Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Stefan Bengtson, Birger Rasmussen, Jian-Wei Zi, Ian R. Fletcher, James G. Gehling, Bruce Runnegar
Summary: Researchers have found that the animal burrows in the Paleoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks of the Mount Barren Group in southwestern Australia may predate the last metamorphic event in the region and were formed during an Eocene transgression. After this event, there was resilicification of the quartzites, filling the pore space with syntaxial quartz cement forming silcretes, making the rocks hard again and impenetrable to animal burrowing.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Gaurav Srivastava, Harshita Bhatia, Poonam Verma, Yogesh Pal Singh, Torsten Utescher, Rakesh C. Mehrotra
Summary: By quantifying terrestrial temperature data using a plant proxy approach, this study reveals that the climate near the palaeo-equator during the early Eocene was warmer than in mid- to high latitudes. The research also suggests that high rainfall levels near the palaeo-equator might have contributed to the resilience of tropical rainforests during the warm greenhouse world of the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sonja Wedmann, Thomas Hoernschemeyer, Michael S. Engel, Reinhard Zetter, Friogeir Grimsson
Summary: Studying the dietary preferences and behavior of fossil insects is important for understanding their ecological relationships with plants, and fossil records provide valuable information about aspects of animal behavior and ecology.
Article
Ecology
Maria G. Moiseeva, Tatiana M. Kodrul, Maria V. Tekleva, Natalia P. Maslova, Xinkai Wu, Jianhua Jin
Summary: The first occurrence of the genus Meliosma in the upper Eocene of South China is reported, documenting one of the oldest reliable fossil records of the genus. A new species, Meliosma eosinica sp. nov., is described based on leaf morphology and epidermal characters. The study also reveals the first SEM observation of pollen grains associated with Meliosma and the presence of mites within the fossil record. Damage types on the fossil leaves, caused by arthropods and probable fungal infection, are analyzed. A review of fossil occurrences of Meliosma provides evidence for its geological and geographical distribution.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
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
Valery m. Loktionov, Arkady s. Lelej, Dmitry V. Vasilenko, Evgeny e. Perkovsky
Summary: This paper describes a new species of extinct spider wasps called Paleogenia waichertae. It is the second record of Pompilidae from Rovno amber, the third known species of the extinct genus Paleogenia Waichert et Pitts, and the 26th known extinct species of spider wasps. The sex of the holotype of the species Paleogenia indomini is clarified to be male, and a key to males of Paleogenia is provided.
Review
Zoology
Igor Shamshev, Evgeny E. Perkovsky
Summary: This article summarizes the latest data on fossil empidoid flies of the Microphorinae subfamily. Fossil specimens from various deposits spanning a wide range of geological time have been identified, with the majority found in Cretaceous deposits. The article also discusses the definition and possible relationships of several genera and species, and provides an identification key for fossil taxa of microphorines.
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
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
V. D. Barreda, L. Palazzesi, R. R. Pujana, C. Panti, M. J. Tapia, D. A. Fernandez, S. Noetinger
Summary: The study found that the flora in Patagonia experienced moderate to severe shifts in the diversity of the Gondwanan component, with the highest estimates in the late Eocene to early Oligocene period (-50%) and the lowest estimates in the late Miocene period (-20%). The most significant changes in the flora include the replacement of tropical Gondwanan taxa by cool-temperate taxa in the Eocene, and the replacement of humid taxa by arid-adapted floras in the Miocene.
JOURNAL OF SOUTH AMERICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michelle R. Stocker, Christopher A. Brochu, E. Christopher Kirk
Summary: Dramatic early Cenozoic climatic shifts led to global faunal reorganization, with various vertebrate groups widespread in the warm, greenhouse conditions of the early Eocene but experiencing a significant drop in diversity near the Eocene-Oligocene boundary. This period also saw the introduction of more dry-tolerant taxa, as well as a loss of diversity in crocodyliforms.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Diana K. Perez-Lara, Emilio Estrada-Ruiz, Carlos Castaneda-Posadas
Summary: This study reports two fossil woods from the early Eocene El Bosque Formation in southern Mexico, which show close resemblance with modern woods of the Kingiodendron and Enterolobium genera. The findings confirm the presence of Fabaceae in Mexican territory since the late Cretaceous and suggest that the family was a significant component of early forests in Mexico. Additionally, this work describes the oldest records of the Kingiodendron and Enterolobium genera worldwide, contributing to the understanding of their paleo-dispersal pathways within the Fabaceae family.
JOURNAL OF SOUTH AMERICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Eduardo Bellosi, Jorge F. Genise, Alejandro Zucol, Mariano Bond, Alejandro Kramarz, M. Victoria Sanchez, J. Marcelo Krause
Summary: The rise and expansion of grasslands in Patagonia, Argentina, occurred in the middle Miocene instead of the early Eocene as previously believed. Multiple lines of evidence including sedimentary facies, paleosols, insect trace fossils and fossil mammals support this updated timeline. The evolution of grasslands in the region was influenced by volcanic ashfalls, herbivory of mammals, and environmental changes during the early Miocene Climate Optimum.
JOURNAL OF SOUTH AMERICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Julian Correa-Narvaez, Sarah E. E. Allen, Indah B. B. Huegele, Steven R. R. Manchester
Summary: By studying the morphology of fruit and leaves of extant Tetramelaceae plants in India, Southeast Asia, and Australia, it was discovered that fossil leaves and infructescences found in Eocene sediments of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming belong to the same family. These findings indicate a wider biogeographic distribution of Tetramelaceae in North America than previously recognized.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PLANT SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ana Andruchow-Colombo, Peter Wilf, Ignacio H. Escapa
Summary: The study discusses the affinities of the Eocene fossil species Huncocladus laubenfelsii from Patagonia, with authors rejecting its classification in the Podocarpaceae family and suggesting a closer relation to cycad genera. However, upon reviewing multiple features, the original classification was maintained.
BOTANICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Ladina Greuter, Maria Licci, Axel Terrier, Raphael Guzman, Jehuda Soleman
Summary: Fatty filum terminale is a form of spinal dysraphism and about one-third of patients experience symptoms. We present a minimally invasive surgical technique for untethering the fatty filum terminale, which has a low complication rate and potentially high benefit.
ACTA NEUROCHIRURGICA
(2022)
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.