Article
Zoology
Raymond J. Gagne, Heron Huerta
Summary: Camillemyia prominens Gagne, gen. n. et sp. n., a gall midge from Mexico, with a long neck and proboscis, is described. The study reviews the basic composition of the proboscis in Cecidomyiidae, using Cecidomyia resinicola Osten Sacken as an example, to understand the structural changes found in Cam. prominens compared to Contarinia prolixa Gagne & Byers, another species with significantly modified mouthparts.
Article
Entomology
Yan-Da Li, Di-Ying Huang, Chen-Yang Cai
Summary: Throscidae is a relatively small lineage in the beetle superfamily Elateroidea, with sparse fossil records in the Mesozoic. Three new species found in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber indicate a high diversity of Throscidae during the Cretaceous period. These new findings greatly extend the Mesozoic diversity of Throscidae and suggest a high degree of morphological disparity for this family in the Cretaceous.
Article
Entomology
Younes Karimpour, Marcela Skuhrava, Hossein Lotfalizadeh, Mehdi Razmi
Summary: This study reports two genera of gall midges and seven species, including one new record, collected from the west Azerbaijan province of Iran. Photos of galls on host plants and distribution data are provided.
JOURNAL OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Anthony J. McMechan, Erin W. Hodgson, Adam J. Varenhorst, Thomas Hunt, Robert Wright, Bruce Potter
Summary: The soybean gall midge, a recently identified species, has been causing significant damage to soybean fields in the Midwestern United States, with yield losses of up to 100% near the field edge. This rapid development of the soybean gall midge as a major pest has created gaps in knowledge essential for developing effective pest management programs.
JOURNAL OF INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Anthony J. McMechan, Erin W. Hodgson, Adam J. Varenhorst, Thomas Hunt, Robert Wright, Bruce Potter
Summary: The soybean gall midge, a recently identified species, has been causing significant damage to soybean crops in the Midwestern United States, leading to potential yield losses of up to 100%. The rapid development of this pest has highlighted the need for a more comprehensive integrated pest management program.
JOURNAL OF INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Netta Dorchin, Einat Shachar, Ariel Leib Leonid Friedman, Omri Bronstein
Summary: This study describes and classifies two genus of gall midge species from Israel based on morphology and molecular data, proposing a redefinition of Halodiplosis and the establishment of Asiodiplosis genus for gall-inducing species. The research highlights the importance of combining morphological, molecular, and life-history data in resolving taxonomic complexities within difficult groups.
Article
Entomology
Andre Nel
Summary: Two new Cecidomyiidae species, Allarete patriciae and Rhipidoxylomyia rasnitsyni, were discovered in the Lowermost Eocene Oise amber fauna. They are widely distributed in different regions, suggesting ancient origins. This discovery is significant for understanding the origin and distribution of Cecidomyiidae insects.
Article
Zoology
Wojciech Gilka, Ralph E. Harbach, Evgeny E. Perkovsky
Summary: A new species of mosquito, Culex ekaterinae sp. nov., is described based on an adult male found in amber from northwestern Ukraine. The new species is compared with a presumed closest relative, Culex erikae, and a redescription of Culiseta gedanica is presented based on a male found in amber. The study also includes a tabulation of fossil Culicidae and their geological ages.
Article
Zoology
Massimo Olmi, Dmitry V. Vasilenko, Leonardo Capradossi, Evgeny E. Perkovsky, Adalgisa Guglielmino
Summary: A new species, Lonchodryinus groehni sp. nov., is described from Baltic amber, closely related to L. balticus but distinguishable by different OPL/POL ratio and 2r-rs&Rs vein of the fore wing. The paper provides a key to fossil species of Lonchodryinus and compares it to the extant species L. ruficornis.
Article
Zoology
Manfred R. Ulitzka
Summary: In this study, 11 new species and four new genera of the Rohrthripidae, a family of fossil thrips, are described from Burmese Cenomanian amber. Additionally, a species from Spanish Cretaceous amber is reinterpreted as male and placed into the Rohrthripidae. The study also provides a tighter definition and more detailed description of important character states for the Rohrthripidae.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Gregory D. Edgecombe, Susan E. Strange, George Popovici, Taylor West, Varpu Vahtera
Summary: This study presents the first fossil occurrence of the Plutoniumidae family, a clade represented by seven extant species, based on four specimens of scolopendromorph centipede from Eocene Baltic amber. The fossil material belongs to the genus Theatops and is distinct from its extant counterparts. The discovery provides evidence for the extent and nature of tropical to warm temperate European forests during the Eocene and supports the hypothesis that the distribution of Plutoniumidae has been pruned by extinction.
JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC PALAEONTOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marina Moser, Roger A. Burks, Jonah M. Ulmer, John M. Heraty, Thomas van de Kamp, Lars Krogmann
Summary: Spalangiopelta is a small genus of chalcid wasps that includes two newly described fossil species from Baltic amber, extending the minimum age of the genus to the Upper Eocene. The fossils were analyzed using 3D models reconstructed from mu CT data and their phylogenetic placement within the genus was determined. Discussions on the phylogenetic and functional relevance of two wing characters were also included in the study.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Wesley D. Colombo, Evgeny E. Perkovsky, Cecilia Waichert, Celso O. Azevedo
Summary: This study revises, diagnoses, and illustrates the commonly found subfamily Epyrinae in the bethylid fossil record, proposing a new genus and describing ten new species. A total of 81 fossil species within Bethylidae are recognized, with a key provided for the classification of fossil epyrines.
JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC PALAEONTOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Georgy Yu. Lyubarsky, Andris Bukejs
Summary: Two new extinct species of the genus Atomaria are described and illustrated in this article, one from Baltic amber and the other from Rovno amber. A key to extinct Eocene species of Atomaria is provided.
Article
Zoology
Pawel Jaloszynski, Evgeny E. Perkovsky
Summary: This study describes a new extinct species of Euconnus, the first unambiguously placed member of the broadly distributed extant subgenus Cladoconnus, based on a unique male specimen found in Ukrainian amber. The male of this new species has antennae that are similar in structure to extant congeners, but the modification of antennomere 8 is so profound and bizarre that it can be used to identify adults of E. nathani.
Article
Biology
Francesco Vitali, Evgeny E. Perkovsky
Summary: The first cerambycid fossil from Eocene Rovno amber, named Poliaenus europaeus n. sp. (Lamiinae, Pogonocherini), is described in this study. This new species represents the first known fossil of Poliaenus Bates, 1880, and the first representative of this genus found in Europe. The study discusses the relationships with extant species and the potential hosts of this fossil, suggesting the presence of Abies in the Eocene of Ukraine.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
A. A. Legalov, D. V. Vasilenko, E. E. Perkovsky
Summary: This article describes two new species of the genus Demimaea from Rovno amber. The differences between these new species and their extant counterparts are highlighted, and assumptions are made about the presence of Ficus genus plants in the Eocene of Northern and Eastern Europe.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Dmitry Telnov, Evgeny E. Perkovsky, Robin Kundrata, Kristaps Kairiss, Dmitry V. Vasilenko, Andris Bukejs
Summary: The beetle family Ptilodactylidae is reported for the first time from Rovno amber in Ukraine, with two new species described and illustrated using X-ray micro-computed tomography. The findings suggest a diverse presence of ptilodactylids in Eocene Europe, as supported by recent discoveries in Baltic amber and Bembridge Marls.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Zoology
M. A. X. I. M. Nabozhenko, Evgeny E. Perkovsky, Vitaliy Yu. Nazarenko
Summary: A new genus and species of fossil darkling beetle, Archaeoluprops groehni gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Eocene Baltic amber. It closely resembles species of the Lupropini and Goniaderini tribes in external morphology but differs in lacking intersegmental membranes between abdominal ventrites 3-5 and defensive glands. Based on its combination of primitive and derived characters and distinctions from other extinct and extant lagriine tribes, a new tribe, Archaeolupropini trib. nov., is established. The absence of Baltic amber lagriine tribes in extant fauna of middle latitudes in Europe is noted.
Article
Zoology
Maxim Nabozhenko, Evgeny E. Perkovsky
Summary: A new species of the Oriental alleculine genus Oracula, named O. campbelli, is described from the Eocene Rovno amber in Ukraine. This is the first record of a representative from the family Tenebrionidae in this fossil deposit. The extant species of Oracula are found in Nepal, southern China (Yunnan), Thailand, Laos, and Indonesia. The newly discovered extinct species is similar to O. amica from Nepal.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Carolin Haug, Viktor A. Baranov, Marie K. Hoernig, Joshua Gauweiler, Jorg U. Hammel, Evgeny E. Perkovsky, Joachim T. Haug
Summary: Eocene amber provides a valuable insight into the past, approximately 35 million years ago. The large amount of resin that turned into amber suggests that the forest of that time was under stress. Recent discoveries of hoverfly larvae in Eocene amber, which are often associated with wood-borer larvae in modern fauna, hint at the possible contribution of wood-borer larvae to this stress. Additional wood-borer larvae have been found in amber, including a giant one in Rovno amber. These findings indicate that wood-borer larvae were common in the Eocene amber forest, supporting the idea of a stressed forest. However, whether the higher abundance of wood-borer larvae was the cause or symptom of the stress remains unclear.
PALAEOBIODIVERSITY AND PALAEOENVIRONMENTS
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Maryna M. Sukhomlyn, Evgeny E. Perkovsky
Summary: This study reports the discovery of mycelium from the Yantardakh Lagerstatte (Santonian of Taimyr). The mycelium shows parallel arrangement, weak branching, and septated hyphae, indicating an affinity to Basidiomycota. Two types of outgrowths, long and common, and short peg-shaped, were observed perpendicular to the parent hyphae. Arthroconidia and spherical structures resembling exudate drops were also observed. The presence of mycelial rings similar to trapping loops suggests that this mycelium belongs to a nematophagous fungus of Agaricomycetes. This finding implies the existence of nematodes in the Taimyr amber forest and represents the first discovery of putatively nematophagous Basidiomycota from the Cretaceous of North Asia.
EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH
(2023)
Article
Biology
Josh Jenkins Shaw, Evgeny Perkovsky, Adam Slipinski, Hermes Escalona, Alexey Solodovnikov
Summary: A new species of narrow-waisted bark beetle, Diagrypnodes villumi sp. nov., is described from Eocene Rovno amber in Ukraine. This fossil challenges the common perception of Diagrypnodes as a Gondwanan lineage with disjunct extant species in Australia, New Caledonia, and New Zealand. The presence of Diagrypnodes and Eopeplus in Eocene Europe indicates a previously different and potentially wider distribution of the subfamily. Additionally, the discovery of the ant Lasius schiefferdeckeri Mayr in the same amber piece highlights the coexistence of temperate and frost intolerant elements in European Eocene amber forests.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Dmitry D. Vorontsov, Vasiliy B. Kolesnikov, Elena E. Voronezhskaya, Evgeny E. Perkovsky, Marielle M. Berto, Joseph Mowery, Ronald Ochoa, Pavel B. Klimov
Summary: We describe a non-destructive method of super resolution confocal microscopy (sCLSM) for studying microfossils preserved in amber. By studying a novel astigmatid mite species (genus Histiogaster, Acaridae) in amber, we demonstrate that the resolution obtained with sCLSM is similar to that of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) commonly used for studying modern mites. We compare sCLSM imaging with other methods used for studying amber inclusions and highlight its advantages in examining unique fossil specimens. Additionally, we find that the deterioration of amber, reflected in its darkening, correlates positively with increased fluorescence. Our results demonstrate the great potential of the sCLSM method for imaging the tiniest organisms preserved in amber.
Article
Biology
Georgy Yu. Lyubarsky, Evgeny E. E. Perkovsky, Dmitry V. V. Vasilenko
Summary: Xenophagus simutniki sp. n. is a new species described from a late Eocene Rovno amber specimen. It is similar to Xenophagus popovi Lyubarsky et Perkovsky, 2017 from Baltic amber, but differs in the medially notched anterior margin of the pronotum. The Rovno xenosceline fauna is the richest known, including extinct and extant genera closely related to Xenoscelis and Zavaljus, respectively. A key to extinct species of Xenoscelinae is provided, and the possible reasons for the abundance of xenoscelines in European amber forests are discussed.
Article
Biology
Ilya S. Turbanov, Vasiliy B. Kolesnikov, Dmitry D. Vorontsov, Dmitry V. Vasilenko, Evgeny E. Perkovsky
Summary: A new species of chthonioid pseudoscorpion, named Chthonius marusiki sp. nov., is described from Eocene Rovno amber (Ukraine). This is the first valid species of the family Chthoniidae found in Rovno amber. Diagnostic, biogeographic, paleohabitat, and ecological features of this new species are presented and compared to related extinct and extant species of this genus.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Leonid N. Anisyutkin, Evgeny E. Perkovsky
Summary: This article describes two fossil cockroaches, belonging to the new extinct genus Palaeosymploce gen. n. and the extant genus Supella Shelford, 1911. They are the first representatives of the Ectobiidae family from the Eocene of Ukraine. The new genus Palaeosymploce gen. n. is similar to the extant genus Symploce Hebard, 1916, but differs in wing structure. The extant genus Supella is mainly distributed in the Afrotropical Region. The article provides a detailed description of the new taxa and suggests brief conclusions about the climate of the Priabonian Rovno amber forest.
Article
Entomology
Zoya A. Fedotova, Evgeny E. Perkovsky, Andrew J. Ross, Qingqing Zhang
Summary: A new species of gall midge, Fushuniola mai Fedotova & Perkovsky, gen. et sp. nov., is described from the lower Eocene Fushun amber in China. Additionally, a diversity of gall midges from lower Eocene amber is presented. The new genus is closely related to the extant genus Rhipidoxylomyia.
Article
Entomology
Bartosz Oglaza, Evgeny E. Perkovsky, Piotr Wegierek
Article
Paleontology
Shuhei Yamamoto, Vitaly Yu Nazarenko, Dmitry V. Vasilenko, Evgeny E. Perkovsky
Summary: A new lymexylid fossil species, Raractocetus sverlilo Nazarenko, Perkovsky & Yamamoto, sp. nov., is described from late Eocene Rovno amber of Ukraine. This is the first member of the family Lymexylidae found in Rovno amber, and it is one of the smallest known atractocerines. The finding sheds light on the paleodiversity and distribution of atractocerine beetles during the Eocene.