Article
Zoology
Viktor B. Golub, Evgeny E. Perkovsky, Dmitry V. Vasilenko
Summary: A new species, Parasinalda sukachevae sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Tingidae: Tinginae: Phatnomini), is described based on a specimen from Eocene amber of the Rovno region in Ukraine. The similarities and differences to closely related species, Parasinalda baltica, P. froeschneri, and P. groehni are discussed, and a key to the four known species of the genus is provided.
Article
Entomology
Serguei A. Simutnik, Evgeny E. Perkovsky, Dmitry V. Vasilenko
Summary: This study describes and illustrates a new species of the smallest fossil Encyrtidae, named Protaphycus shuvalikovi Simutnik gen. et sp. nov., based on a female specimen from the late Eocene Rovno amber. The new taxon differs from most extant encyrtids, but shows similarities to the genus Aphycus Mayr, 1876.
JOURNAL OF HYMENOPTERA RESEARCH
(2022)
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
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
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
Zoology
Vladimir N. Makarkin, Evgeny E. Perkovsky, Leonid N. Anisyutkin, Dmitry A. Dubovikoff
Summary: This article describes two larvae of Raphidioptera found in Sakhalinian and Rovno amber, which are believed to belong to different genera of Raphidiidae. The Sakhalinian larva is the first confirmed representative of Raphidioptera from the Cenozoic of Asia, while the Rovno amber larva is the first European Cenozoic immature raphidiopteran found outside of Russo-Scandia. The article also discusses the terrestrial insect assemblage of the Sakhalinian amber forest, including the presence of snakeflies.
Article
Biology
Marina Kirichenko-Babko, Evgeny E. Perkovsky, Dmitry V. Vasilenko
Summary: The paper describes a new ground beetle, Antephilorhizus pripiatiensis gen. et sp. nov., found in the late Eocene Rovno amber, and provides a comparative analysis of its characteristics and classification position.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Serguei A. Simutnik, Evgeny E. Perkovsky, Dmitry V. Vasilenko
Summary: Electronoyesella antiqua Simutnik, gen. et sp. nov., is described and illustrated based on a female specimen from late Eocene Rovno amber. The new taxon differs from most previously described Eocene Encyrtidae in various features, including the first appearance of sclerotised metasomal structures in fossils.
JOURNAL OF HYMENOPTERA RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Alexander G. Radchenko, Evgeny E. Perkovsky, Dmitry V. Vasilenko
Summary: A new species, Formica ribbeckei, is described based on four workers from late Eocene Rovno amber in Ukraine. This species is most similar to F. flori, but differs mainly in the 5-segmented maxillary palps and shorter first funicular segment.
JOURNAL OF HYMENOPTERA RESEARCH
(2021)
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
Entomology
Serguei A. Simutnik, Evgeny E. Perkovsky, V. Dmitry Vasilenko
Summary: The newly discovered Sakhalinencyrtus leleji Simutnik belongs to an early representative of the family Encyrtidae, and fundamentally differs from encyrtids from late Eocene European ambers as well as modern species in terms of characteristics.
JOURNAL OF HYMENOPTERA RESEARCH
(2021)
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.
Review
Geology
Evgeny E. Perkovsky, Massimo Olmi, Patrick Mueller, Adalgisa Guglielmino, Edmund A. Jarzembowski, Leonardo Capradossi, Alexandr P. Rasnitsyn
Summary: This study reviewed fossil Embolemidae species, described new species and discussed their classification, evolutionary history, and host associations.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2021)
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
Sergey Kazantsev, Ladislav Bocak
Summary: A new genus and species of net-winged beetles are described from late Eocene Rovno amber of Ukraine. The discovery increases the number of amber taxa of Lycidae in the region to six genera and seven species, with the majority belonging to the subfamily Erotinae. This finding provides new insights into the distribution and diversity of net-winged beetles in amber deposits.
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)
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
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
Zoology
Bartosz Oglaza, Evgeny E. Perkovsky, Piotr Wegierek
Summary: This study redescribed a species of aphid, Canadaphis mordvilkoi Kononova, 1976, based on a well-preserved specimen found in the same locality as the holotype. The analysis revealed affinities with other species in the Canadaphididae family. Due to the destruction of the holotype, the specimen was designated as a neotype. Additionally, this study provided the first photos of the type genus of this family.
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
Zoology
Vladimir N. Makarkin, Evgeny E. Perkovsky, Leonid N. Anisyutkin, Dmitry A. Dubovikoff
Summary: This article describes two larvae of Raphidioptera found in Sakhalinian and Rovno amber, which are believed to belong to different genera of Raphidiidae. The Sakhalinian larva is the first confirmed representative of Raphidioptera from the Cenozoic of Asia, while the Rovno amber larva is the first European Cenozoic immature raphidiopteran found outside of Russo-Scandia. The article also discusses the terrestrial insect assemblage of the Sakhalinian amber forest, including the presence of snakeflies.
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.