A new spider family record for Hispaniola—a new species of Plectreurys (Araneae: Plectreuridae) in Miocene Dominican amber

Zootaxa ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 2144 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
DAVID PENNEY
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Costa Rica ◽  
Baltic Amber ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
Dominican Amber ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Usa ◽  
A New Species

The Plectreuridae is a relatively small, ecribellate, haplogyne spider family consisting of only two extant genera. Kibramoa Chamberlin has seven described species restricted to the USA and Mexico (Gertsch 1958) and Plectreurys Simon is known from 22 species, with similar distributions (Gertsch 1958, Jiménez 2006), but also including Cuba and Costa Rica (Alayón 1993, 2003). In addition, a single fossil species Palaeoplectreurys baltica Wunderlich, known only from the holotype, has been described from the Eocene Baltic amber of Europe (Wunderlich 2004). Additional fossils are known from the Jurassic of China and these are currently being described by Selden (pers. comm. 2009), who also questions the placement of Palaeoplectreurys Wunderlich in this family. Thus, the extant forms may represent relicts of a family more widespread in the past. Little is known about the biology of this family, although they are unusual among ecribellate haplogynes in possessing eight, rather than six eyes. They are nocturnal, hunting spiders, which live in a silken tube that they seldom leave, rather like the closely related Segestriidae (Gertsch 1958). However, males leave their tube upon maturity to go in search of females, at which point they become more susceptible to entrapment in tree resin seeps (Penney 2002). The tibia of leg 1 in males of Plectreurys has a distinctive stout retrolateral process towards the distal end, which bears a strong spine. These coupling spurs, which are absent in Kibramoa and Palaeoplectreurys are presumed to be used for restraining or positioning the female during mating.

scholarly journals A new species of Pheidole (Formicidae, Myrmicinae) from Dominican amber with a review of the fossil records for the genus

ZooKeys ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 866 ◽  
pp. 117-125
Author(s):  
Alexandre Casadei-Ferreira ◽  
Julio C. M. Chaul ◽  
Rodrigo M. Feitosa
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
New World ◽  
Baltic Amber ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
Dominican Amber ◽  
Incertae Sedis ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
Fossil Records ◽  
A New Species ◽  
High Diversity

Pheidole comprises approximately 1,000 extant species distributed worldwide, being particularly diverse in the New World. In addition to its high diversity and ecological prevalence, the genus is also characterized by the predominantly intraspecific dimorphism, with major and minor workers. Currently, five fossil species are known, all of which are represented only by minor workers. A new species, †Pheidoleanticuasp. nov., is described from Dominican amber, based on a major worker. Additionally, the identity of the currently known fossil species in Pheidole is discussed and †P.cordata from Baltic amber is considered as incertae sedis, resulting in no Pheidole species currently recognized for Baltic amber

A new species of Lonchodryinus (Hymenoptera, Dryinidae) from Upper Eocene Baltic amber

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5020 (2) ◽  
pp. 328-336
Author(s):  
MASSIMO OLMI ◽  
DMITRY V. VASILENKO ◽  
LEONARDO CAPRADOSSI ◽  
EVGENY E. PERKOVSKY ◽  
ADALGISA GUGLIELMINO
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Fore Wing ◽  
Baltic Amber ◽  
Upper Eocene ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
A New Species

Lonchodryinus groehni sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Chrysidoidea: Dryinidae) is described from Baltic amber. The new species is close to L. balticus Olmi & Guglielmino, 2012, but it can be distinguished for the different OPL/POL ratio and 2r-rs&Rs vein of the fore wing. A key to the fossil species of Lonchodryinus and a comparison with the extant species L. ruficornis (Dalman, 1818) are presented.  

A new fossil species of Euroleptochromus Jałoszyński (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae) from Eocene Baltic amber

Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4500 (1) ◽  
pp. 146
Author(s):  
ZI-WEI YIN ◽  
CHEN-YANG CAI
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
The Body ◽  
Baltic Amber ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
First Time ◽  
A New Species

A new species of the extinct scydmaenine genus Euroleptochromus Jałoszyński (Mastigitae: Leptochromini), E. tuberculatus Yin & Cai, sp. nov., is described from Eocene Baltic amber. It can be separated from the two previously known congeners by the different proportions of the body parts and spination of the profemur, and more importantly, lack of an elongate postgenal process of the head. Our finding demonstrates for the first time a notable variability of the postgenal structures within Euroleptochromus. 

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. 

A new species of Pristaulacus Kieffer (Hymenoptera: Aulacidae) from Baltic amber

2009 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Krogmann ◽  
John Jennings
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Baltic Amber ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
The Third ◽  
A New Species

AbstractFossil species of Pristaulacus are uncommon, with just two known species, P. mandibularis Brues and P. praevolans Brues from Baltic amber, and three species, P. bradleyi (Brues), P. rohweri Brues and P. secundus (Cockerell), from the Florissant fossil beds, Colorado, USA. Here we provide a detailed description of Pristaulacus velteni sp.n., the third fossil species known from Baltic amber.

First South American record of the rare ichneumonoid subfamily Masoninae van Achterberg (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonoidea: Ichneumonidae) with description of a new species from Brazil

Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4664 (4) ◽  
pp. 587-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
DONALD L.J. QUICKE ◽  
JÚLIO CEZAR MÁRIO CHAUL ◽  
BUNTIKA A. BUTCHER
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
South America ◽  
South American ◽  
Undescribed Species ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
Cosmopolitan Distribution ◽  
Dominican Amber ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
A New Species

Masona popeye Quicke & Chaul sp. n. is described from Brazil, and differentiated from other species of the genus. Described extant species of Masona are known from Australia and south eastern U.S.A. (Georgia and Florida including the Key Islands). Two undescribed species are known from Tanzania and Cambodia. The new species is therefore the first representative of the subfamily Masoninae van Achterberg from South America, demonstrating the completely cosmopolitan distribution of this very poorly known group. The new species most closely resembles a fossil species, M. pyriceps van Achterberg, 2001, from Dominican amber with which it shares the plesiomorphic presence of a scutellum. 

The first fossilized comb-clawed beetle of the genus Asiomira Dubrovina, 1973 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Alleculinae) from Baltic Amber and notes on the distribution of extant species of the genus

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5082 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-184
Author(s):  
MAXIM V. NABOZHENKO ◽  
ANDRIS BUKEJS
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Baltic Amber ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
Similar Shape ◽  
Modern Distribution ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
A New Species ◽  
Coleoptera Tenebrionidae

A new species of comb-clawed beetles of the genus Asiomira Dubrovina, 1973 (A. dubrovinae sp. n.) is described from the Eocene Baltic amber. This newly descovered fossil species displays typical generic characters and is the most similar to the extant Asiomira ophtalmica (Seidlitz, 1896). Both species share a similar shape of the pronotum and the flattened posterior angles of the pronotal disc. Asiomira dubrovinae sp. n. can be distinguished from A. ophtalmica by the smaller body size (4.8 mm in contrast to 6–8.12 mm), more serrate antennomeres, and finer and sparser pronotal punctation. Extant species of the genus are distributed in the arid landscapes of Central Asia with the highest diversity occurring in Tajikistan. Therefore the discovery of a new fossil species from Eocene Baltic amber suggests that Asiomira could have a wider range, and the modern distribution of this group is the result of a later secondary expansion of the ancestral representatives that survived in mid-mountain areas with arboreal and shrub vegetation. Relevant corrections to the distribution of extant species, Asiomira ophtalmica (Seidlitz, 1896) and Asiomira firjusana (Dubrovina, 1973), are given.  

New species of Hambletonia Compere (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) in Dominican amber

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 164-167
Author(s):  
George Poinar
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Morphological Features ◽  
Apical Margin ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
Diagnostic Characters ◽  
Dominican Amber ◽  
A New Species

The present paper describes a new species of encyrtid wasp, Hambletonia dominicana sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) from Dominican amber. Diagnostic characters include long antennae that are almost twice the length of the head, the absence of long, coarse, flattened setae on the dorsal apical margin of the pedicel, and an elliptical club subequal in length to that of the funicle. This first described fossil species of Hambletonia provides views of new and possible unique morphological features of encyrtid wasps that existed in the Neotropics during the mid-Tertiary.

scholarly journals A new stonefly species (Plecoptera: Perlodidae) from Eocene Baltic amber and questions on the wing venation potential for species diagnostic of fossil Plecoptera

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
CORENTIN JOUAULT ◽  
FRÉDÉRIC LEGENDRE ◽  
FABIEN L. CONDAMINE ◽  
ANDRÉ NEL
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Baltic Amber ◽  
Wing Venation ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
Diagnostic Characters ◽  
Good Preservation ◽  
A New Species

Examination of Baltic amber Plecoptera reveals a new species of Isoperla: Isoperla baltica sp. nov. The placement of this new species is supported by an in-depth comparison of apomorphies supporting families, subfamilies, and suborders. Contrary to previous descriptions of many fossil species, we took advantage of the good preservation of the genitalia to describe and compare this new species to its extant congeners. Finally, we discuss the usefulness and limitations of relying on wing venation to identify diagnostic characters in Plecoptera by figuring a specimen of Pteroliriope sinitshenkovae Cui, Béthoux, Kondratieff, Shih & Ren, 2016 with numerous crossveins and an original organization of forewing veins.

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