Thrips (Thysanoptera, Insecta) from the Rovno amber, Eocene of Ukraine

Seventy-six thrips were discovered in Rovno amber. Among these, 67 were identified to suborder, 52, to family, 45, to genus, and 41, to species level. In total, five species, six genera, five families, and two suborders are recorded. No undescribed taxa have been found so far. All the identified thrips, except those of the genus Phloeothrips, belong to fossil taxa, previously known only from the Baltic and Bitterfeld ambers. However, the composition of species in the Rovno amber is highly unusual due to domination of Praedendrothrips avus Priesner, 1924. This species, rare in the Baltic amber, constitutes 49% of all the Rovno records. Thus, the Rovno amber, in contrast to the Baltic and Bitterfeld ambers, is characterized by poor taxonomic diversity of thrips and presence of a clearly dominant species.     

Ants of the Genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fallomyrma</Emphasis> Dlussky et Radchenko (Hymenoptera,Formicidae, Myrmicinae) from Late Eocene European Ambers

The extinct monotypic ant genus Fallomyrma was described by Dlussky and Radchenko in 2006 based on workers from Late Eocene Rovno (Ukraine), Scandinavian (Denmark), and Bitterfeld (Germany) ambers. Three new Fallomyrma species from the Rovno amber are here described based on workers: F. anodonta sp. nov., F. marginata sp. nov., and F. robusta sp. nov. A key to all known species of this genus is compiled. The quantity ratios (of the numbers of species and specimens) of Fallomyrma and other amber Myrmicinae genera are considered. The opinion of the autochthonous origin of the Rovno amber is confirmed.     

The ant subfamilies Ponerinae,Cerapachyinae, and Pseudomyrmecinae (Hymenoptera,Formicidae) in the Late Eocene ambers of Europe

The ant subfamilies Ponerinae, Cerapachyinae and Pseudomyrmecinae are revised in the Baltic, Bitterfeld, Rovno, and Scandinavian ambers of the Late Eocene age. Thirteen new species are described: Amblyopone groehni sp. n., A. electrina sp. n., Pachycondyla conservata sp. n., P. tristis sp. n., Ponera lobulifera sp. n., P. mayri sp. n., P. wheeleri sp. n., Gnamptogenys rohdendorfi sp. n., Bradoponera similis sp. n., Proceratium eocenicum sp. n. (Ponerinae), Procerapachys sulcatus sp. n. (Cerapachyinae), Tetraponera europaea sp. n., and T. groehni sp. n. (Pseudomyrmecinae). Tetraponera angustata (Mayr) is synonymized with T. simplex (Mayr). Keys to species are provided.     

Ants of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plagiolepis</Emphasis> Mayr (Hymenoptera,Formicidae) from Late Eocene ambers of Europe

The genus Plagiolepis Mayr (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from the Late Eocene Baltic, Bitterfeld, Rovno, and Scandinavian ambers is revised. Two new species, Plagiolepis wheeleri sp. nov. and P. paradoxa sp. nov., are described. A lectotype of Plagiolepis klinsmanni Mayr, 1868 and neotypes of P. kuenowi Mayr, 1868 and P. solitaria Mayr, 1868 are designated. Rhopalomyrmex pygmaeus Mayr, 1868 (= Plagiolepis balticus Dlussky, 1997) is recognized as a new synonym of P. kuenowi Mayr, 1868. A key for identification of the Late Eocene species of Plagiolepis from the European ambers is provided.     

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.     

Ants of the tribe Formicini (Hymenoptera,Formicidae) from Late Eocene amber of Europe

The tribe Formicini (Formicinae) from the Late Eocene Baltic, Bitterfeld, Rovno, and Scandinavian ambers is revised. Ants are recorded for the first time from the Bitterfeld and Scandinavian ambers. Two new genera (Cataglyphoides gen. nov. and Conoformica gen. nov.) and six new species (Cataglyphoides intermedius sp. nov., Conoformica bitterfeldiana sp. nov., Formica kutscheri sp. nov., F. palaeopolonica sp. nov., F. radchenkoi sp. nov., F. zherikhini sp. nov.) are described. A new combination, Cataglyphoides constrictus (Mayr, 1868), comb. nov., is established. A lectotype of Camponotus constrictus Mayr, 1868 and a neotype of Formica phaethusa Wheeler, 1915 are designated. Formica clymene Wheeler, 1915 is recognized as a new synonym of F. phaethusa Wheeler, 1915. An identification key for workers of Formicini species from Late Eocene European ambers is provided.     

Miocene Ethiopian amber: A new source of fossil cryptogams

Amber is renowned for the exceptional preservation state of its inclusions, allowing detailed morphological analysis and providing relevant environmental, palaeoecological, geographical, and geological information. Amber deposits are predominantly known from North America, Europe, and Asia, and are considered to be rare on the continents that formed Gondwana. The recent discovery of fossiliferous amber deposits in Ethiopia, therefore, provides an inimitable opportunity to close gaps in the fossil record of African terrestrial biota and to study organisms which are otherwise rare in the fossil record. Here we show that diverse cryptogams are preserved in highest fidelity in Miocene Ethiopian amber. We describe gametophyte fragments of four liverworts: Thysananthus aethiopicus sp. nov. (Porellales, Lejeuneaceae), Lejeunea abyssinicoides sp. nov. (Porellales, Lejeuneaceae), Frullania shewanensis sp. nov. (Porellales, Frullaniaceae), and Frullania palaeoafricana sp. nov. (Porellales, Frullaniaceae). Furthermore, we describe a pleurocarpous moss of the extant genus Isopterygium (Hypnales, Pylaisiadelphaceae) and a lichen representing the order Lecanorales. These new specimens represent the first amber fossils of liverworts, mosses, and lichens from the African continent and render Ethiopian amber as one of the few worldwide amber deposits preserving bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) or lichens. Fossil species of Thysananthus were recorded in Eocene Baltic and Oligocene Bitterfeld as well as Miocene Dominican and probably also Miocene Mexican ambers. Fossils that can unequivocally be assigned to Lejeunea have only been found in Dominican amber so far. Neotropical ambers contain only one taxon of Frullania to date, while the genus is most diverse in Baltic, Bitterfeld, and Rovno ambers, formed in temperate regions. The new fossils support a tropical to subtropical origin of Ethiopian amber. The new African liverwort fossils are included in an updated list of leafy liverworts described from worldwide Cenozoic ambers to date.     

Geographic variation in seed removal of a myrmecochorous herb: influence of variation in functional guild and species composition of the disperser assemblage through spatial and temporal scales

The ecological influence of changes in the functional guild and species composition of ant assemblages on ant‐dispersal mutualisms is still poorly known. Using a multi‐scale approach over an 800 km range within the Iberian Peninsula, we tested the hypothesis that variation in seed removal rate was related to functional guild rather than to species composition variations of disperser assemblages in the myrmecochore herb Helleborus foetidus. At least two premises must be confirmed to validate this hypothesis: 1) ant assemblages that are dissimilar in species composition but with similar functional guild composition will not differ significantly in seed removal, and 2) assemblages with different functional guild composition will render different seed removal services. We conducted 3328 ant‐visitor censuses on 462 individual plants to identify both the species composition and functional guild variation of the ant‐disperser assemblage, and the plant seed removal rate. Functional guild composition of the ant assemblage was determined by the proportion of visits of ants acting as legitimate dispersers, facultative dispersers or elaiosome predators. Results showed that ant‐seed dispersal success seemed to be more sensitive to species composition changes of the ant assemblage than to functional guild shifts. However, this sensitivity was scale‐dependent. Thus, at the fine, inter‐individual scale, seed removal covaried with the species and functional guild composition of the ant assemblages; at the inter‐populational scale, differences in seed removal tended to be related to the dissimilarity of the assemblage species composition rather than the assemblage functional guild; finally, inter‐regional differences in seed removal were unrelated to dissimilarities of the ant assemblage composition or functional guild. Though differences in seed removal and the relative frequency of the legitimate dispersers tended to be positively correlated, none of the above premises were fully confirmed in this study. Therefore, our results did not support in full the hypothesis that the variation in seed removal was explained by shifts in functional guild composition, rather than shifts in species composition.     

Functional and genetic diversity changes through time in a cloud forest ant assemblage

Climate change in the Neotropics is causing upslope range shifts. We used arrays of ant species collected in a cloud forest at 1,500 m in Área de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG), northwestern Costa Rica, collected in two time periods (1998–2000 and 2008–2011) to measure changes in species richness and diversity over a decade. Using metrics of community structure, we found that the species assemblage in the collections from the 1990s was significantly phylogenetically clustered and functionally less diverse as compared to collections from the early 2000s. At both time points, the assemblages were significantly phylogenetically clustered and while the difference in functional diversity between the time points was not significant, the ant assemblage has become lighter in color (on average) over time. When individual species are considered, the overall pattern of replacement is consistent with the cloud forest ant assemblage being colonized by arrivals from lower elevation forests. The invertebrate communities on cloud forested mountain tops are especially vulnerable to a changing climate as there are two factors working together; no higher terrain to which they can move and the invasion of more and more taxa from lower downslope. This vulnerability is already measurable.     

A new fossil species of the extinct tribe Mimoplatycini Kazantsev, 2013 (Coleoptera Cantharidae)

A new fossil species from the Eocene Baltic amber of the extinct tribe Mimoplatycini Kazantsev, 2013 (Cantharidae Malthininae), is illustrated and described here. Mimoplatycis marchettii sp. nov. is characterized by a transverse but interrupted carina in the middle of pronotum. The tribe is known from Baltic and Rovno amber, and the pronotum with carinae similar to Lycidae could be interpreted as mimicry. The pronotal shape is here indicated as a diagnostic character of the species level.     

A new species of the scraptiid beetle genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anaspis</Emphasis> (Insecta: Coleoptera: Scraptiidae) from the Baltic and Rovno ambers (Upper Eocene of Eastern Europe)

A new fossil species, Anaspis (Spanisa) horaki sp. nov., is described from the Baltic and Rovno ambers. It differs from the recent species in the shapes of its last maxillary palpus segment and its antennal club.     

New species of caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera) from the Paleogene resins of Europe

Two new species of caddisflies of the families Philopotamidae and Polycentropodidae, Wormaldia pobeda sp. nov. and Nyctiophylax leningrad sp. nov. are described from the Eocene Baltic and Rovno ambers.     

Archaeotinodes ivanovi sp. nov., a new fossil species of Ecnomidae (Insecta: Trichoptera) from the Baltic amber

Archaeotinodes ivanovi sp. nov., a new species of the fossil genus Archaeotinodes, is described from the Eocene Baltic amber. The new species is generally similar to A. pauper Ulmer, 1912 and A. igneusaper Melnitsky, 2009 from the Baltic amber and to A. reveraverus Melnitsky et Ivanov, 2010 from the Rovno amber.     

New species of sap beetles (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Nitidulini) from the Baltic and Bitterfeld ambers

A new genus, Microsoronia, gen. nov., and new species of this genus, M. hoffeinsorum, sp. nov. from the Bitterfeld amber and M. kerneggeri sp. nov., M. nigerrima sp. nov., and M. interfax, sp. nov. from the Baltic amber, are described. The earliest known member of the genus Phenolia, P. (Lasiodites) angustitibialis, sp. nov., is described from the Baltic amber. The systematic position of these two genera, their possible evolution, as well as the possible ecology and bionomics of their members are discussed. It is shown that “Phenolia” incapax Scudder, 1890 should be included in the family Peltidae, rather than Nitidulidae.     

Eohelea sinuosa (Meunier, 1904) (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae) in Late Eocene ambers of Europe

Differences between ceratopogonid faunas from different Late Eocene ambers are almost as great as between ant faunas and give evidence of their different geographical origins. The greatest similarity is recorded between ceratopogonid faunas of the Rovno and Danish ambers; it manifests itself, in particular, in the presence of Leptoconops, abundant Eohelea sinuosa, and rather frequent occurrence of Meunierohelea. Eohelea sinuosa is the most abundant ceratopogonid species in the Rovno amber. The abundance of Eohelea is probably accounted for by the abundance in these assemblages of small chironomids, with terrestrial larvae; which composed 40% of the Rovno amber chironomid fauna and were probably prey to Eohelea. It is shown for the first time that Ceratopogonini with feminized male antennae (with reduced plume) occur three times as often in syninclusions of specimens of both sexes (63% of all Eohelea inclusions from the Rovno amber);this is evidence that Ceratopogonini with feminized male antennae turned to mating on substrate. This supports the hypothesis of Dinwiddie and Rachootin (2011) that wing organs of female Eohelea were not used for stridulation.     

New species of Late Eocene dermestid beetles (Coleoptera, Dermestidae) from the Rovno and Baltic ambers

Fossil beetles of the family Dermestidae are reviewed. Three new species are described: Dermestes progenitor and Megatoma electra from the Baltic amber and Dermestes vetustus from the Rovno amber (Late Eocene).     

New species of bark beetles from the Rovno amber (Insecta: Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Two new species of bark beetles are described from the Late Eocene Rovno amber. Xylechinus mozolevskae sp. nov. (Hylesininae: Tomicini) is the first fossil representative of this genus, differing from recent species in having large triangular scales along the suture. Taphramites rovnoensis sp. nov. (Scolytinae: Dryocoetini) differs from the closest species, T. gnathotrichus from Baltic amber, in the presence of short thin hairs on the elytra.     

Occurrence of ant (hymenoptera, formicidae) and aphid (homoptera, aphidinea) syninclusions in Saxonian and Rovno ambers

Ant species found as syninclusions with aphids in Rovno and Saxonian ambers are listed for the first time. In a collection of 143 pieces of Rovno amber with worker ants, aphids were found in only one syninclusion with Ctenobethylus goepperti (Mayr). In a collection of Saxonian amber, 53 aphids of the genus Germaraphis were found in 152 amber pieces with ant workers; five syninclusions with aphids contained 19 specimens of C. goepperti; two syninclusions contained ten specimens of Lasius schiefferdeckeri Mayr; and three syninclusions contained one specimen each: one Camponotus mengei Mayr, one Anonichomyrma constricta (Mayr), and one Formica flori Mayr. Considering that the Rovno and Saxonian collections are nearly equal in the number of amber pieces, the fundamental difference in the number of syninclusions is striking. The number of C. goepperti in syninclusions is disproportionately high; the proportion of syninclusions with aphids and C. goepperti is 1.6 times that of all inclusions of workers of this species. They are found in 31% of examined inclusions of workers in the collection of the Saxonian amber, but in 50% of syninclusions of the entire collection. This strongly suggests that C. goepperti and Germaraphis formed an association during their lifetime.     

Colonisation by a dominant ant facilitated by anthropogenic disturbance: effects on ant assemblage composition, biomass and resource use

Dominant species are thought to regulate species composition and assemblage structure. Invasion by a dominant species is thus likely to alter assemblages and anthropogenic disturbance often facilitates such invasions. In this study we examined the association of a dominant ant, Iridomyrmex purpureus , native to south-eastern Australia, with fire trails in national parks and its effects on ant assemblages. Association with fire trails was examined by comparing the numbers of I. purpureus nests on transects along fire trails with those in transects through surrounding vegetation. Ant assemblages and habitat characteristics of eight sandstone outcrops that supported colonies of I. purpureus were compared with those on eight that did not in summer and autumn 2000. We examined ant species richness, abundance, composition and biomass using quadrats, and resource use with Acacia botrycephalus seeds placed on rock and in vegetation. I. purpureus nests were considerably more common along fire trails than in surrounding vegetation. Sites with I. purpureus had similar species richness to those without, but a lower abundance and biomass of other ants and a different assemblage composition. These differences could not be attributed to any differences in measured habitat characteristics. Ecologically similar species, particularly other species of Iridomyrmex , were less abundant in areas with I. purpureus . While the biomass of other species was suppressed in areas with I. purpureus , the biomass of the dominant was several times that of the assemblage of other ants, a pattern shared with assemblages invaded by exotic species. In areas with I. purpureus , seeds were removed more rapidly from rock, but not vegetation, indicating that resources on rock may be under-exploited by other species. Regulation of invaded ant assemblages by this dominant ant is thus limited to functionally similar species, and this may be due to its use of resources that are unexploited in its absence.