Duraznoscytinum Lara, Cariglino & Zavattieri 2023, gen. nov.

Genus Duraznoscytinum Lara, Cariglino & Zavattieri gen. nov. Type species. Duraznoscytinum aristovi gen. et sp. nov., by present designation. Etymology. Durazno – refers to Quebrada del Durazno locality and scytinum – to the Scytinopteridae, a typical Permo-Triassic hemipteran family. Diagnosis. Only the forewing characters are known. Costal margin convex and thickened basally.Veins usually thick and costal area wide. Stem RA 2 simple. Stem M distally forking into four simple branches. Crossveins rpm joined R to stem M 1 and m-cua connects stem M 3 +M 4 to CuA 1. Claval area with Pcu and two anal veins. Pcu with S-shaped, reaching postclaval margin. A “Y” fork present in the anal area. Vein A 2 very close to postclaval margin.Anal angle about 133°. Slightly distinctly uniform punctate. Color pattern preserved. Remarks. Duraznoscytinum gen. nov. is referred to Scytinopteridae Handlirsch, 1906 based on the following characters: forewing tegminous, costal margin thickened basally and costal area wide, basal cell gradually narrowing, stem of R, M and Cu come off separately from a point close to the base, branches of M and CuA short, and crossveins reduced (Tillyard, 1919). Duraznoscytinum gen. nov. differs from Scytinoptera Handlirsch, 1904 (Middle Permian to Middle–Late Triassic of Russia, Mexico, Kyrgyzstan, South Africa, and China) (Martynov, 1928; Zhang et al., 2021) in: origin and length of R, RA, and RP; M with four branches apically; clavus elongated, anal angle about 133°; Pcu and A 1 with S-shaped; A 1 meeting A 2 forming a “Y” fork; color and ornamentation (granular) pattern preserved. Duraznoscytinum gen. nov. can be distinguished from other known Triassic scytinopterid genera (Table 1) by the following characters: from Mesoscytina Tillyard, 1919, Eurymelidium Tillyard, 1919, Apheloscyta Tillyard, 1922 (Upper Triassic of Australia and Argentina) in forewing size (~ 15 mm vs. 5–11 mm), costal margin convex (in Mesoscytina more convex), stem R short and straight (in Eurymelidium sinuous and in Apheloscyta gently curved basally), origin and length of RA and RP, stem M straight (in Mesoscytina, Eurymelidium, and Apheloscyta curved), number of M branches (in Eurymelidium and Apheloscyta two-branched, in Mesoscytina M threebranched), branches of CuA long, ornamentation and color pattern. Duraznoscytinum gen. nov. differs from Tipuloidea Wieland, 1925, Argentinocicada Martins-Neto & Gallego, 1999, and Cuyanoscytinum Lara, 2020 (Upper Triassic of Argentina) in forewing size (~ 15 mm vs. 18–27 mm), number of M branches (in Argentinocicada five/sixbranched, in Cuyanoscytinum M seven-branched),position of m-cua crossvein (in Tipuloidea and Argentinocicada m-cua connects medial cell to CuA 1, in Cuyanoscytinum stem M to CuA 1), and absence of medial cell (Lara & Bashkuev, 2020). Cacheutacicada Martins-Neto & Gallego, 2008 (Upper Triassic of Argentina) was placed by the authors as uncertain family position within Scytinopteroidea. However, the genus presents typical characters of Scytinopteridae Handlirsch, 1906 such as costal margin thickened basally and costal area wide, Sc reduced or absent, branches of M and CuA short, and crossveins reduced. Therefore, in this paper, we consider Cacheutacicada Martins-Neto & Gallego, 2008 as a scytinopterid, but distinct from Duraznoscytinum gen. nov. in forewing length (~ 15 mm vs. 22 mm) and position of m-cua (in Cacheutacicada m-cua joins stem M to CuA 1) (Table 1). In relation to the genus Potrerillia Martins-Neto & Gallego, 1999 (Upper Triassic of Argentina), we prefer maintaining its taxonomic position as doubtful due to the absence of diagnostic scytinopterid features in the specimen, which in our view presents more similarities with Dysmorphoptilidae (e. g., convex proximally costal margin, apical portion of CP directed to ScP, common stem R +M+CuA, CuA forked before veinlet m-cua) (Szwedo & Huang, 2018; Lara et al., 2021). On the other hand, according to Popov &Shcherbakov (1991), Scytinoptera distorta Riek, 1976 (Upper Triassic Molteno Formation, South Africa) belongs to the Progonocimicidae. However, some morphological characters (e. g., RP simple, M arising distant from base, branching distally, CuA connected to M slightly after its origin from R by a short crossvein m-cu, CuA leaving basal cell as separate stem) observed in this specimen are typical of Scytinopteridae. So, in this paper we include S. distorta Riek, 1976 as a scytinopterid member until new photos or specimens are available for further studies (Table 1).Published as part of LARA, MARÍA B., CARIGLINO, BÁRBARA & ZAVATTIERI, ANA M., 2023, Duraznoscytinum aristovi gen. et sp. nov., a new scytinopterid (Hemiptera: Cicadomorpha) from the Upper Triassic of Argentina, pp. 146-154 in Palaeoentomology 6 (2) on pages 147-149, DOI: 10.11646/palaeoentomology.6.2.6, http://zenodo.org/record/792905

Duraznoscytinum aristovi Lara, Cariglino & Zavattieri 2023, sp. nov.

Duraznoscytinum aristovi Lara, Cariglino & Zavattieri sp. nov. (Fig. 2) Type material. Holotype IANIGLA-PI 1063, a complete compression forewing (tegmen). Etymology. In memory of the late Dr Daniil Aristov for his contributions to the knowledge of Triassic insects from Argentina. Diagnosis. As for genus because of monotypy. Type locality and horizon. Quebrada del Durazno locality, Potrerillos Formation (upper section), lower Upper Triassic (Carnian), southern flank of Cerro Cacheuta, southern end of the Precordillera, Potrerillos-Cacheuta depocenter of the Cuyana Basin, Mendoza Province, Argentina. Description. Sclerotized forewing, rounded apically, with clavus attached, nearly complete. Costal margin convex and thickened basally. Costal area wide. R+M (2.31 mm) arched and forked in R and M. Stem R long (3.22 mm) early branched in RA (4.99 mm preserved, 7.76 mm total estimated) and RP (9.49 mm), before middle length of forewing. Stem RP concave basally, origin at basal 1/3 of wing length, following in parallel to RA, linked with M 1 by straight crossvein r-m (0.79 mm). Stem M long (8.89 mm) and mostly straight, running parallel to CuA and forked in M 1+2 (1.55 mm) and M 3+4 (1.36 mm): M 1 (2.51 mm), M 2 (2 mm), M 3 (2.08 mm) and M 4 (2.04 mm). Stem CuA long (8.42 mm), distally forked in CuA 1 (3 mm, curved, deflecting toward the apical margin), and CuA 2 (2.07 mm, deflecting toward the posterior margin). CuA 1 linked with M by straight and slightly oblique crossvein m-cua (1.02 mm). CuP simple, straight and extended to claval apex. Distance between M fork and m-cua 0.37 mm. Crossvein cua-cup (2.07 mm) visible. Claval area with veins Pcu and A. Pcu (8.22 mm) S-shaped, reaching postclaval margin. Vein A 1 (6.4 mm) connected to A 2 (2.06 mm) forming a “Y” fork. Vein A 2 very close to postclaval margin. Anal angle about 133°. Tegmen with granular ornamentation and dark-brown color pattern, darker in the vein’s courses and some areas (e. g., costal margin, clava). Dimensions (mm). IANIGLA-PI 1063, Holotype: length = 15.81 mm, width (at level CuA origin) = 5.62 mm, length/width ratio 2.81.Published as part of LARA, MARÍA B., CARIGLINO, BÁRBARA & ZAVATTIERI, ANA M., 2023, Duraznoscytinum aristovi gen. et sp. nov., a new scytinopterid (Hemiptera: Cicadomorpha) from the Upper Triassic of Argentina, pp. 146-154 in Palaeoentomology 6 (2) on pages 150-151, DOI: 10.11646/palaeoentomology.6.2.6, http://zenodo.org/record/792905

Fossil leaf economics quantified: calibration, Eocene case study, and implications

Leaf mass per area (MA) is a central ecological trait that is intercorrelated with leaf life span, photosynthetic rate, nutrient concentration, and palatability to herbivores. These coordinated variables form a globally convergent leaf economics spectrum, which represents a general continuum running from rapid resource acquisition to maximized resource retention. Leaf economics are little studied in ancient ecosystems because they cannot be directly measured from leaf fossils. Here we use a large extant data set (65 sites; 667 species-site pairs) to develop a new, easily measured scaling relationship between petiole width and leafmass, normalized for leaf area; this enablesMA estimation for fossil leaves from petiole width and leaf area, two variables that are commonly measurable in leaf compression floras. The calibration data are restricted to woody angiosperms exclusive of monocots, but a preliminary data set (25 species) suggests that broad-leaved gymnosperms exhibit a similar scaling. Application to two well-studied, classic Eocene floras demonstrates thatMA can be quantified in fossil assemblages. First, our results are consistent with predictions from paleobotanical and paleoclimatic studies of these floras. We found exclusively low-MA species from Republic (Washington, U.S.A., 49 Ma), a humid, warm-temperate flora with a strong deciduous component among the angiosperms, and a wide MA range in a seasonally dry, warm-temperate flora from the Green River Formation at Bonanza (Utah, U.S.A, 47 Ma), presumed to comprise a mix of short and long leaf life spans. Second, reconstructed MA in the fossil species is negatively correlated with levels of insect herbivory, whether measured as the proportion of leaves with insect damage, the proportion of leaf area removed by herbivores, or the diversity of insect-damage morphotypes. These correlations are consistent with herbivory observations in extant floras and they reflect fundamental trade-offs in plant-herbivore associations. Our results indicate that several key aspects of plant and plant-animal ecology can now be quantified in the fossil record and demonstrate that herbivory has helped shape the evolution of leaf structure for millions of years

Floral Assemblages and Patterns of Insect Herbivory during the Permian to Triassic of Northeastern Italy

To discern the effect of the end-Permian (P-Tr) ecological crisis on land, interactions between plants and their insect herbivores were examined for four time intervals containing ten major floras from the Dolomites of northeastern Italy during a Permian-Triassic interval. These floras are: (i) the Kungurian Tregiovo Flora;(ii) the Wuchiapingian Bletterbach Flora;(iii) three Anisian floras;and (iv) five Ladinian floras. Derived plant-insect interactional data is based on 4242 plant specimens (1995 Permian, 2247 Triassic) allocated to 86 fossil taxa (32 Permian, 56 Triassic), representing lycophytes, sphenophytes, pteridophytes, pterido-sperms, ginkgophytes, cycadophytes and coniferophytes from 37 million-year interval (23 m. yr. Permian, 14 m. yr. Triassic). Major Kungurian herbivorized plants were unaffiliated taxa and pteridosperms;later during the Wuchiapingian cycadophytes were predominantly consumed. For the Anisian, pteridosperms and cycadophytes were preferentially consumed, and subordinately pteridophytes, lycophytes and conifers. Ladinian herbivores overwhelming targeted pteridosperms and subordinately cycadophytes and conifers. Throughout the interval the percentage of insect-damaged leaves in bulk floras, as a proportion of total leaves examined, varied from 3.6% for the Kungurian (N = 464 leaves), 1.95% for the Wuchiapingian (N = 1531), 11.65% for the pooled Anisian (N = 1324), to 10.72% for the pooled Ladinian (N = 923), documenting an overall herbivory rise. The percentage of generalized consumption, equivalent to external foliage feeding, consistently exceeded the level of specialized consumption from internal feeding. Generalized damage ranged from 73.6% (Kungurian) of all feeding damage, to 79% (Wuchiapingian), 65.5% (pooled Anisian) and 73.2% (pooled Ladinian). Generalized-to-specialized ratios show minimal change through the interval, although herbivore component community structure (herbivore species feeding on a single plant-host species) increasingly was partitioned from Wuchiapingian to Ladinian. The Paleozoic plant with the richest herbivore component community, the coniferophyte Pseudovoltzia liebeana, harbored four damage types (DTs), whereas its Triassic parallel, the pteridosperm Scytophyllum bergeri housed 11 DTs, almost four times that of P. liebeana. Although generalized DTs of P. liebeana were similar to S. bergeri, there was expansion of Triassic specialized feeding types, including leaf mining. Permian-Triassic generalized herbivory remained relatively constant, but specialized herbivores more finely partitioned plant- host tissues via new feeding modes, especially in the Anisian. Insect-damaged leaf percentages for Dolomites Kungurian and Wuchiapingian floras were similar to those of lower Permian, north-central Texas, but only one-third that of southeastern Brazil. Global herbivore patterns for Early Triassic plant-insect interactions remain unknown

Sensitivity of leaf size and shape to climate: global patterns and paleoclimatic applications.

16 páginas, 2 tablas, 5 figuras.Paleobotanists have long used models based on leaf size and shape to reconstruct paleoclimate. However, most models incorporate a single variable or use traits that are not physiologically or functionally linked to climate, limiting their predictive power. Further, they often underestimate paleotemperature relative to other proxies. • Here we quantify leaf–climate correlations from 92 globally distributed, climatically diverse sites, and explore potential confounding factors. Multiple linear regression models for mean annual temperature (MAT) and mean annual precipitation (MAP) are developed and applied to nine well-studied fossil floras. • We find that leaves in cold climates typically have larger, more numerous teeth, and are more highly dissected. Leaf habit (deciduous vs evergreen), local water availability, and phylogenetic history all affect these relationships. Leaves in wet climates are larger and have fewer, smaller teeth. Our multivariate MAT and MAP models offer moderate improvements in precision over univariate approaches (± 4.0 vs 4.8°C for MAT) and strong improvements in accuracy. For example, our provisional MAT estimates for most North American fossil floras are considerably warmer and in better agreement with independent paleoclimate evidence. • Our study demonstrates that the inclusion of additional leaf traits that are functionally linked to climate improves paleoclimate reconstructions. This work also illustrates the need for better understanding of the impact of phylogeny and leaf habit on leaf–climate relationships.Work at Wesleyan was supported primarily by the National Science Foundation (NSF) (grant EAR-0742363 to DLR). Funding for the Patagonia fossil collections (Laguna del Hunco and P. Loros) was supported by NSF and the National Geographic Society (grants DEB-0345750, DEB- 0919071, and NGS 7337-02 to Peter Wilf and others).Peer reviewe