The First International Palaeoentomological Conference, Moscow, Russia, 30th August―4th September 1998
Published in 1999, in Bratislava
The First International Palaeoentomological Conference, Moscow, Russia,
30th August―4th September 1998
The Conference attracted around 50 delegates from a dozen of countries in Europe, both North and South Americas, and Africa. Over 50 lectures and posters presented covered a wide range of entomological, palaeontological, and geological topics including phylogenetic systematics, biostratigraphy, palaeoecology, plant-insect relationships, and actualistic experiments. The Conference was help in the Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, where the World's largest team of professional palaeoentomologists curates an internationally recognised and unique collection of fossil insects and arachnids. Proceedings of the Conference were published in 1999 and are still available upon request.
PREFACE
Fossil insects are often regarded as rare and exotic objects both by biologists and geologists. This view is wrong. Several thousands of fossil insect localities are discovered in all parts of the World including Antarctic; and the richest of them yield several thousand of species each. As a result of extensive collecting for many years, large and invaluable collections have been accumulated in numerous institutions in different countries. More than 250000 specimens are housed in the Arthropod Laboratory of the Palaeontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow.
On the other hand, only a small portion of known localities has been searched specially for fossil insects while usually only few specimens occasionally found during geological investigations are available; and much more localities are waiting for discovery. Some insect remains are spectacular but the great majority of them are small, barely noticeable, and can be easily overlooked even by palaeontologists trained for other kinds of fossils such as fossil flora. Too few persons in too few countries worked and work on fossil insects in a systematic manner; and vast territories remain practically uncovered by palaeoentomological studies, especially in Africa and South Asia.
The present day insect diversity is roughly estimated between 1-2 and 10-15 million species; their past diversity may be conservatively evaluated as being 25-30 times more. Even if only one tenth of existed species has been conserved in the palaeontological record and is potentially available for study, this is a huge research field.
Fossil insect studies are important in many respects. They provide a good base for phylogeny and taxonomy; they demonstrate the intriguing pattern of insect ecological radiation in the past; they elucidate the history of distribution of non-marine biota; they give a good idea on palaeoenvironments, climatic changes at both regional and global scales, landscape evolution, etc.; they permit to test wide range of general biological, climatological, ecological, and geographical hypotheses. Modern methods open much new possibilities in palaeoentomology; and the most sensational results are often not the most scientifically important ones. The search for fossil DNA in amber inclusions is among the most widely advertised aspects of palaeontology in last years but its real scientific value by no means exceeds those of modern studies on fossil plants damaged by insects and pollen grains in fossil insect gut content elucidating the insect-plant co-evolution or on fossilised caddis cases and social insect nests clarifying the evolution of complex forms of behaviour.
The interest to fossil insects increased and decreased many times since the early decades of the XIXth century up to now. In last decades the number of scientists working in this research field is increasing rapidly as well as the number of palaeoentomological papers. International co-operation and co-ordination of palaeoentomological works become urgently necessarily. The Russian school of palaeoentomology existing since 20s is well known and internationally recognised for many years; that is why the first palaeoentomological conference has been held in Moscow. This is a good opportunity to remember with deep gratitude its founders, Prof. Andrei V. Martynov and Prof. Boris B. Rohdendorf, who have created the Arthropod Laboratory and educated several generations of its workers.
CONTENTS
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Preface |
1 |
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Resolution of the First International Palaeoentomological Conference, Moscow, Russia |
3 |
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A.V. ALEXEEV―A Survey of Mesozoic Buprestids (Coleoptera) from Eurasian deposits [Abstract] |
5 |
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V.A. BLAGODEROV―New Bibionomorpha from the Triassic of Australia and Jurassic of Central Asia with notes on Paraxymyiidae Rohdendorf (Insecta, Diptera) [Abstract] |
11 |
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D.J. BROTHERS & J.-W. JANZEN―New generic synonymy in Scolebythidae, with redescription of both sexes of Pristapenesia primaeva Brues from Baltic amber (Hymenoptera: Chrysidoidea) [Abstract] |
17 |
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J.F. GENISE―Fossil Bee Cells from the Asencio Formation (Late Cretaceous―Early Tertiary) of Uruguay, South America |
27 |
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V.B. GOLUB & Y.A. POPOV―Composition and evolution of Cretaceous and Cenozoic faunas of bugs of the superfamily Tingoidea (Heteroptera: Cimicomorpha) [Abstract] |
33 |
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V.G. GRATSHEV―Ulyanidae, an extinct family of weevils (Coleoptera, Curculionoidea) [Abstract] |
41 |
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O.E. HEIE―Aphids of the past (Hemiptera, Sternorrhyncha) [Abstract] |
49 |
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T. HÖRNSCHEMEYER―Fossil insects from the Lower Permian of Nierdermoschel (Germany) [Abstract] |
57 |
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J.E. JOHNSTON―Caddisfly Cases From the Middle Eocene (Lower Lutetian) of Mississippi, USA [Abstract] |
61 |
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V.A. KRASSILOV & A.P. RASNITSYN―Plant remains from the guts of fossil insects: Evolutionary and Paleoecological inferences [Abstract] |
65 |
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E.D. LUKASHEVICH―Mesozoic Ptychopteroidea (Diptera: Nematocera): the stages of a long way |
73 |
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E.D. LUKASHEVICH & D.E. SHCHERBAKOV―A new Triassic family of Diptera from Australia [Abstract] |
81 |
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R.G. MARTINS-NETO―A New Subfamily of Ensifera (Insecta, Grylloidea) from the Santana Formation (Lower Cretaceous), Araripe Basin, NE Brazil [Abstract] |
91 |
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M. MENDES―An Attempt at taphonomic simulation in Blattopteras from Araripe (Lower Cretacean) from the NE of Brazil [Abstract] |
99 |
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M.B. MOSTOVSKI―A brief review of brachycerous flies (Diptera, Brachycera) in the Mesozoic, with descriptions of some curious taxa [Abstract] |
103 |
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E.E. PERKOVSKY―Evolutionary development of the specific antennal structure in leiodid beetles and systematic position of Jurassic Mesecanus communis and Polysitum elongatum (Coleoptera: Staphylinoidea, Leiodidae) |
111 |
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I.D. PINTO & K. ADAMI-RODRIGUES―A Revision of South American Paleozoic Insects [Abstract] |
117 |
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C.J. PROCTOR & E.A. JARZEMBOWSKI―Habitat reconstructions in the late Westphalian of southern England |
125 |
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F. RÖSCHMANN―Analysis of the relationship between Baltic and Saxonian Amber based on their Sciarid and Ceratopogonid faunas (Tertiary, Eocene-Miocene) |
131 |
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J. RUST―Fossil insects from the Fur and Olst Formations ("Mo-clay") of Denmark (upper Paleocene/lowermpst Eocene) |
135 |
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D.E. SHCHERBAKOV―Controversies over the Insect Origin Revisited [Abstract] |
141 |
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N. SINITSHENKOVA―The Mesozoic Aquatic Assemblages of Transbaikalia, Russia [Abstract] |
149 |
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D.M. SMITH―Comparative taphonomy and paleoecology of insects in lacustrine deposits |
155 |
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I.D. SUKATSHEVA―The Lower Cretaceous Caddisfly (Trichoptera) Case Assemblages [Abstract] |
163 |
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P. VRSANSKY―Lower Cretaceous Blattaria [Abstract] |
167 |
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N.L. WÜRDIG, I.D. PINTO & K. ADAMI-RODRIGUES South American Paleozoic Faunulae and two new Insects. Chronological, Paleogeographical and Systematic Interpretation [Abstract] |
177 |
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V.V. ZHERIKHIN, M.B. MOSTOVSKI, P. VRSANSKY, V.A. BLAGODEROV & E.D. LUKASHEVICH. The unique Lower Cretaceous locality Baissa and other contemporaneous fossil insect sites in North and West Transbaikalia |
185 |
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V.V. ZHERIKHIN―Cladistics in Palaeontology: Problems and Constraints [Abstract] [Full text] |
193 |
ABSTRACTS OF SELECTED PAPERS
A Survey of Mesozoic Buprestids (Coleoptera) from Eurasian deposits
Anatoly V. Alexeev, Orekhovo-Zuevo Pedagogical Institute, Zelenaja 12, Moscow Region 142611 Russia
Alexeev, A.V. 1999. A Survey of Mesozoic Buprestids (Coleoptera) from Eurasian deposits. In: AMBA/AM/PFICM98/1.99: 5-9. The results of the revision of material mainly from European localities adduced in a monograph by Handlirsch (1906-1908) and a survey of the later materials published mainly from Asian occurrences as well as those on the Triassic of Australia (Tillyard and Dunstan, 1924) are presented in the paper. The absence of authentic finds of buprestids in Triassic localities is marked. A special attention is paid to an interesting peculiarity of the materials on Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous buprestids represented authentically by certain remainders of the whole beetles. All of whole beetles have wing-cases with only 10 dotted grooves. This feature together with the others allows most reliable identification of Mesozoic beetle remains represented by isolated wing-cases to buprestids.
New Bibionomorpha from the Triassic of Australia and Jurassic of Central Asia with notes on Paraxymyiidae Rohdendorf (Insecta, Diptera)
Vladimir A. Blagoderov, Paleontological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsouyznaya ul. 123, 117997 Moscow, Russia
Blagoderov, V.A. 1999. New Bibionomorpha from the Triassic of Australia and Jurassic of Central Asia with notes on Paraxymyiidae Rohdendorf (Insecta, Diptera). In: AMBA/AM/PFICM98/1.99: 11-15. Five new species of Bibionomorpha are described from three Mesozoic localities. Austrocramptonomyia minuta (Procramptonomyiidae) and Veriplecia handlirschi (Paraxymyiidae) are from the Australian locality of Mt. Crosby (Upper Triassic). Three other species of Paraxymyiidae, Paraxymyia mongolica, Complecia clara (Shara-Teg, Upper Jurassic), and Paraxymyia bianguliradia (Say-Sagul, Lower or Middle Jurassic), are described from Central Asian localities. Notes about systematic affinities and composition of the family Paraxymyiidae are given.
New generic synonymy in Scolebythidae, with redescription of both sexes of Pristapenesia primaeva Brues from Baltic amber (Hymenoptera: Chrysidoidea)
Denis J. Brothers1 & Jens-Wilhelm Janzen2
1 Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Natal Pietermaritzburg, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209 South Africa
2 Oversand 47, 21217 Seevetal, Germany
Brothers, D.J. & Janzen, J. 1999. New generic synonymy in Scolebythidae, with redescription of both sexes of Pristapenesia primaeva Brues from Baltic amber (Hymenoptera: Chrysidoidea). In: AMBA/AM/PFICM98/1.99: 17-26. Detailed examination of 14 specimens of Scolebythidae in Baltic amber has demonstrated that Pristapenesia Brues, 1933 is a member of this family, and is a senior synonym of Dominibythus Prentice & Poinar, 1996 (syn. nov.) from Dominican amber. Pristapenesia primaeva Brues, 1933 is fully described, the true female for the first time, and compared with P. inopinata (Prentice & Poinar); a male neotype is designated. Pristapenesia is the only genus in the family with more than one species. Brief comments on biology are given.
Composition and evolution of Cretaceous and Cenozoic faunas of bugs of the superfamily Tingoidea (Heteroptera: Cimicomorpha)
Viktor B. Golub1 & Yuri A. Popov2
1Voronezh University, Universitetskaya pl. 1, Voronezh 394693, Russia.
2Paleontological Institute Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyznaya ul. 123, 117997 Moscow, Russia; E-mail: elena@advizer.msk.ru
Golub, V.B. & Popov,Yu. 1999. Composition and evolution of Cretaceous and Paleogenic faunas of bugs of the superfamily Tingoidea (Heteroptera: Cimicomorpha). In: AMBA/AM/PFICM98/1.99: 33-39. The first review of all known and newly discovered fossil tingid bugs is given. Their fossil localities are illustrated on two maps: World and European. The oldest tingids are known from the Lower Cretaceous of Mongolia and East Siberia. Most extinct lace bugs are found from numerous Cenozoic localities of West Europe. The distinct diversity of fossil tingids is observed in the Paleogenic European fauna of the Baltic amber (Eocene). They are represented by tribes of Cantacaderinae alone. The Authors' concept of the interrelationships and evolution of Cretaceous and Paleogenic tingoid faunas of the World is briefly discussed.
Ulyanidae, an extinct family of weevils (Coleoptera, Curculionoidea)
Vadim G. Gratshev, Arthropoda Laboratory, Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya 123, 117997 Moscow, Russia
Gratshev, V.G. 1999. Ulyanidae, an extinct family of weevils (Coleoptera, Curculionoidea). In: AMBA/AM/PFICM98/1.99: 41-47. The family Ulyanidae restricted to the Lower Cretaceous of Asia is revised. The genus Ulyana is redescribed, new genus Ulyanisca is established, new species Ulyana excellens and Ulyanisca dentipes (the type-species of the genus) from the Barremian-Aptian of Mongolia are described. The phylogenetic position of the family is discussed, and its affinities with the living family Attelabidae are argued.
Aphids of the past (Hemiptera, Sternorrhyncha)
Ole E. Heie
Heie, O.E. 1999. Aphids of the past (Hemiptera, Sternorrhyncha). In: AMBA/AM/PFICM98/1.99: 49-55. The oldest aphids are from the Triassic. The general morphology has not changed very much during the Mesozoic and the Cenozoic periods. The first aphids with siphuncular pores are from the Jurassic, and the first viviparous aphids are from the Upper Cretaceous. All fossil species until the middle of the Cretaceous have been referred to extinct families, and at least some of the recent families were sparsely represented in the Upper Cretaceous. The Tertiary fauna consists of recent families and one extinct. Very few representatives of the largest modem family Aphididae have been found in Tertiary deposits. The big difference between the Cretaceous fauna and the Tertiary fauna may be due to changes of the world flora. The difference between the fauna of the Lower Tertiary and the modem fauna can be explained as a result of the dominance and rapid speciation of herbs. Gymnosperms (coniferous trees) were the only hosts in most of the Mesozoic, and hosts of many species also in the Cenozoic. Host alternation originated at least three times, the adelgid host alternation and the pemphigid one probably about the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary, the aphidid one much later, probably in the end of the Tertiary, when flora regions dominated by grasses and other herbs became widespread.
Fossil insects from the Lower Permian of Nierdermoschel (Germany)
Thomas Hörnschemeyer, Institut für Zoologie und Anthropologie, Abt. Morphologic und Systematik, Berliner Str. 28, D-37073 Göttingen, Germany
Hörnschemeyer, T. Fossil insects from the Lower Permian of Nierdermoschel (Germany). In: AMBA/ AM/PFICM98/1.99: 57-59. About 900 insect fossils from the Lower Permian (Asselian) fossil site Niedermoschel (Saar-Nahe area, Germany) are being investigated. Most of these fossils belong to at least two species of Artinska Sellards, 1909 (Lemmatophoridae). Remarkable is the high number of Blattinopsidae, which are represented by 100 fossils, belonging to seven species. The remaining fossils belong to Blattodea, Miomoptera, Orthoptera and holometabolous taxa, including four beetle elytra. Altogether Niedermoschel is one of the richest fossil insect sites of Permian age in Germany. The preservation of the fossils is very variable. Most fossils are isolated wings which are best preserved in Blattinopsidae and Blattodea. In general smaller wings are preserved better than bigger ones. Complete wings are only found up to a length of approximately two centimeters. Bigger wings have been damaged, cmmbled, and broken up into smaller pieces prior to embedding.
Caddisfly Cases From the Middle Eocene (Lower Lutetian) of Mississippi, USA
J. E. Johnston, 680 Manor Ridge Drive, Mableton, Georgia (USA)
Johnston, J.E. 1999. Caddisfly Cases From the Middle Eocene (Lower Lutetian) of Mississippi, USA. In: AMBA/AM/PFICM98/1.99: 61-64. Over one hundred complete and nearly complete caddisfly larval cases have been collected from the middle Eocene (Lower Lutetian) Tallahatta Formation in northwest Mississippi, USA. The cases occur within a 5-cm-thick siltstone layer separating a fine-grained, cross-bedded sand from the overlying silty to sandy clay. Associated with the caddisfly cases is a variety of flora and fauna. Ninety-six percent of the cases are constructed of leaf material cut into square to slightly rectangular segments and are assigned to the indusigenus Folindusia, They resemble previously described cases, Folindusia wilcoxiana Berry, from Eocene-aged sediments in Tennessee. The Folindusia-type case length ranges from 11.5 mm to 32.6 mm and decreases in width toward the posterior. The cases are two-sided and each side is constructed of three to eight pieces cut from dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous leaves. No piece retains a leaf margin. The remaining four percent of the cases are constructed of densely packed quartz sand grains intermixed with mica flakes and are assigned to the indusigenus Terrindusia. The Terrindusia-type case length ranges from 8.0 mm to 15.7 mm. The cases are cylindrical, straight, and slightly tapered toward the posterior. The predominance of the Folindusia-type cases indicates that the paleoenvironmental setting was one of an eutrophic low-flow lake with areas containing abundant vegetation. The ecological distribution of Recent caddisfly larvae, the paleoecological interpretations of other fossil caddisfly cases, and additional paleontological and sedimentological evidence from this clay mine and from similar deposits in western Tennessee support this interpretation.
Plant remains from the guts of fossil insects: Evolutionary and Paleoecological inferences
V.A. Krassilov & A.P. Rasnitsyn, Paleontological Institute, Moscow
Krassilov, V.A. & Rasnitsyn, A.P. 1999. Plant remains from the guts of fossil insects: Evolutionary and Paleoecological inferences. In: AMBA/AM/PFICM98/1.99: 65-72. The plant remains from the guts of fossil insects has provided new data on folivory and pollinivory in the Permian, Jurassic and Cretaceous insects. The Jurassic folivorous species of the Phasmatoptera and another group ralated to the Embioptera consumed fleshy scale leaves of hyrmerellids, an extinct gymnosperm group with certain angiospermoid characters. The Jurassic katedids Aboilus fed on Classopollis, pollen grains of the same plants. The early Cretaceous xyelid pollinivory involved several proangiosperm groups. A widespread pollinivory was found in the Early Permian entomofauna involving the Hypoperlida, Psocida, Palaeomanteida, and Grylloblattida. The presently confirmed pollinivory adds significantly to our understanding of ecological evolution and functional morphology of phylogenetically important insect groups as well as providing insight in the plant community structure and seed plant evolution. The similarity of feeding habits in Parapsocidium (Hypoperlida) and Idelopsocus (Psocida) sharing a common pollen source, is of particular importance, for their phylogenetic affinity has been previously postulated on morphological grounds. In the Kungurian of the Urals the conifer - pteridosperm - rufloriacean plant community was a major source of edible pollen for all the hitherto studied pollinivorous insects. Phylladoderms (Vittatina) might represent a subordinate or marginal component of this community, while a remote cordaitalean - walchian Florinites-Potonieisporites community was occasionally visited by pollinivores with a wider foraging area. It is concluded that pollinivory played a role in the basic diversification of the Permian gymnosperms as well as the Cretaceous proangiosperms. The pollen loads contain the most advanced contemporaneous pollen grain morphotypes. In particular, the taeniate pollen morphology might simultaneously evolve in several groups of Paleozoic seed plants in relation to pollinivory.
A new Triassic family of Diptera from Australia
E.D. Lukashevich & D.E. Shcherbakov, Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya 123, Moscow 117997, Russia
Lukashevich, E.D., Shcherbakov D.E. 1999. A new Triassic family of Diptera from Australia. In: AMBA/ AM/PFICM98/1.99: 81-89. Tillyardiptera prima gen. et sp. nov. (Tillyardipteridae fam. nov.), nearest to ancestral Psychodomorpha, is described from the Upper Triassic of Mount Crosby, Australia. It is the largest Triassic dipteran known up to now. Systematic position of the new family and Triassic Grauvogeliidae, as well as significance of wing proportions for diagnostics of primitive Nematocera, are discussed. [PDF]
A New Subfamily of Ensifera (Insecta, Grylloidea) from the Santana Formation (Lower Cretaceous), Araripe Basin, NE Brazil
Rafael Gioia Martins-Neto, Laboratório de Paleontologia, Departamento de Biologia, FFCL-USP, Campus de Ribeirao Preto, Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, 14040-901. Ribeirao Preto, SP. Brasil. Tel./FAX (016) 602-3666. (This paper is a joint research with the Universidade Guamlhos-SP)
Martins-Neto, R.J. 1999. A New Subfamily of Ensifera (Insecta, Grylloidea) from the Santana Formation (Lower Cretaceous), Araripe Basin, NE Brazil. In: AMBA/AM/PFICM98/1.99: 91-97. A new subfamily, two new genera and five new species of Baissogryllidae Gorochov, 1985 (Ensifera, Grylloidea) are described: Notocearagryllus dutrae gen. et sp. n., Olindagryllus rotundus gen. et sp. n., Olindagryllus obliteratus n. sp., Cearagryllus revelatus n. sp. and Cearagryllus previstus n. sp. The specimens were collected from a yellowish laminated limestone of the Crato Member, from the base of the Santana Formation of Upper Aptian/ Lower Albian (Early Cretaceous) age, which is part of the Araripe Basin in the state of Ceará, NE Brazil.
An Attempt at taphonomic simulation in Blattopteras from Araripe (Lower Cretacean) from the NE of Brazil
Marcio Mendes, UNIVALE; Museu de Historia Natural; Caixa Postal 295; 35030-390 GOVERNADOR VALADARES MG. BRASIL.
Mendes, M. 1999. An Attempt at taphonomic simulation in Blattopteras from Araripe (Lower Cretacean) from the NE of Brazil. In: AMBA/AM/PFICM98/1.99: 99-101. The excellent state of preservation of insect fossils from the Santana Formation is already well known from the literature. The cockroaches found in this paleoentomological association often show remarkable preservation not only of tegument but also of soft body parts. This leads to a question: How long were these insects submerged in the water before being buried and consequently broken up into pieces? This present work is an attempt to try to answer this question since it deals with a taphonomic simulation in the laboratory, in which present day Blattopteras are submitted to various situations which may have occurred in the initial stage of fossilisation of the insects in that region.
A brief review of brachycerous flies (Diptera, Brachycera) in the Mesozoic, with descriptions of some curious taxa
Mikhail B. Mostovski, Paleontological Institute, 123 Profsoyuznaya St., 117997 Moscow, Russia; E-mail: phorids@hotmail.com
Mostovski, M.B. 1999. A brief review of brachycerous flies (Diptera, Brachycera) in the Mesozoic, with descriptions of some curious taxa. In: AMBA/AM/PFICM98/1.99: 103-110. Brachycerous flies from Mesozoic deposits are reviewed. New taxa of Stratiomyidae (Beridinae), Xylomyidae, Xylophagidae (Coenomyiinae) and Empididae (Protempidinae) are described from the Jurassic of Kazakhstan and Mongolia, and from the Lower Cretaceous of Spain.
A Revision of South American Paleozoic Insects
Iraja Damiani Pinto & Karen Adami-Rodrigues, Departamento de Paleontologia e Estratigrafia Institute de Geociencias-Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil
Pinto, I.D. & Adami-Rodrigues, K. 1999. A Revision of South American Paleozoic Insects. In: AMBA/ AM/PFICM98/1.99: 117-124. A check list of all described Argentinian and Brazilian Paleozoic Insects with their geographical, geological and a revised systematic data is discussed. Figures representing each species and two new Carboniferous species are also registered. Comments on paleoentomological and paleobotanical interpretations are done.
Controversies over the Insect Origin Revisited
Dmitrij E. Shcherbakov, Paleontological Institute, 123 Profsoyuznaya St., 117997 Moscow, Russia
Shcherbakov, D.E. 1999. Controversies over the Insect Origin Revisited. In: AMBA/AM/PFICM98/1.99:141-147. The malacostracan ancestry of insects is advocated, myriapods being considered descending from early hexapods. The origin of flight in insects is hypothesised to be caused by their expansion into freshwaters. The idea that Palaeoptera derived from Neoptera are polyphyletic is criticized.
The Mesozoic Aquatic Assemblages of Transbaikalia, Russia
Nina Sinitshenkova, Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya 123, 117997 Moscow, Russia
Sinitshenkova,N.D. 1999. The Mesozoic aquatic assemblages of Transbaikalia, Russia. In: AMBA/AM/PFICM98/1.99: 149-154. Ten main types of aquatic insect assemblages are recognized in Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous deposits of Transbaikalia. Their geographical distribution and paleoenvironments are discussed.
The Lower Cretaceous Caddisfly (Trichoptera) Case assemblages
I.D. Sukatsheva, Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya 123, 117997 Moscow, Russia
Sukatsheva, I.D. 1999. The Lower Cretaceous Caddisfly (Trichoptera) Case Assemblages. In: AMBA/AM/ PFICM98/1.99: 163-165. The Lower Cretaceous caddis case assemblages from Southern England (Wealden sediments) and Asia have been compared. The level of the construction complexity of caddis larval cases in the Wealden Sediments have been estimated to be Valanginian. This age is in agreement with the other biostratigraphic faunal data of the Ashdown Beds (the lower formation of the Hastings Group) at Hastings.
Lower Cretaceous Blattaria
Peter Vrsansky, Department of Zoology, Comenius University, Mlynska Dolina Bl, 842 15 Bratislava, Slovakia; E-mail: vrsansky@fns.umba.sk; and Paleontological Institute, Profsoyuznaya 123, Moscow, Russia; E-mail: rasna@glasnet.ru
Vrsansky, P. 1999. Lower Cretaceous Blattaria. In: AMBA/AM/PFICM98/1.99: 167-176. The review covers cockroach assemblages from the richest Lower Cretaceous insect fossil sites in Siberia, Mongolia, Lebanon, Great Britain and Brazil. More than 5000 specimens of Blattaria from the era were studied, indicating that the extant families Blattellidae and Polyphagidae originated during or before the Lower Cretaceous. The archaic family Mesoblattinidae has taken a subordinate position being partially replaced by Blattellidae, and in warm conditions by Blattulidae, which are polyphagid precursors. Contemporary elements of the roach assemblages are present in the earliest Cretaceous, in the temperate conditions. In the warmer upper Lower Cretaceous sites of Mongolia, and China they occur only sporadically. A noteworthy element of the Lower Cretaceous insect assemblage was the enigmatic family Umenocoleidae. It was described as an aberrant beetle, but now it is apparent that this widespread family, recorded from the Lower Cretaceous of Lebanon, Siberia, Mongolia, China and Brazil as well as from the Upper Cretaceous of USA, is closely related to the archaic Polyphagidae, Blattulidae and some aberrant living roaches. The exceptionally good preservation state of impression fossils in some Lower Cretaceous localities of Siberia, Brazil and Mongolia makes it possible to reveal some minute structures of ancient roaches, including those studied under the magnification x22,000. Exceptional is the preservation of external ovipositors, this structure indicates that even the cockroaches with very small ovipositors were not able to manipulate ootheca (but may manipulate the two-row egg conglomerates), and that the ovipositor reduced several times in Blattaria. The lineages leading to contemporary Blattaria are found to originate earlier than Mantodea. Thus even contemporary Blattaria are paraphyletic in respect at least to Mantodea.
South American Paleozoic Faunulae and two new Insects. Chronological Paleogeographical and Systematic Interpretation
Norma Luiza Würdig, Iraja Damiani Pinto, Karen Adami-Rodrigues, Departamento de Paleontologia e Estratigrafia; Insdtuto de Geociencias - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil
Würdig, N.L., Pinto, I.D., Adami-Rodrigues, K. 1999. South American Paleozoic Faunulae and two new Insects. Chronological, Paleogeographical and Systematic Interpretation. In: AMBA/AM/PFICM98/1.99: 177-184. The Permo-Carboniferous entomofaunulae from Argentina and Brazil have provided chronological data which have full acceptance for the Permian but not for the Carboniferous by some Paleobotanists. Two Permian associations of insects, crustaceans, vertebrates, plants from Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil; and two from the Carboniferous: one association with insects and plants from Boituva, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, and another one with insects, arachnids and plants from Bajo de Veliz, San Luis Province, Argentina are analysed. Systematic misinterpretation, age divergences, world geographical distribution of the fossils specially the relationship between Brazilian, African and Russian Asiatic Permian associations are discussed and two new insects species are described.
Cladistics in Palaeontology: Problems and Constraints
Vladimir V. Zherikhin, Palaeontological Institute, 123 Profsoyuznaya St., 117997 Moscow, Russia
Zherikhin, V.V. 1999. Cladistics in Palaeontology: Problems and Constraints. In: AMBA/AM/PFICM98/1.99: 193-199. Cladistics was originally developed as a method of analysis of the present-day diversity pattern, and some problems are arising when it is applied to the palaeontological record. The most important difficulties are connected with 1. the different time scales (phylogenetic scale in cladistics, geological or physical scales in palaeontology where neither paraphyletic taxa nor chronotaxa can be excluded accurately); and 2. the different basic levels for establishment of terminal branches (the single present-day level in cladistics and numerous successive levels in palaeontology). Both modified versions of cladistics and complementary methods have to be developed to describe fossil biodiversity in an adequate manner. [PDF]
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