Palaeoentomology

Archistrophus filicornis gen. et sp. nov., a new polypore fungus beetle (Coleoptera, Tetratomidae) from the Cretaceous Kachin amber

2025-06-12T14:45:34+12:00

The family Tetratomidae Billberg, 1820 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea), commonly known as polypore fungus beetles, primarily feed on fresh or decaying fruiting bodies of various fungi (Lawrence & Leschen, 2010; Hsiao et al., 2018; Hsiao, 2020). Adults of this family are nocturnal and are typically found in forest habitats, associated with coarse woody debris (Pollock, 2008, 2012; Hsiao et al., 2018).

Marine ostracods found in lacustrine deposits of the Qaidam Basin suggest long-distance dispersal during the Pleistocene

2025-09-17T17:46:28+12:00

The marine ostracod species Bicornucythere bisanensis s.l. (Okubo, 1975) and Pistocythereis bradyformis (Ishizaki, 1968) have been identified in Pleistocene lacustrine deposits within the Qaidam Basin. These were previously misclassified as the freshwater species Cytherissa qaidamensis Yang & Lu (in Yang et al., 2020). Typically, both fossil and modern occurrences of these marine ostracod species are limited to coastal regions of the West Pacific Ocean, spanning roughly from 20°N to 43°N. The presence of B. bisanensis s.l. and P. bradyformis fossils in the Qaidam Basin suggests the possibility of long-distance dispersal of these marine ostracods by migrating water birds from the West Pacific coastal areas to the Qaidam palaeo-lake during the Pleistocene, a distance of over 2,000 kilometers and crossing a vast continental stretch. Furthermore, this discovery may also suggest that the East Asian Flyway or East Asia/Australasia Flyway was already in existence by the Pleistocene.

**A new species of the Recent genus Amblyomma (Parasitiformes: Ixodidae) discovered in Dominican amber**

2025-10-07T00:55:36+13:00

Two new fossil hard ticks (Arachnida: Ixodida: Ixodidae) from Dominican amber (Miocene, probably Burdigalian, ca. 16 Ma) are described. An almost fully engorged female and a partly engorged larva were documented by combining light microscopy with high-resolution µCT-scans at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) and 3D modelling of the data. Images of the fossils created from these 3D models facilitated comparisons with living ticks and the new material can be assigned to the Recent genus Amblyomma C.L. Koch, 1844 as Amblyomma arawakan Chitimia-Dobler & Martins sp. nov. The new amber species appears to be most closely related to the extant New World tick Amblyomma auricularium Conil, 1878. Possible hosts for the fossils are discussed within the wider context of their historical biogeography.

A short review of fossil insects preserved in sedimentary rocks in Poland

2025-10-25T00:12:02+13:00

The wide range of fossil insect sites in Poland is of significant importance in understanding the evolution of the inland European faunas. Poland has been the site of many such discoveries, including the Early Jurassic Odrowąż, where specimens have been found with complete bodies and wings, the Late Jurassic Owadów-Brzezinki, and the Triassic Pałęgi clay-pit, which contains fossilised insects. This paper presents a short review of insect fossil sites in Polish sediments, with location maps. The table provides detailed information about these sites, taking into account the taxonomic affiliation of the specimens and their age.

Eocene amber from the Huangxian Basin of Longkou, eastern China

2025-12-10T10:54:51+13:00

The Eocene represents a critical period for amber formation, yet relatively few Eocene amber deposits have been documented in China. To date, only the fossiliferous Fushun amber (Liaoning Province) and the relatively less explored Maoming amber (Guangdong Province) have been described. In this study, we report Eocene amber from Longkou, Shandong Province, eastern China, and provide mineralogical Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic characterization. This represents the first record of amber from Shandong Province. Longkou amber occurs abundantly within Eocene coal seams, offering considerable potential for future discoveries of biological inclusions.

A new Triassic insect assemblage from the southern Ordos Basin, Shaanxi, North China

2025-09-12T12:46:17+12:00

Insects are among the most diverse and ecologically significant groups in the fossil record, providing key insights into palaeoecology and diversity evolution of terrestrial ecosystems. This study reports a new insect fossil assemblage from the Chang 6 Member of the Yanchang Formation in the Ordos Basin, Huanglong, Shaanxi Province of China. The assemblage is dominated by Hemiptera and Coleoptera, with additional taxa belonging to Blattodea, and Plecoptera. Comparative analyses of entomofaunal composition show that Mesoblattinidae and Cupedidae co-occurred in both the Huanglong and Madygen entomofaunas, whereas Zygophlebiidae and Thaumatomeropidae, characteristic taxa of Madygen, are also documented in the Tongchuan entomofauna, highlighting ecological connectivity among these insect assemblages. The occurrence of Plecoptera (stoneflies), together with lithological evidence, could have indicated stronger hydrodynamic conditions than those of the Tongchuan fauna, consistent with a palaeogeographic scenario of enhanced water mobility during the contraction phase of the Chang 6 Member lacustrine basin. Furthermore, the warm, humid climate and extensive swamp forests of the Middle–Late Triassic likely promoted cross-regional insect dispersal and radiation.