Phylogeny and age of cockroaches: a reanalysis of mitogenomes with selective fossil calibrations

In spite of big data and new techniques, the phylogeny and timing of cockroaches remain in dispute. Apart from sequencing more species, an alternative way to improve the phylogenetic inference and time estimation is to improve the quality of data, calibrations and analytical procedure. This study emphasizes the completeness of data, the reliability of genes (judged via alignment ambiguity and substitution saturation), and the justification for fossil calibrations. Based on published mitochondrial genomes, the Bayesian phylogeny of cockroaches and termites is recovered as: Corydiinae + (((Cryptocercidae + Isoptera) + ((Anaplectidae + Lamproblattidae) + (Tryonicidae + Blattidae))) + (Pseudophyllodromiinae + (Ectobiinae + (Blattellinae + Blaberidae)))). With two fossil calibrations, namely, Valditermes brenanae and Piniblattella yixianensis, this study dates the crown Dictyoptera to early Jurassic, and crown Blattodea to middle Jurassic. Using the ambiguous ‘roachoid’ fossils to calibrate Dictyoptera+sister pushes these times back to Permian and Triassic. This study also shows that appropriate fossil calibrations are rarer than considered in previous studies.

Revision of Indian species of Phanuromyia Dodd, 1914 (Platygastroidea, Scelionidae) with descriptions of new species

The species of the genus Phanuromyia Dodd, 1914, belonging to the subfamily Telenominae are egg parasitoids of planthoppers belonging to the families Issidae, Flatidae, Fulgoridae and Ricaniidae (Hemiptera: Fulguroidea). So far eleven species of Phanuromyia are known from India. Fifteen new species of Phanuromyia Dodd are described here: P. chalukyasp. nov., P. cherasp. nov., P. cholasp. nov., P. gangasp. nov., P. hoysalasp. nov., P. kadambasp. nov., P. kakatiyasp. nov., P. kanvasp. nov., P. nirvighnasp. nov., P. pallavasp. nov., P. pandyasp. nov., P. rashtrakutasp. nov., P. satavahanasp. nov., P. tuluvasp. nov. and P. vakatakasp. nov. A key to females of all the Indian species of Phanuromyia is provided.

New species of Omma Newman from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber (Coleoptera, Archostemata, Ommatidae)

A new fossil species of the extant archostematan genus Omma Newman, O. fortesp. nov., is reported from mid-Cretaceous amber from northern Myanmar. The extinct ommatid genus, Cionocups Kirejtshuk from the same deposit, is considered as a junior synonym of Omma, and C. manukyani is transferred to Omma, as O. manukyanicomb. nov. A key to species of Omma from Burmese amber is also provided.

Limnomma, a new genus of Ommatidae from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou beds (Coleoptera, Archostemata)

The relictual archostematan beetle family Ommatidae attained high diversity during the Mesozoic. Despite their once high taxonomic diversity and morphological disparity, many Mesozoic ommatid taxa remain poorly understood, partly due to limited preservation. Here we report an exceptionally well-preserved fossil, which we describe as a new ommatid genus and species, Limnomma daohugouensegen. et sp. nov., from the mid-Jurassic Daohugou Lagerstätte in Northeast China. The new genus can be most easily distinguished from other ommatids by the presence of a circular non-tuberculate region on ventrite 5. The new taxon is discussed in relation to the classification of the Mesozoic genera Brochocoleus and Burmocoleus.

Revision of the genus Xanthopimpla Saussure, 1892 (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Pimplinae) from Japan

Japanese species of the genus Xanthopimpla Saussure, 1892 are revised. A total of 15 species are recorded from Japan, including three new species, X. nipponensissp. nov. X. sylvicolasp. nov. and X. yoshimuraisp. nov. and three species, X. honorata (Cameron, 1899), X. minuta Cameron, 1905 and X. trias Townes & Chiu, 1970, newly recorded from Japan. Host, habitat, overwintering and distribution patterns of Japanese Xanthopimpla species are discussed.

Revision of Iranian Schoenlandella Cameron, 1905 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Cardiochilinae) with descriptions of two new species from Hormozgan province

The Iranian species of the genus Schoenlandella Cameron, 1905 are revised based on morphological characters. The current work provides a key to species of Iranian Schoenlandella and species descriptions of two new species: S. angustigena Kang sp. nov. and S. latigena Kang sp. nov. This work results in increasing the number of Iranian Schoenlandella species from one to three species.

Where did the Central European populations of Ornatoraphidia flavilabris (Costa) come from? (Neuropterida, Raphidioptera, Raphidiidae)

Ornatoraphidia flavilabris (Costa, 1851) is one of 15 snakefly species occurring in southern parts of Central Europe. It is a polycentric Mediterranean faunal element with refugia in the Apennine Peninsula and the Balkan Peninsula. Two phylogeographic questions are dealt with in this paper: (1) Is it possible to differentiate, morphologically or genetically, the Balkanic populations from the Italian? (2) Did the species reach Central Europe from the Balkan or Apennine Peninsula? These questions were investigated using morphological and molecular biological methods. No morphological characters were uncovered which could serve to differentiate specimens from either distribution center. However, differences were detected in cox1, cox3 and 28S genes which allow for a reliable differentiation. Central European populations were largely identical with populations from Italy, but distinctly different from specimens from Greece. This could lead one to assume that the species migrated from Italy to Central Europe, although colonization from the southeast would appear easier due to more favorable orographic conditions. This discrepancy may be explained by the apparent absence of O. flavilabris from the large central part of the Balkan Peninsula, so that a gap exists between the southern and northern areas inhabited by O. flavilabris. Moreover, the species does not occur in eastern parts of Europe. Thus it would be more probable to assume that the occurrence of the species in the northwest Balkan Peninsula can be traced to migrations from the Apennine Peninsula to areas north and northeast of the Adriatic Sea, where O. flavilabris may have colonized the southeast of Central Europe. A migration of Adriatomediterranean faunal elements from the northwest Balkan Peninsula to Central Europe might be of more significance than previously assumed.

The Pyrenean species of Chelidura (Dermaptera, Forficulidae)

The Pyrenees are inhabited by scattered populations of earwigs of the genus Chelidura Latreille, 1825. There is some controversy about the specific assignment of these populations: while most authors assign them to C. pyrenaica (Gené, 1832), other consider that C. aptera (Mégerlé, 1825) is also present in the Pyrenees. The main objective of this work was to revise the identity and synonyms of Pyrenean Chelidura. Specimens from recent fieldwork and collections (MNCN-CSIC) were used for morphological and molecular studies (cytochrome oxidase 1). All Pyrenean specimens shared similar cox1 sequences, very divergent from those of Alpine C. aptera. As a consequence, the variability observed in male cerci morphology from the Pyrenees, ranging from long and slightly curved to short and very curved, corresponded to C. pyrenaica, and the presence of C. aptera in the Pyrenees can be rejected. As previously suggested by Maccagno (1933) and Fontana et al. (2021), the revision of the synonymic list uncovered the misplacement of the name F. simplex Germar, 1825 under the synonymy of C. aptera, while it rather represents a synonym of C. pyrenaica (syn. nov.). Forficula simplex has nomenclatural priority over C. pyrenaica, however both names meet the requirements of the article 23.9.1 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature to retain the prevailing usage of C. pyrenaica (nomen protectum) over F. simplex (nomen oblitum). Additionally, we discuss the taxonomic status of Chelidura arverna David & Van Herrewege, 1973 stat. nov. from the French Massif Central.

A third species of the rare ant genus Rotastruma (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Cambodia, with illustrated generic diagnoses and key to species

The myrmicine genus Rotastruma is a rarely collected arboreal ant group and only two species, R. recava Bolton and R. stenoceps Bolton, are known from the Oriental Region. A new species, R. epispinasp. nov., is described from Cambodia based on the worker and queen castes. The new species is distinguished from R. recava and R. stenoceps by having the propodeal spine directed upwards and elongated peduncle of the petiole. Herein, we provide an update to the identification key and diagnostic characters for the genus Rotastruma.

Balticeler kerneggeri gen. nov., sp. nov., an enigmatic Baltic amber fossil of the ground beetle subfamily Trechinae (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

Balticeler kerneggerigen. nov., sp. nov., is described based on six fossil specimens preserved in Eocene Baltic amber and imaged using light microscopy and X-ray micro-computed tomography. Based on certain characters observed in the fossil species it is considered a “middle grade” Carabidae, outside of the large family Harpalinae (as it possesses a scrobal seta, the lack of which is a synapomorphy of that subfamily), but possessing four synapomorphies that indicate Balticeler belongs to a large clade of carabids including Harpalinae (anisochaetous Grade B antennal cleaner, conjunct mesocoxae, closed procoxal cavities, and a well-developed external lobe of the metepimeron). This remarkable beetle has several striking features, including lack of externally-visible sexually dimorphic characters, lack of lateral borders on the pronotum, and very long and thin mandibles and maxillae. In combination, these states are unique within Carabidae. We consider the presence of a dorsally completely open aedeagal median lobe as a synapomorphy of the fossil species with the subfamily Trechinae, a pubescent and relatively long second antennomere and a 4+2+2 pattern of umbilicate setae as synapomorphies of the supertribe Trechitae, and a quadrisetose clypeus as a synapomorphy with the Trechitae clade Bembidarenini + Trechini sensu Maddison et al. (2019). As it lacks a synapomorphy of Bembidarenini + Trechini, we propose that it is a member of the stem group of that clade.