F09EB444‐C6CA‐4525‐A986‐3CFC826F5877 .     

Testate Amoebae from a Cretaceous Forest Floor Microbiocoenosis of France

ABSTRACT. Amber‐preserved shells of testate amoebae often provide as many diagnostic features as the tests of modern taxa. Most of these well‐preserved microfossils are morphologically assignable to modern species indicating either evolutionary stasis or convergent evolution. Here we describe two Lower Cretaceous testate amoebae that are clearly distinguishable from modern species. Centropyxis perforata n. sp. and Leptochlamys galippei n. sp. possessed perforate shells that were previously unknown in these genera. They are preserved in highly fossiliferous amber pieces from the Upper Albian (ca. 100 million years old) of Archingeay/Les Nouillers (Charente‐Maritime, southwestern France). Syninclusions of soil and litter dwelling arthropods and microorganisms indicate a limnetic‐terrestrial microhabitat at the floor of a coastal conifer forest.     

Spider web in Late Cretaceous French amber (Vendée): The contribution of 3D image microscopy

Late Cretaceous amber from La Garnache (France, Vendée) contains filamentous networks that have all the characteristics of spider webs. Using methods of classic and confocal microscopy, the web architecture and the thread structure are described. The geometry of the webs preserved in amber is presented in 3D imaging. Unlike most of the spider webs identified in amber, there are no regular radiating webs growing in two dimensions characteristic of the well-known orb web. A number of the characters would correspond to the apparently irregular organization of cob-type web or sheet web. By using confocal microscopy, we can highlight the preserved autofluorescence of spider silk proteins and new characters are proposed to identify the spider webs or fragments of webs in amber.     

Hepatics from Rovno amber (Ukraine), 6. Frullania rovnoi,sp. nov.

A fossil species of the extant liverwort genus Frullania Raddi is described and illustrated, based on a single inclusion in a piece of Rovno amber (Ukraine) that shares its age with Late Eocene Baltic amber, its northern contemporary. Frullania rovnoi is characterised by leaves with a rounded dorsal lobe and the absence of ocelli. The ventral lobe is inflated and forms a saclike lobule, which is bell-shaped and somewhat constricted above the mouth. The bifid underleaves have several blunt teeth or angulations along the shoulder. The Rovno fossil differs sufficiently from morphologically similar species preserved in Baltic and Bitterfeld amber as to be described as new to science. The shape of the lobules and underleaves, as well as the absence of ocelli, indicate an affiliation to F. sect. Australes, hitherto represented in Eocene amber inclusions solely by F. schumannii (Casp.) Grolle. The Rovno fossil is distinguished from extant species of F. subg. Australes and from F. schumannii by having roughly and irregularly dentate-angulate underleaf margins.     

Early evolution of Cupedidae revealed by a mid‐Cretaceous reticulated beetle from Myanmar (Coleoptera: Archostemata)

Cupedidae, the most species‐rich family of the archaic suborder Archostemata, were abundant, diverse and widespread in the Mesozoic, yet little is known about the early evolution and biogeography. This stems, in part, from a lack of exceptionally preserved fossils from the Mesozoic and of formal phylogenetic study of both extant and extinct taxa. Here we describe and illustrate a new fossil from mid‐Cretaceous Burmese amber, and provide a phylogeny combining both fossils and all known extant genera of Archostemata. A dataset of 43 ingroup taxa and four outgroup taxa based on 110 morphological characters was analysed under parsimony. The results indicate that Priacma LeConte and Paracupes Kolbe, as well as the Cretaceous genera Barbaticupes Jarzembowski et al. and Mallecupes Jarzembowski et al., together form a sister clade to the rest of Cupedidae. Priacma megapuncta sp.n. is attributed to the relict North American Priacma by the presence of distinct subtruncate elytral apices, lateral elytral margins with two rows of sharp teeth, and peculiar fixing epipleural folds near the elytral apices. Our discovery of the first fossil species of Priacma in Burmese amber reveals the antiquity and wider distribution of the genus in the late Mesozoic. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:313565C2‐4F42‐48BD‐8720‐F379DE202868 .     

Phase contrast X‐ray synchrotron microtomography and the oldest damselflies in amber (Odonata: Zygoptera: Hemiphlebiidae)

Electrohemiphlebia barucheli gen. et sp. nov. and Jordanhemiphlebia electronica gen. et sp. nov. , two new genera and species are described, based on exceptional inclusions of hemiphlebiid damselflies in Cretaceous amber from France and Jordan. The type specimen of E. barucheli was studied using phase contrast X‐ray synchrotron microtomography, giving exceptional images and detailed information. Its comparison with the recent Hemiphlebia mirabilis confirms the attribution of several Cretaceous damselflies to the Hemiphlebiidae, showing that this particular group was widespread in the Early Cretaceous and probably originated in the Late Jurassic or earlier. The ecological niches today occupied by the small coenagrionoid damselflies were occupied during the Triassic and Jurassic by Protozygoptera, hemiphlebiids during the Early Cretaceous, and modern taxa in the Cenozoic.     

New bethylid and chrysidid wasps (Hymenoptera: Chrysidoidea) from Canadian Late Cretaceous amber

A new bethylid species, Celonophamia granama, and two new chrysidid species, Procleptes eoliami, and P. hopejohnsonae, are described from Late Cretaceous (Campanian) amber collected at the Grassy Lake locality in Alberta, Canada. Within the deposit these taxa constitute the first bethylid, and the second and third chrysidid species to be described, respectively. The new taxa expand the sparse fossil record of Chrysidoidea, particularly that of Chrysididae—a group that was previously represented by only three described species in the Mesozoic. The presence of Celonophamia species in both Canadian amber and Siberian (Taimyr) amber further emphasizes faunal similarities between these two northern Late Cretaceous amber deposits. Given the prevalence of metallic coloration in Chrysididae, the specimens described here also provide evidence for the taphonomic alteration of perceived insect colors in Cretaceous amber inclusions.     

The first Mesozoic Leptopodidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Leptopodomorpha), from Canadian Late Cretaceous amber

A new genus and species of leptopodid bug, Cretaceomira phalanx McKellar and Engel, is described from Canadian Late Cretaceous (Campanian) amber originating near Grassy Lake, in southern Alberta, Canada. This new record is the first described for the family within the Mesozoic, extending their fossil range by at least 26 Ma. The discovery adds further support to the idea that the subfamily was once much more widespread than its modern, relict distribution in the tropics – adding an occurrence in warm temperate conditions, on the western side of Laurentia (in the modern Palearctic). Beyond confirming the presence of the lineage in the Cretaceous, their expanded distribution suggests that the group is likely to be found in other Cretaceous amber deposits. Furthermore, the distinctive disk-shaped amber nodule that contains the C. phalanx holotype provides limited support for the interpretation of Leptosaldinae as subcortical inhabitants of resin-producing trees as early as the Cretaceous.http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E324DF2B-8D99-42B3-BBAC-8F9DC3603490     

The most ancient bark beetle known: a new tribe,genus and species from Lebanese amber (Coleoptera,Curculionidae, Scolytinae)

Abstract Cylindrobrotus pectinatus gen. et sp.n. , a new scolytine species from Cretaceous Lebanese amber, is described. A new tribe, Cylindrobrotini trib.n. , is proposed for this unique species, which demonstrates an unusual combination of some archaic and many advanced characters. This finding suggests that the Scolytinae became a distinct lineage of Curculionoidea from the Lower Cretaceous. Fossil records are reviewed, and some remarks on the origin and taxonomic position of bark and ambrosia beetles are made. Some comments on the various phylogenetic interpretations of the last 30 years are given, particularly in respect of their correspondence with the fossil record. The early appearance of Scolytinae in the fossil record before other Curculionidae (which appeared in the Upper Cretaceous) can be used as evidence against the hypothesis of bark beetles as offspring of weevils. The question of the taxonomic rank of bark beetles (separate subfamily or family) and their placement among other groups of the superfamily remains unsolved.     

Normapolles plants: a prominent component of the Cretaceous rosid diversification

The Normapolles complex, characterised by its oblate and triaperturate pollen, constitutes an important and diverse element of many Late Cretaceous and Early Cainozoic floras of the Northern Hemisphere. Based on the dispersed pollen record alone it has been difficult to assess systematic affinities, but relationships with Fagales have been proposed. Over the past twenty years several exquisitely preserved Late Cretaceous reproductive structures with Normapolles type pollen in situ have been described. In this study we provide a summary and new information of these floral structures. Further, a new genus, Dahlgrenianthus, is described from the Late Cretaceous of southern Sweden. The genus includes the type species Dahlgrenianthus suecicus, a number of reproductive structures referred to Dahlgrenianthus sp., and Dahlgrenianthus trigonus (Knobloch et Mai) comb. nov. from the Maastrichtian flora of Walbeck, Germany. Dahlgrenianthus comprises small flowers with pentamerous perianth and androecium and a tricarpellate gynoecium. It is distinguished from all other Normapolles floral structures in its hypogynous floral organisation. All Normapolles floral structures described so far are thought to be related to various members of the core Fagales, but the group is obviously not monophyletic. The stratigraphic range of the Normapolles taxa and other fagalean fossils strongly suggests that all major fagalean lineages were present by the Cenomanian or earlier.