Conversion of the names Pyxicephaloidea, Pyxicephalidae and Pyxicephalinae (Anura, Ranoidea) into phylogenetic nomenclature

The recent publications of the sixth edition of the PhyloCode and of the monograph Phylonyms now allow the publication of nomenclatural acts that will establish priority under that code. This includes defining existing and newly proposed taxon names in conformity with the PhyloCode. Among amphibian taxa, very few names have been converted so far, and we take the opportunity of our recent phylogenetic analysis of neobatrachians focusing on an extinct genus of Pyxicephalidae, Thaumastosaurus, from the Eocene of Western Europe, to convert the names Pyxicephaloidea, Pyxicephalidae and Pyxicephalinae into phylogenetic nomenclature, following the PhyloCode rules.

A Gondwanan record of the extinct genus Cretobibio (Diptera: Bibionidae)

The Bibionidae or march flies are a dipteran family with a worldwide distribution, presently including over 750 species in the extant faunas (Hesperininae sometimes treated as a separate family) (Pape et al., 2009). Emergence of adults is markedly seasonal, and adults are often observed visiting flowers, apparently feeding on nectar, pollen, and honeydew (Fitzgerald, 2009). Larvae are mainly phyto-saprophagous, found on superficial soil layers, decaying organic matter, leaf litter, dung, and rotten wood (Krivosheina & Mamaev, 1967; Pinto & Amorim, 2000; Fitzgerald, 2009). Larvae of Bibionidae usually occur in dense aggregations in suitable habitats and adults emerge synchronously in huge numbers and often form dense mating aggregations (Skartveit, 2017).

A new genus and species of Pristocerinae (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) from upper Eocene Baltic amber with a review of conspecific association from insect fossils

A new extinct genus and species of Pristocerinae, †Archeonesia eocena Tribull, Pankowski & Colombo, gen. et. sp. nov., are described from upper Eocene Baltic amber from the Yantarny amber mine in the Kaliningrad region, Russia. Descriptions, remarks, illustrations, and comparisons to all extinct and extant Pristocerinae are provided. †Archeonesia is described as a new genus because neither the male nor the female can be placed in any previously described genera, although the female is most similar to Acrenesia and the male is most similar to Cleistepyris. Rare for Bethylidae, and Hymenoptera in general, this fossil contains both a male and female specimen that we are describing as conspecifics. A brief review from the paleoentomological literature is provided to describe how insect fossils containing evidence of reproductive behavior have been used to associate conspecifics in extinct species.

New species of Mesopsyche Tillyard, 1917 (Mecoptera: Mesopsychidae) from the Triassic of northwestern China

Mesopsyche Tillyard, 1917 is an extinct genus of Mecoptera belonging to the long-proboscid-bearing Mesopsychidae, an adaptation probably associated with pollination of Mesozoic gymnosperms. Here, we describe two new species, Mesopsyche jinsuoguanensis sp. nov., from the Middle Triassic Tongchuan Formation in Shaanxi Province, and Mesopsyche liaoi sp. nov., from the Upper Triassic Huangshanjie Formation in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. The new discoveries highlight the diversity of the Mesopsyche in the region during the Mesozoic.

A new species of Crenoptychoptera Kalugina, 1985 (Diptera: Ptychopteridae) from the Middle–Late Jurassic of Jiyuan Basin, China

Ptychopteridae is an ancient and rather diverse nematoceran family with three extant and 12 fossil genera subdivided into 80 extinct species belonging to five subfamilies (Eskov & Lukashevich, 2015; Lukashevich, 2019, 2020; Liu & Huang, 2020). Several undescribed ptychopterid larvae from the Upper Triassic of Germany represent the oldest record of the family (Barth et al., 2011). Crenoptychoptera Kalugina, 1985, an extinct genus belonging to the subfamily Eoptychopterinae Handlirsch, 1906, includes seven described species. All these species were recorded from the Lower Jurassic to the Lower Cretaceous of Eurasia: C. dobbertinensis Ansorge, 1998 from the Lower Jurassic of the Former Clay in Germany (Lukashevich et al., 1998), C. conspecta Lukashevich, 1995 from the Lower Jurassic of Ust-Baley in Russia (Lukashevich, 1995), the type species C. antica Kalugina, 1985 and C. defossa Kalugina, 1985 from the Middle Jurassic of the Kubekovo in Russia (Kalugina & Kovalev, 1985), C. bavarica Krzemiński & Ansorge, 1995 from the Upper Jurassic of Wegscheid in Germany (Krzemiński & Ansorge, 1995), C. liturata Lukashevich, 2011 from Upper Jurassic of Shar Teg in Mongolia, and C. gronskayae Kalugina, 1989 from the Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous of Kempendyay in Russia (Kalugina, 1989; Lukashevich, 2011). Three species discovered from the Daohugou beds of China have been assigned to Crenoptychoptera (Hao et al., 2009), but a following study suggested that they should be placed in Axymyiidae (Zhang, 2010).

Barremian anurans of the Iberian Peninsula: new insights into their taxonomic diversity

The Barremian continental successions of the Iberian Peninsula have yielded numerous remains of anurans. Some of these finds consist of fragmentary bones whereas others furnish more complete evidence on the skeletal morphology and proportions of the represented taxa. Notwithstanding the foregoing, most of these records have been ascribed either to the relatively basal extant costatan clade or to the poorly known extinct genus Eodiscoglossus Villalta, 1954 based on insufficient data. Recent revisions of some of these materials have demonstrated the presence of traits presumably plesiomorphic and unknown in extant costatans, thereby casting doubts on their phylogenetic placements. Herein two specimens from the upper Barremian Las Hoyas Konservat-lagerstätte are thoroughly described and compared, providing evidence of additional anuran taxa in this site. One of these specimens, initially reported as cf. Eodiscoglossus, is referred to Wealdenbatrachus Fey, 1988, a genus already described in the coeval fossil site of Uña. Another specimen consisting of a partial postcranial skeleton is documented by a latex-rubber cast and a photograph; it represents a new taxon whose phylogenetic position remains uncertain due to the incompleteness of the available evidence. Comments on a third specimen that might belong to another taxon are included, although its detailed description awaits its full preparation. The overview of the Barremian taxa currently recognized from Iberia reveals the co-occurrence of taxa of different sizes, body proportions, and lifestyles, suggesting some ecological partitioning in consonance with the heterogeneous habitats represented in the yielding fossil sites.

A new species of extinct genus Electromyiomma Popov & Herczek (Hemiptera: Miridae: Isometopinae) from Eocene Baltic amber, with the key to Electromyiomma species

A new fossil isometopine species, Electromyiomma herczeki sp. nov. is described and illustrated from Eocene Baltic amber. The morphological information of the fossil specimen and the key to the species of the extinct genus Electromyiomma are provided. The restatement of paratype female of E. weitschati is discussed with the support of previous remarks based on antenna structure.

Early flowers of primuloid Ericales from the Late Cretaceous of Portugal and their ecological and phytogeographic implications

A distinctive feature of the major eudicot diversification that occurred through the Late Cretaceous is the unequivocal presence of Cornales and diverse Ericales. Here we describe well-preserved fossil flowers from the Mira locality in western Portugal, of Campanian-Maastrichtian age, that we assign to a new extinct genus of Ericales with two new species; Miranthus elegans gen. et sp. nov. and Miranthus kvacekii sp. nov. The fossil flowers are pedicellate, structurally bisexual, actinomorphic, pentamerous and isomerous, with five narrowly triangular persistent calyx lobes, a five-lobed corolla, five antepetalous stamens, five staminodes alternating with the petals and a semi-inferior, unilocular ovary. The ovary consists of five carpels and has a raised nectariferous ring with stomata-like openings above the insertion of the perianth, and a long five-angled style. A key feature, which confirms a relationship with Primulaceae s. l., is the free, central dome-shaped placenta that bears numerous, densely spaced ovules. The ovary matures into a capsule containing many, minute, reticulate seeds. Flowers of Miranthus are especially similar to those of extant Samolus, a genus of about twelve species that is sister group to other genera of subfamily Theophrastoideae and that has a disjunct distribution mainly in the Southern Hemisphere. Miranthus also appears to have grown in environments influenced by marine conditions, an ecological preference also seen in Samolus. Miranthus expands the diversity of Ericales known from the Late Cretaceous, and together with previously described fossils provides further evidence that the diversification of Ericales was already underway by the Campanian-Maastrichtian stages of the Late Cretaceous.

First discovery of Stegodon (Proboscidea) in Malaysia

A cheek tooth of Stegodon, an extinct genus of Proboscidea, had been discovered in a cave in Gopeng, Perak. The discovery represents the first fossil of Stegodon ever found in Malaysia. Embedded in lithified cave infillings are the associated dental remains from at least three or four other different taxa of fossil mammals commonly found among Southeast Asian Pleistocene-Holocene faunas. The finding provides a unique chance for investigations into the evolution dynamics of Stegodon in this part of Southeast Asia and the species diversity of Proboscidea in prehistoric Peninsular Malaysia. Fossil mammal assemblages from different phases of Pleistocene-Holocene period collected from karstic caves in Peninsular Malaysia, when considered with similar assemblages from other parts of Southeast Asia, have the potential to contribute to our understanding of prehistoric faunal migrations and species compositional changes among the biogeographic (sub)divisions in Southeast Asia. This may ultimately lead to a better knowledge of the possible paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic fluctuations that influenced patterns of migration and adaptive responses of mammalian faunas in Quaternary Southeast Asia.

A new genus-level and two new species-level synonyms in the extinct genus Neolitochropus Lyubarsky & Perkovsky (Coleoptera: Cyclaxyridae)

Gimmel et al. (2019) recently treated the two fossil taxa of the beetle family Cyclaxyridae (Cucujoidea), a family that is today represented only by two species in New Zealand (Gimmel et al. 2009). Gimmel et al. (2019) synonymized two species from European amber described within the family Phalacridae (Cucujoidea), Stilbus bedovoyi Lyubarsky & Perkovsky, 2011 and Neolitochropus hoffeinsorum Lyubarsky & Perkovsky, 2016, with Neolitochropus bedovoyi (Lyubarsky & Perkovsky, 2011) becoming the valid combination. They treated a total of 13 specimens of this species from across Rovno, Bitterfeld, and Baltic amber deposits, implying a widespread and abundant species in Eocene Europe whose life history, like extant forms, was likely tied to sooty molds (Gimmel et al. 2019).