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.     

New gall midges of the subfamily Lestremiinae (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae) from the Rovno amber

Two new genera and eight new species of the gall midges subfamily Lestremiinae, viz. Berestella insuperabilis gen. et sp. nov., Monardia impellucida sp. nov., Xylopriona aristata sp. nov. (Micromyini), Aprionus improvisus sp. nov., A.? vlaskini sp. nov. (Aprionini), Vicemyia immediata gen. et sp. nov. (Peromyiini), Cordylomyia cauta sp. nov. (Campylomyzini) and Bryomyia necessaria sp. nov. (Bryomyiini) from the Late Eocene Rovno amber are described. New combinations, i.e., Cordylomyia declinata (Fedotova, 2004), comb. nov. and Cordylomyia magnifica (Nel et Prokop, 2006), comb. nov. (both are transferred from Neurolyga) are proposed. No species in common with the fauna from the Baltic amber are recorded.     

New biting midges from the Cretaceous amber of Lebanon (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)

New Ceratopogonidae from the Early Cretaceous amber of Hammana (Central Lebanon) are studied. Five new species (Lebanoculicoides daheri sp. nov., Protoculicoides krzeminskii sp. nov., Archiaustroconops annae sp. nov., Archiaustroconops hammanensis sp. nov., and Archiaustroconops dominiakae sp. nov.) are characterized, described, illustrated, and compared with other Cretaceous taxa. New keys for species of the three genera Lebanoculioides, Protoculicoides, and Archiaustroconops, but also for all genera of Lebanese fossil biting midges, are proposed.     

Two new non-biting midges from the Early Cretaceous Lebanese amber (Diptera: Chironomidae)

Abstract

Two chironomid flies, Ziadeus kamili n. gen., n. sp. and Paicheleria magnifica n. gen., n. sp., respectively attributed to the recent subfamilies Tanypodinae and Prodiamesinae, are described from the Early Cretaceous Lebanese amber. Although very old, this non-biting midge fauna was very diverse with no less than 11 genera and species. However, it was also strongly different from the recent faunas for the complete absence of the Chironominae, that is today the dominant subfamily. The development of the modern chironomid fauna occurred during the Late Cretaceous and/or the Early Paleogene, but when and how?     

Composite eggs in non-paedogenetic gall midges (Cecidomyiidae,Diptera)

Summary A new type of composite eggs was found in the non-paedogenetic gall midgesMikiola fagi andRhabdophaga rosaria. Composite eggs of this type contained two or three nurse chambers and one egg chamber with one oocyte nucleus. In all composite eggs examined only one nurse chamber developed normally, while the others, regardless of their number and position within a composite egg, were arrested in their growth. It is assumed that the arrested nurse chambers, contrary to normally developing ones, are deficient in generative nuclei and thus are derived exclusively from mesodermal cells.This work was supported in part under Contract DPKBN/52/76-II.1.3.10, with the Polish Academy of Sciences     

A new genus and species of gall midges of the supertribe Heteropezidi (Diptera,Cecidomyiidae) found in Eocene amber from Sakhalin

A new genus and species of pedogenetic gall midge, Estoperpetua sakhalinica gen. et sp. nov., of the tribe Heteropezini (subfamily Lasiopterinae) is described. Gall midges have not been recorded in Eocene amber of Sakhalin. A female with 4-segmented tarsi, large transparent triangular sensoria on flagellomeres, short wings and legs, and long 2 + 9-segmented antennae is described. Heteropezidi shows the greatest generic and species diversity in the Late Eocene Rovno amber. Representatives of this supertribe were also found in the Late Eocene Baltic amber, Early Eocene Oise amber, Miocene amber from Mexico and Dominican Republic, and African copal. Heteropezidi from different amber faunas are reviewed.     

The first record of Late Cretaceous blackflies (Diptera: Simuliidae) in Asia (Yantardakh,Taimyr)

The blackfly Simuliites yantardakh sp. nov. from the Taimyr amber is described. It is distinguished from the only known Late Cretaceous blackfly from the New Jersey amber Archicnephia ornithoraptor Currie et Grimaldi by the twice larger size, the short pubescent antenna, only slightly expanded antennomeres 1 and 2; the small palpomere 3, which is 1.5 times as wide as palpomere 4; and the shorter mouth appendages.     

New Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera) from the Upper Cretaceous ambers of the Taimyr Peninsula

Two new genera and four new species of Ichneumonidae are described from the Upper Cretaceous ambers of the Taimyr Peninsula: Agapia sukatchevae gen. et sp. nov., Agapteron popovi gen. et sp. nov., Eubaeus abdominalis sp. nov., and Urotryphon baikurensis sp. nov. New detailed diagnoses are provided for the genera Urotryphon and Eubaeus. The genera Catachora, Urotryphon, and Eubaeus, previously placed in the subfamily Tryphoninae, are transferred to the subfamily Labenopimplinae, as well as the new genera Agapia and Agapteron. Possible causes of the miniaturization in ichneumonid wasps in the Cretaceous are discussed.     

A new family of anthocoroid hemipterans (Hemiptera: Heteroptera,Cimicomorpha) from Cretaceous Taimyr amber

A new unusual anthocoroid monotypic family, Taimyrocoridae fam. nov., is described from Late Cretaceous resin of the Taimyr Peninsula (Yantardakh, Coniacian–Santonian). The available data on the other records of hemipterans from the Late Cretaceous localities Yantardakh (Coniacian–Santonian), Baikura (Santonian), and Nizhnyaya Agapa (Cenomanian) are presented.     

New gall midges of the tribe Leptosynini (Diptera,Cecidomyiidae) from the Late Eocene ambers and the classification of the supertribe Heteropezidi

Three new genera and 27 new species of gall midges are described from the Late Eocene ambers: Henria baltica sp. nov., Frirenia manca sp. nov., F. musicata sp. nov., Leptosyna samlandica sp. nov., L. fastosa sp. nov. from Baltic amber and H. xystica sp. nov., H. liquida sp. nov., Stellasegna vlaskini gen. et sp. nov., S. vaporea sp. nov., S. nexa sp. nov., Rasnitsia verticosa gen. et sp. nov., F. rohdendorfi sp. nov., F. schevchenkoi sp. nov., F. melica sp. nov., F. lukashevichae sp. nov., F. leporidis sp. nov., F. marmarygma sp. nov., F. vesana sp. nov., Vincinescia alisae gen. et sp. nov., L. margarita sp. nov., L. munifera sp. nov., L. sukachevae sp. nov., L. assa sp. nov., L. larga sp. nov., L. vegeta sp. nov., L. vaticina sp. nov., and L. shcherbakovi sp. nov. from Rovno amber. Strobliella capitata Fedotova is redescribed as Henria capitata (Fedotova, 2004) (comb. nov.). Diagnoses of Henria (= Electroxylomyia Nel et Prokop, syn. nov.), Frirenia, and Leptosyna are revised. As a result, Henria comprises 3 extant and 5 extinct (Late Eocene) species, including H. eocenica (Nel et Prokop), comb. nov. (= Electroxylomyia eocenica), Frirenia comprises 1 extant and 10 Late Eocene species, and Leptosyna comprises 3 extant and 11 Late Eocene species. The tribe Heteropezini is elevated to the supertribal rank (Heteropezidi) and included in the subfamily Lasiopterinae. Leptosynini is treated as a separate tribe, and Lasiopterinae is considered as part of Cecidomyiidae s. str. (i.e., excluding Lestremiidae). Keys to the tribes and genera of Heteropezidi and to species of Henria, Stellasegna, Frirenia, and Leptosyna are provided. The gall midge faunas of the Rovno and Baltic ambers are compared. Phylogenetic relationships within the supertribe are hypothesized.     

New gall midge taxa of the subfamilies porricondylinae and lasiopterinae (Diptera,Cecidomyiidae) from the Rovno amber

Five new gall midge taxa of the subfamilies Porricondylinae and Lasiopterinae are described from the Late Eocene Rovno amber: Adsumyia integra gen. et sp. nov. (Dicerurini), Gratomyia inexigentis gen. et sp. nov. (Holoneurini), Winnertzia recusata sp. nov. (Winnertziini), Kovaleviola injusta gen. et sp. nov., and Spungisiola insuperabilis gen. et sp. nov. (Brachineurini).     

First record of the Late Cretaceous giant bird Gargantuavis philoinos from the Iberian Peninsula

Gargantuavis philoinos is a large terrestrial bird, initially described from several bones (synsacrum, cervical vertebra, femora) discovered in the Late Cretaceous deposits of southern France. The synsacrum described here comes from the late Campanian (Late Cretaceous) site of Laño, in north-western Spain, and is similar in all respects to the other synsacra of Gargantuavis philoinos described from France. This is therefore the first specimen attributed to this species to be reported outside France. This find increases the diversity of the fossil assemblage from Laño and the geographical distribution of this bird, which existed on the Ibero-Armorican island, which included southern France and the Iberian Peninsula, during the Late Cretaceous.     

First identifiable Mesozoic harvestman (Opiliones: Dyspnoi) from Cretaceous Burmese amber

Two inclusions in a piece of Upper Cretaceous (Albian) Burmese amber from Myanmar are described as a harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones), Halitherses grimaldii new genus and species. The first Mesozoic harvestman to be named can be referred to the suborder Dyspnoi for the following reasons: prosoma divided into two regions, the posterior formed by the fusion of the meso- and metapeltidium; palp lacking a terminal claw, with clavate setae, and tarsus considerably shorter than the tibia. The bilobed, anteriorly projecting ocular tubercle is reminiscent of that of ortholasmatine nemastomatids. The status of other Mesozoic fossils referred to Opiliones is briefly reviewed.     

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.     

First Findings of Gall Midges (Diptera,Cecidomyioidea, Cecidomyiidae) of the Tribes Karshomyiini (Mexican Amber) and Bremiini (Dominican Amber)

Paleontological Journal - Two new genera and species of gall midges are described from Lower-Middle Miocene amber, based on males, which have binodose flagellomeres possessing long looplike...     

First discovery of fossil Coloninae in Cretaceous Burmese amber (Coleoptera,Staphylinoidea, Leiodidae)

Coloninae is a tiny and distinctive subfamily of the highly diverse family Leiodidae (round fungus and small carrion beetles). Although only one leiodid fossil is known from the Mesozoic, its taxonomic position and classification are doubtful. We describe the first definitive Coloninae fossil, Colon burmiticum Yamamoto sp. nov., from Upper Cretaceous amber of Myanmar. Our finding sheds light on the origin and early evolutionary history of this peculiar genus and its subfamily.     

Gamasid mites (Gamasoidea) of the Taimyr Peninsula]

1591 specimen of small mammals, 467 nests of those, 250 birds and 38 nests had been investigated in 1972--1977. 19 182 specimens of gamasoid mites of 41 taxon had been found. Morphological and ecological adaptations of two mass species, Haemogamasus ambulans and Hinstionyssus isabellinus had been studied.