scholarly journals Two new long-rostrum cranefly species from the Cretaceous Iberian amber (Diptera, Limoniidae, Helius)

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iwona Kania-Kłosok ◽  
Wiesław Krzemiński ◽  
Antonio Arillo
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Lower Cretaceous ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
First Record ◽  
Northern Spain ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
Body Morphology ◽  
Cretaceous Period ◽  
Basque Cantabrian Basin

AbstractFirst record of the genus Helius—long-rostrum cranefly from Maestrazgo Basin (eastern Spain, Iberian Penisula) is documented. Two new fossil species of the genus Helius are described from Cretaceous Spanish amber and compared with other species of the genus known from fossil record with particular references to these known from Cretaceous period. Helius turolensis sp. nov. is described from San Just amber (Lower Cretaceous, upper Albian) Maestrazgo Basin, eastern Spain, and Helius hispanicus sp. nov. is described from Álava amber (Lower Cretaceous, upper Albian), Basque-Cantabrian Basin, northern Spain. The specific body morphology of representatives of the genus Helius preserved in Spanish amber was discussed in relation to the environmental conditions of the Maestrazgo Basin and Basque-Cantabrian Basin in Cretaceous.

The tale of the headless turtle

Zootaxa ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4200 (2) ◽  
pp. 327 ◽  
Author(s):  
PEDRO S. R. ROMANO
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Lower Cretaceous ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Diagnostic Features ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
The Past ◽  
Early Paleocene ◽  
Phylogenetic Hypotheses ◽  
A New Species

Pelomedusoides is the most diverse clade of side-necked turtles and there is an extensive fossil record (de Broin, 1988; Lapparent de Broin, 2000; Gaffney et al., 2006, 2011) that dates back at least to the Barremian (Lower Cretaceous) (Romano et al., 2014). Its large fossil record evidences a greater diversity in the past, particularly at the end of the Mesozoic, and exhibits a good sampling of species that are represented by skull material (Gaffney et al., 2006, 2011). As a consequence, the most complete and recent phylogenetic hypotheses for this clade (e.g. Romano et al., 2014; Cadena, 2015) are based on matrices comprising a great amount of cranial characters derived largely from Gaffney et al. (2006, 2011). In addition, it is well established that shell characters show a lot of phenotypic plasticity, even in the fossil species (Romano, 2008; Gaffney et al., 2006, 2011). In most cases it consequently is not justified to rely on “diagnostic features” of poorly informative shell-only material for describing a new species. Because of that, most authors remark new morphotypes in the literature when such aberrant specimens are recovered, but do not make any nomenclatural act by proposing a new yet poorly supported species (e.g. Romano et al., 2013; Ferreira & Langer, 2013; Menegazzo et al., 2015). Unfortunately, such a supposedly new bothremydid turtle (Pleurodira: Bothremydidae) from the Early Paleocene of Brazil was recently described based on poorly diagnostic remains (Carvalho et al., 2016; hereafter CGB, for the authors initials) and a correction of this unfounded nomenclatural act is required. In addition I present some comments on shell only material from Brazil in order to guide splitter-taxonomists to stop describing poorly preserved fossil specimens as new species. 

Palynology of Aptian and upper Albian (Lower Cretaceous) amber-bearing outcrops of the southern margin of the Basque-Cantabrian basin (northern Spain)

2015 ◽  
Vol 52 ◽  
pp. 292-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo Barrón ◽  
Daniel Peyrot ◽  
Juan Pedro Rodríguez-López ◽  
Nieves Meléndez ◽  
Rafael López del Valle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lower Cretaceous ◽  
Northern Spain ◽  
Southern Margin ◽  
Basque Cantabrian Basin

Three new tanaid species (Crustacea, Peracarida, Tanaidacea) from the Lower Cretaceous Álava amber in northern Spain

2007 ◽  
Vol 81 (6) ◽  
pp. 1502-1509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald Vonk ◽  
Frederick R. Schram
Keyword(s):  
Lower Cretaceous ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Upper Eocene ◽  
Northern Spain ◽  
High Interest ◽  
Terrestrial Arthropods

Marine crustaceans were not known as inclusions in amber from upper Aptian–middle Albian deposits in Northern Spain. The publication of a photograph of a purported fossil amphipod (Alonso et al., 2000) among many other arthropods promised to be of high interest because the fossil record of the amphipoda does not extend further than Upper Eocene (Schram, 1986; Coleman and Myers, 2000). The Museum of Natural Sciences of Álava in Vitoria-Gasteiz (AMNS), northern Spain, kindly sent us the material with the presumed amphipods, as our intention was to investigate its affinities to other fossil amphipods. The fossil crustaceans of this assemblage were found among 15 orders of insects, spiders, and mites—i.e., mainly terrestrial arthropods.

A NEW FOSSIL RESIN WITH BIOLOGICAL INCLUSIONS IN LOWER CRETACEOUS DEPOSITS FROM ÁLAVA (NORTHERN SPAIN, BASQUE-CANTABRIAN BASIN)

2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 158-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
JESUS ALONSO ◽  
ANTONIO ARILLO ◽  
EDUARDO BARRÓN ◽  
J. CARMELO CORRAL ◽  
JOAN GRIMALT ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lower Cretaceous ◽  
Northern Spain ◽  
Fossil Resin ◽  
Basque Cantabrian Basin ◽  
Cretaceous Deposits

A new fossil resin with biological inclusions in Lower Cretaceous deposits from Álava (northern Spain, Basque-Cantabrian Basin)

2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 158-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesus Alonso ◽  
Antonio Arillo ◽  
Eduardo Barrón ◽  
J. Carmelo Corral ◽  
Joan Grimalt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lower Cretaceous ◽  
Basque Country ◽  
Composition Analysis ◽  
Northern Spain ◽  
Sedimentary Environments ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Fossil Resin ◽  
High Maturity ◽  
Fossil Site ◽  
Basque Cantabrian Basin

The occurrence of amber in Sierra de Cantabria (álava, Basque Country) has been known for more than two decades but biological inclusions have only recently been found. The existence of crustaceans (amphipods and isopods), chelicerates (acari and arachnids), 12 orders of insects, and several bird feathers are reported in this preliminary study. In addition, there are leaf remains, molluscs, and a fair number of inorganic inclusions.Pollen analysis of the clastic series indicates an age between upper Aptian—middle Albian, which allows an assignment of this stratigraphic unit to the Nograro Formation. Chemical analysis indicates that the amber has high maturity, which reflects its Cretaceous age. Chemical composition analysis also indicates an araucariacean origin, which is corroborated by pollen found within the amber deposit.This new fossil site provides information for the reconstruction of paleocommunities of arthropods and sedimentary environments in the extreme south of the Basque-Cantabrian Basin during the Lower Cretaceous, characterized by coniferous forests with an understory of vascular cryptograms. Some of the identified arthropods add to the fossil record for various groups that are poorly known or unknown for this time period. This Lagerstätte constitutes one of the most important deposits of Mesozoic amber in the world.

First fossil Litoleptis (Diptera: Spaniidae) from the Lower Cretaceous amber of San Just (Teruel Province, Spain)

Zootaxa ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 2026 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANTONIO ARILLO ◽  
ENRIQUE PEÑALVER ◽  
VICTORIA GARCÍA-GIMENO
Keyword(s):  
Lower Cretaceous ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Wing Venation ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
The Family ◽  
First Time

In this paper Litoleptis fossilis sp. nov. a new fossil species belonging to the family Spaniidae (Diptera) is described. This is the first time the genus Litoleptis has been described from the fossil record. A comparison with extant species of Litoleptis and other fossil rhagionoids is done. The fossil is also compared to not closely related Diptera but having convergent wing venation. Palaeoecological and palaeobiogeographical comments are provided.

scholarly journals New Lower Cretaceous basal mantodean (Insecta) from the Crato Formation (NE Brazil)

2014 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 285-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shih-Wei Lee
Keyword(s):  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
Lower Cretaceous ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Upper Jurassic ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
Cosmopolitan Distribution ◽  
The Family ◽  
Chapada Do Araripe

Abstract Mantodea are very rare in the fossil record. 28 fossil species are reported since the earliest occurrence of mantodeans in the Upper Jurassic (Tithonian). Here, I describe Cretophotina santanensis n. sp. from the Aptian (Lower Cretaceous) Crato Formation of Chapada do Araripe (northeastern Brazil). This species is characterized by long antenna and primitive raptorial forelegs. Morphological characters shared with the living genus Chaeteessa would support its assignment to the family Chaeteessidae. The tropical occurrence of the Early Cretaceous genus Cretophotina in Gondwana, together with occurrences of the genus Chaetessa from subtropical and temperate zones of Laurasia, implies that members of the family Chaeteessidae achieved nearly cosmopolitan distribution during the Early Cretaceous.

scholarly journals A New Record of Recent Brachiopods: Digitizing the National Natural History Collections, The Hebrew University Of Jerusalem

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yael Leshno Afriat ◽  
Henk Mienis
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
New Record ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
Natural History Collections ◽  
New Information ◽  
Hebrew University ◽  
Recent Brachiopods

Brachiopods (lamp-shells) are a group of macrobenthic invertebrates with a remarkably long fossil record that encompasses deep time to modern-day oceans with over 12,000 species reported in the fossil record. In contrast, today brachiopods form a relatively small independent phylum among the invertebrates that includes only ca. 350 living species. Brachiopods are commonly used to examine faunal response to changes in the depositional environment across space and time. The extinct fossil species are compared to their counterparts from modern settings in order to find associations between ecological and morphological traits and past environmental conditions. Thus, collecting data on living brachiopods and studying their ecological preferences is crucial to the understanding of ancient environments. Until today, only scarce information has been published on extant brachiopods in the Levantine Basin off the coast of Israel. The current curatorial state of collections from the area prevents us from realizing their full scientific potential. We present new information concerning brachiopods collected in the Eastern Mediterranean and stored in the Mollusc Collection of the National Natural History Collections, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The collection is based on personal contributions and material collected by the Sea Fisheries Research Station during annual surveys carried out along the coast of Israel. As a first step, we estimated the size of the collection to contain ca. 355 samples of brachiopods of an unknown number of species. Notable contributions to the brachiopod collection include the Giorgio S. Coen and the Arthur Blok collections. Giorgio S. Coen, an enthusiastic malacologist, donated his private collection in 1951. The collection includes samples given to Coen by the distinguished Marchese di Monterosato, and contains ca. 230 samples of recent worldwide brachiopods. So far we have recognized type material of at least four taxa in the Coen collection. In addition, the Arthur Blok collection was donated in 1974 and includes ca. 65 samples of recent brachiopods. Due to the limited number of extant species, new records of living brachiopods should prove to be an important contribution to future studies in biogeography, phylogeny and the study of paleoenvironments. Our preliminary results show species occurrences in undocumented depths and habitats of the Eastern Mediterranean, and points to higher estimation of diversity in the Eastern Mediterranean than previously assumed. The order of magnitude difference in species diversity between extant and fossil brachiopods means our new information on life modes and habitats of recent species may have a significant effect on paleoecological reconstruction of their fossil counterparts. Thus, our new record of recent Levantine brachiopods can improve their use as reliable proxies for reconstructing environmental conditions throughout the fossil record.

The fossil record of the planthopper family Achilidae, with particular reference to those in Baltic amber (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha)

2016 ◽  
Vol 107 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 279-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicja Magdalena Brysz ◽  
Jacek Szwedo
Keyword(s):  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Lower Cretaceous ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Baltic Amber ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
The Family ◽  
Single Genus

ABSTRACTThe family Achilidae (Hemiptera, Fulgoromorpha, commonly called planthoppers) is one of the least known and least understood groups, due to their cryptic lifestyle. They appear in the fossil record in the Lower Cretaceous, with a single genus and two species from the Crato Formation of Brazil. The oldest amber inclusion is reported from the earliest Late Cretaceous amber of Burma. Surprisingly, Achilidae are relatively common among the larger inclusions that can be found in Eocene Baltic amber. The first description of a fossil species was in the mid-19th Century. Currently, there are 13 genera and 16 species known from fossils, of which nine genera and 11 species are from Baltic amber. However, many of them need reconsideration, revisionary studies and placement in the phylogenetic context of the family. Former studies on inclusions in this amber revealed several unique forms (extinct tribes Ptychoptilini and Waghildini), or taxa ascribable to the sparse Recent tribe Achilini. This paper provides an overview of the knowledge of fossil Achilidae, particularly those from Baltic amber. The Eocene appears to be the heyday of the family; however, this hypothesis should be tested with further detailed studies.

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