Discovery of coprolites in an Early Permian fern mesophyll

Plants and arthropods interact with each other and constitute an important part of the modern terrestrial ecosystem (Schoonhoven et al., 2005). Historically, fossil records of plant-arthropod interactions have been well documented in Paleozoic terrestrial ecosystems, which were evidenced by large coprolites containing various plant fragments (e.g., Salter et al., 2012), small larvae and coprolites remained in plant organs (e.g., Feng et al., 2017), and diverse functional feeding groups discovered on plant stems, rachises, roots, leaves and fertile organs (e.g., Liu et al., 2020).

Termite coprolites (Blattodea: Isoptera) from the Early Cretaceous of eastern Inner Mongolia, Northeast China

Well-preserved coprolites (fossil faecal pellets) were found from lignite seams of the Lower Cretaceous Huolinhe Formation at the Huolinhe Basin in eastern Inner Mongolia, Northeast China. These coprolites provide a combination of following features: oval to cylindrical shaped with six longitudinal ridges, hexagonal to elliptical cross-sections, and one blunt end and the other pointed end. According to these distinct features and their size range, the producers of these coprolites are attributed to termites. Termites were estimated to have originated in the earliest Cretaceous with an evolutionary radiation in the Early Cretaceous. The presence of wood debris in the coprolites indicate that the Early Cretaceous termites from the Huolinhe Basin had wood-feeding habits; and anatomical features displaying on the wood debris further suggest their feeding preference was coniferous wood. Besides, the results of a k-means clustering analysis performed for these coprolites indicate that three clusters with different proportion were present, suggesting the division of labor in termites’ sociality existed as early as the Early Cretaceous.

The Darwin wasps (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) of Burmese amber

Three new genera and five new species of Darwin wasps (Ichneumonidae) are described from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese (Kachin) amber: Heteropimpla pulverulenta sp. nov., Rasnichneumon alexandri gen. et sp. nov., R. gracilis sp. nov., Heteroichneumon rasnitsyni gen. et sp. nov., and Rogichneumon braconidicus gen. et sp. nov. The genus Heteropimpla is transferred to Novichneumoninae. The subfamily Novichneumoninae, comprising 6 genera with 8 species, is endemic to Burmese amber, and no other subfamilies of Ichneumonidae are known in the Burmese assemblage. Ichneumonids are extremely rare in Burmese amber, as well as in other Cretaceous amber faunas. However, nine known specimens represent nine different species (one is not formally described due to poor preservation), indicating a serious paleontological record gap for Burmese Darwin wasps.

Jurodidae (Coleoptera: Archostemata) from Transbaikalia: new findings and redescription of type material

Two species of Jurodidae: Jurodes ignoramus and Jurodes minor are redescribed, new characters presented, and characters from original descriptions are phylogenetically reevaluated, justifying a placement of the family within the suborder Archostemata. The new species Jurodes shef sp. nov. from the Lower Cretaceous locality Khasurty (Berriasian-Barremian, Zakamenskiy district, Buryatia Republic, Russia) is described and 2 new specimens of J. ignoramus Ponomarenko, 1985 and 5 additional specimens of J. minor Ponomarenko, 1990 are recorded. Jurodids from Khasurty are morphologically closer to those from Daohugou locality (Middle–Upper Jurassic, Inner Mongolia, China).

Last interglacial environment of the Baikal Region (Southern Siberia, Russia) based on analysis of fossil invertebrates and plants

New data on fossil insects, soil and freshwater invertebrates, plant macrofossils, pollen and spores were obtained from a problematic lower unit of the reference section Bely Yar-II (Tunka Rift, Baikal Region, Russia). The invertebrates show a natural succession from a small lake to a wetland; plant macrofossils confirm the early stages of succession. Pollen and spore data reflect a wide range of environments and vegetation from moderate climate supporting regional forests to relatively cold, dry parkland. New Uranium-Thorium data (99 ± 20 ka and 101 ± 13 ka), along with environmental reconstructions, indicate that the lower unit was probably formed during one of the cold sub-stages towards the end the last inter-glaciation (MIS5).

New species of the fossil ant genus Drymomyrmex (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Formicinae) from the late Eocene Rovno amber (Ukraine)

A new species of the fossil ant genus Drymomyrmex Wheeler, 1915, D. rasnitsyni sp. nov., is described from the late Eocene Rovno amber (Ukraine). This is the first find of a worker of this genus and the first record of Drymomyrmex in the Rovno amber. Based on the analysis of the morphological features of gynes and worker it is proposed to attribute Drymomyrmex to the tribe Plagiolepidini Forel, 1886.

Revision of Epigambriinae Handlirsch, stat. nov., a subfamily of Early Jurassic Ithonidae s.l. (Neuroptera)

We redescribe the holotype of Epigambria longipennis Handlirsch, 1939 from the Early Jurassic of Dobbertin (Germany), the type of the family Epigambriidae Handlirsch, 1939. Two other early Toarcian genera from Germany (Polyosmylus Ansorge, 1996 from Grimmen and Rasnitsyneura gen. nov., the type species R. aequabilis (Bode, 1953), comb. nov. from Schandelach) are assigned to Epigambriidae, which we interpret as Epigambriinae, stat. nov., a subfamily of Ithonidae s.l. The venation of Epigambriinae is most similar to that of the polystoechotid genus-group but may be distinguished from members of this group mainly by (1) a single gradate series between branches of RP in both the fore- and hind wings, and (2) the absence of crossveins between branches of MP and CuA in the forewing.

New Cecidomyiidae from the Lowermost Eocene French amber (Diptera)

Two new Cecidomyiidae are added to the Lowermost Eocene Oise amber fauna: in the Lestremiini, Allarete patriciae sp. nov. and in the Winnertziini, Rhipidoxylomyia rasnitsyni sp. nov. Allarete is widely distributed in the Holarctic, Afrotropical, and Oriental regions, and Rhipidoxylomyia in the Palaearctic and Oriental regions, suggesting ancient origins, which would be confirmed by the present discoveries.

A new insect (probably basal Odonatoptera) from the Pennsylvanian (Late Carboniferous) of the Piesberg Fossil-Lagerstätte, Osnabrück, Germany

The rich Pennsylvanian (Late Carboniferous; Moscovian, Westphalian D/Asturian) insect fauna of the large Piesberg quarry N Osnabrück, Lower Saxony, Germany with hitherto more than 1,300 registered specimens shows a great diversity. It includes palaeopterous (more than 20 specimens of Odonatoptera, and a number of Palaeodictyoptera) as well as neopterous insects (far more than 1,000 specimens). Only a smaller part has already been described, and the research is still continuing.

The Polycytellidae viewed as Gondwanan Glosselytrodea

The material of Glosselytrodea from the Molteno Formation (Triassic, South Africa), consisting of two specimens, is herein studied. A preliminary comparative analysis is conducted based on the new material and new data on Polycytella triassica Tillyard, 1922 (Triassic, Australia), highlighting the relevance of the width of the area anterior to RA (particularly, opposite the end of ScP), an area very broad in Polycytella Tillyard, 1922, Argentinoglosselytrina Martins-Neto and Gallego, 2001 (Triassic, Argentina) and in the new material from the Molteno. An emended diagnosis of the Polycytellidae is elaborated accordingly. The material from the Molteno is assigned to Polycytella rasnitsyni gen. et sp. nov. and Moltenojurina parva gen. et sp. nov., the latter being the smallest Glosselytrodea known to date. As newly delimited, the Polycytellidae are strictly Gondwanan.