Lepidoptera recorded on snow in Central Poland

Sixteen species of Lepidoptera, belonging to 10 families, were recorded on snow in Central Poland. Two episodes of mass occurrence on snow were observed: adults of Operophtera brumata and larvae of Euthrix potatoria. Twelve species were recorded from snow for the first time in general. Three ecological groups of snow active Lepidoptera were distinguished: 1) autumn and winter active moths, 2) overwintering species which could be periodically activated from diapause, and 3) early spring active species. The ecology of winter active Lepidoptera is discussed. All were classified as chionoxenes, while O. brumata was considered as the moth most regularly recorded on snow andmost likely to be met in winter

Wiesław Krzemiński—a man of a great passion for fossil flies

Includes: Appendix. Publications of Wiesław Krzemiński (1978–2019)Wiesław Krzemiński was born on 26 October 1948, in Oświęcim, south of Poland. In his youth he was an addicted book reader and developed his love for nature. After few years of playing in a big beat band he eventually focused on biology. Currently, he is a full time Professor and works in the Institute of Systematics and Evolution Polish Academy of Sciences in Kraków (ISEA PAS) and the Pedagogical University in Kraków

Family Panorpodidae (Insecta, Mecoptera) from Baltic amber (upper Eocene): new species, redescription and palaeogeographic remarks of relict scorpionflies

Soszyńska-Maj, Agnieszka, Krzemiński, Wiesław (2013): Family Panorpodidae (Insecta, Mecoptera) from Baltic amber (upper Eocene): new species, redescription and palaeogeographic remarks of relict scorpionflies. Zootaxa 3636 (3): 489-499, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3636.3.

What do we know about winter active ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in Central and Northern Europe?

This paper summarizes the current knowledge on winter active Carabidae in Central and Northern Europe. In total 73 winter active species are listed, based on literature and own observations. Ground beetles are among the three most numerous Coleoptera families active during the autumn to spring period. The winter community of Carabidae is composed both of larvae (mainly autumn breeding species) and adults, as well as of epigeic species and those inhabiting tree trunks. Supranivean fauna is characterized by lower species diversity than the subnivean fauna. The activity of ground beetles decreases in late autumn, is lowest during mid-winter and increases in early spring. Carabidae are noted as an important food source in the diet of insectivorous mammals. They are also predators, hunting small winter active invertebrates

Comments on the biology, systematics and distribution of Scoliocentra (Leriola) nigrinervis (WAHLGREN, 1918) in Poland and Europe (Diptera: Heleomyzidae)

<p>New records of Scoliocentra (Leriola) nigrinervis (Wahlgren, 1918) from the snow in Poland and Romania are given; geographical distribution and biology of the species are annotated. Based on the material examined, the species is compared with other European Scoliocentra of the nigrinervis species group, and the systematic position and diagnostic characters of adults are illustrated and discussed. A key to European species of the subgenus Leriola is also given.</p

International Palaeoentomological Society statement

Following a mailbox of comments concerning a letter sent by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology to journal editors on “Fossils from conflict zones...” dated 21 April 2020 calling for a ban on publications on Burmese amber, it was felt necessary to air some concerns raised for further discussion

Phylogenetic relationships within the relict family Eomeropidae (Insecta, Mecoptera) based on the oldest fossil from the Early Jurassic (Sinemurian) of Dorset, southern England

<p>The family Eomeropidae is a peculiar relict family of Mecoptera with a single extant species and, until now, eight known fossil species ranging in age from Middle Jurassic to Palaeogene. The oldest representative of the family, <i>Jurachorista bashkuevi</i> gen. et sp. nov., was collected from a coastal outcrop in Dorset, southern England, and is described herein. It extends the fossil record of Eomeropidae back to the Sinemurian (Early Jurassic; <i>c</i>. 196 Ma) and sheds new light on the phylogenetic relationships and past distribution of the family. Analysis of the wing venation of all known Eomeropidae indicates that <i>Notiothauma reedi</i>, the only living representative, is characterized by the most polymerized wings, while the oldest species, the newly described <i>Jurachorista bashkuevi</i>, has the most reduced venation within the family. Phylogenetic analysis based on wing venation produces a tree with two clades, illustrating the different taxonomic lines within the family.</p> <p><a href="http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9CFA9133-6B64-4BF1-954C-C6A52D17F125" target="_blank">http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9CFA9133-6B64-4BF1-954C-C6A52D17F125</a></p

Evolution of sexual conflict in scorpionflies

Sexual conflict – opposite reproductive/genetic interests between sexes – can be a significant driver of insect evolution. Scorpionflies (Insecta: Mecoptera) are models in sexual conflict research due to their large variety of mating practices, including coercive behaviour and nuptial gift provisioning. However, the role of palaeontology in sexual conflict studies remains negligible, namely due to the paucity of well-preserved fossils. Here, we describe three male scorpionflies from Cretaceous and Eocene ambers. The structure of notal and postnotal organs is analysed in extant and extinct forms; a depression below the base of the notal organ in different panorpid species spatially matches the anterior fold of the female’s wing. Based on disparate abdominal configurations and correlations in extant relatives, we posit that each new fossil taxon had a different mating approach along a nuptial gifting-coercive spectrum. The Eocene specimen possesses extreme female clamping abdominal armature, suggesting a degree of sexual coercion greater than in any other known scorpionfly, extinct or extant. The fossil record of abdominal modifications in male scorpionflies documents a relatively late evolution (Eocene) of long notal organs indicating oppressive behaviour toward a female during mating. Our findings reveal a wider array of mating-related morphological specialisations among extinct Panorpoidea, likely reflecting more diversified past mating strategies and behaviours in this group, and represent first steps towards gaining a deep-time perspective on the evolution of sexual conflict over mating among insects