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.

**A revision of the Cretaceous antlion subfamily Pseudonymphinae (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae) highlights the complicated taxonomy of Blittersdorffia Martins-Neto & Vulcano**

2025-11-16T00:31:26+13:00

The Crato Formation (Lower Cretaceous, Brazil) represents one of the most significant fossil deposits for unravelling the early evolutionary history of Myrmeleontoidea (Neuroptera). This study provides a comprehensive taxonomic revision of the problematic subfamily “Pseudonymphinae”, which includes the genera Pseudonymphes Martins-Neto & Vulcano, Bleyeria Martins-Neto, and Blittersdorffia Martins-Neto & Vulcano. With access to previously unavailable holotypes and new material, we reassess these genera, refine their diagnoses, and resolve long-standing ambiguities. We propose Pseudonymphes araripensis Martins-Neto & Vulcano as the valid name, designating P. ponomarenkoi Martins-Neto and P. brunherottae Martins-Neto as junior synonyms, thereby reducing species overestimation in Pseudonymphes. We reinterpret the wing venation of Bleyeria nordestina Martins-Neto and describe Blittersdorffia vulcanoae sp. nov., highlighting the generic polyphyletic character and its taxonomic challenges. Our findings confirm that Pseudonymphinae, as traditionally defined, is not monophyletic and highlight the need for a simpler, more stable taxonomic framework for Crato Formation fossil Myrmeleontidae. This revision establishes a foundation for future phylogenetic analyses and advances our understanding of the diversity and evolutionary relationships of early antlion lineages.

New Parachoristidae and “Orthophlebiidae” from the Tongchuan entomofauna and their implications on the early evolution of Panorpoidea

2025-11-28T02:23:19+13:00

The Panorpoidea are among the most diverse groups of Mecoptera throughout geological time and the present day, commonly known as scorpionflies for their bulbous and upturned male genitalia resembling scorpion tails. The Mesozoic “Orthophlebiidae” and the Permian–Triassic Parachoristidae, representing basal lineages of Panorpoidea, are closely related and share several similar wing characters, thus hindering our understanding of their evolutionary history. Although the “Orthophlebiidae” were highly diverse during the Jurassic, their Triassic record remains limited. Herein, eight new species belonging to two genera of Parachoristidae and two new species belonging to two genera of “Orthophlebiidae” are described and illustrated from the Middle Triassic Tongchuan entomofauna, greatly expanding the known palaeodiversity of these families during the Triassic. The newly described species renders the Tongchuan entomofauna the most diverse entomofauna of Parachoristidae known worldwide. Protorthophlebia prajna sp. nov. and Orthophlebia xiangyu sp. nov. represent the earliest unambiguous “Orthophlebiidae” erected based on forewings, prompting a thorough revision of Triassic “Orthophlebiidae” and some coeval parachoristids exhibiting overlapping characters. Two previously established species of “Orthophlebiidae” from the Tongchuan entomofauna are redescribed based on new material.

New genera and species of the lacewing family Babinskaiidae (Insecta: Neuroptera) from the mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber

2025-12-23T11:46:13+13:00

The family Babinskaiidae is one of the major lineages of the superfamily Myrmeleontoidea from the Cretaceous. It is exceptionally diverse in species and morphology from the mid-Cretaceous of northern Myanmar. Here, we describe three new species belonging to two new genera of Babinskaiidae, namely Pseudelectrobabinskaia suae gen. et sp. nov., Pseudelectrobabinskaia confusa gen. et sp. nov., and Microbabinskaia delicatula gen. et sp. nov. Pseudelectrobabinskaia gen. nov. appears to be similar to Electrobabinskaia Lu, Zhang & Liu, 2017, and Parababinskaia Makarkin, Heads & Wedmann, 2017, in the number of presectoral crossveins and the origin of RP+MA. Microbabinskaia gen. nov. resembles Pseudobabinskaia Makarkin, Heads & Wedmann, 2017, in its simplified wing venation. Electrobabinskaia neli Jouault, 2022, is transferred to Pseudelectrobabinskaia gen. nov.

New fossil material of clam shrimps and insects from the Lower Cretaceous Duoni Formation of eastern Tibet

2025-12-29T08:27:43+13:00

The Duoni Formation represents a key Early Cretaceous shallow marine to coastal deposit along the Bangong-Nujiang suture zone of the Tibetan Plateau. Previous studies have primarily focused on its marine fauna, whereas research on terrestrial fossils has been largely limited to plants in eastern Tibet. In recent fieldwork near Lingka Village in Baxoi County, eastern Tibet, we collected abundant fossil material from the middle part of the Duoni Formation, including terrestrial organisms such as insects, ostracods, non-marine bivalves, and clam shrimps. This paper presents the first description of insect and clam shrimp fossils from the Duoni Formation, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of Early Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystems in eastern Tibet. While the uppermost Duoni Formation has been dated to around the Aptian–Albian boundary, the fossil evidence suggests that the base of the formation may extend to the Barremian or earlier.