Mesozoic

The sixth representative of the endemic Cretaceous Burmese amber family Burmaeshnidae (Odonata: Aeshnoptera)

2025-08-06T00:33:59+12:00

A new species of the aeshnopteran family Burmaeshnidae is described and illustrated based on a pair of well-preserved fore- and hind wings in mid-Cretaceous amber from Kachin, northern Myanmar. Burmaeshna bechlyi sp. nov. displays all the diagnostic characters of the family and differs from the type species Burmaeshna azari Huang, Cai, Nel & Bechly, 2017 in several key features. These include a hind wing with a discoidal triangle crossed by a single vein (vs. two in B. azari), an anal loop with four cells (vs. five), and the base of the Mspl is located three cells distal to the discoidal triangle (vs. two). The discovery of Burmaeshna bechlyi sp. nov., alongside the recent descriptions of other odonatan species from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber, highlights the remarkable diversity of true dragonflies in the Burmese amber biota.

A second genus of Progonocimicidae (Hemiptera: Coleorrhyncha) from the Early Toarcian of Luxembourg

2025-08-29T17:13:54+12:00

Liassoprogonocimex bascharagensis gen. et sp. nov. of Progonocimicidae (Coleorrhyncha: Progonocimicomorpha) are described. It is one of two genera from the Early Jurassic of Luxembourg, the other being Indutionomarus Szwedo, 2011. This new occurrence increases the morphological diversity of Coleorrhyncha during the Mesozoic and helps us to discuss the systematics of extinct Coleorrhyncha as well as their evolutionary history.

**Reassessment of Iguanodon galvensis classification**

2025-08-11T17:29:15+12:00

In this study, we revise the taxonomic status of the styracosternan dinosaur Iguanodon galvensis. Initially assigned to the genus Iguanodon, subsequent analyses questioned this classification due to key morphological differences. In this study, we reassess the fossil material assigned to I. galvensis through detailed comparative analysis with a broader sample of iguanodontid taxa. Particular focus is given to the postcranial skeleton, as well as the dentary and skull. Our findings reveal several autapomorphic features, including fully separated manual digits, a hook-like pollex, a rugose lateral femoral ridge, and a proportionally large distal ischial expansion, none of which are consistent with the diagnostic traits of Iguanodon bernissartensis or related genera. These anatomical distinctions support the removal of early Barremian galvensis from late Barremian or early Aptian Iguanodon, and the erection of a new genus, Paulodon gen. nov., with Paulodon galvensis as the type species. This reclassification contributes to a more refined understanding of European iguanodontid diversity during the Early Cretaceous.