Insectos del Mioceno inferior de Ribesalbes (Castellón, España). Interacciones planta-insecto

This paper carries out the study of ichnofossils originated by insects found in the Lower Miocene locality of 'La Rinconada', near Ribesalbes (Province of Castellón, Spain). The main fossil record is integrated by plant-insect interactions that are observed in leaves and leaflets: ovipositions, mines and a chew mark. The insect ovipositions, on leaves of Laurophyllum, Caesalpiniaceae and Populus, show ovate to oblong eggs with 0.9-1.1 mm length and 0.2-0.3 mm width. They occur in eccentric arcs, sometimes with a zigzagged pattern. These ovipositions were produced by damselflies of the family Coenagrionidae. Insect mines are reported in leaves of Laurophyllum and Celtis?, and show a blotch shape in Laurophyllum sp., with a channel-structure, and a linear shape in Celtis sp.? Insect larvae, which were endophytophagous, i.e. internal plant parasites, produced these channel marks of leaf-mines. The mine patterns observed in Laurophyllum leaf are similar to those produced by the recent larvae of the Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera). Such a diverse set of plant-insect interactions are uncommon in the fossil record. In addition, one level with bioturbation, possibly produced by aquatic larval chironomids, is also described here. Key words: Insecta, Odonata, Coenagrionidae, ovipositions, Lepidoptera, Nepticulidae, leaf-mines, leaf chew marks, Miocene, Spain.En el presente trabajo se realiza el estudio de icnofósiles originados por insectos que se han encontrado en el yacimiento de 'La Rinconada', del Mioceno Inferior, en Ribesalbes (Castellón). El registro fósil más importante está constituido por interacciones planta-insecto observadas en hojas y folíolos: puestas, minas y una marca de mordedura en el margen foliar. Las puestas, en hojas de Laurophyllum, Caesalpiniaceae y Populus, muestran huevos con una forma aovada-oblonga con una longitud de 0,9-1,1 mm y una anchura de 0,2-0,3 mm. Su disposición muestra un patrón linear y curvo, ocasionalmente las líneas se disponen en zigzag. Estas ovoposiciones fueron producidas por odonatos de la familia Coenagrionidae. Las minas han sido observadas en hojas de Laurophyllum y Celtis?, y tienen forma de mancha en Laurophyllum sp., con estructura de galería, y una forma linear en Celtis sp.? Estas marcas de minas en las hojas fueron producidas por larvas endofitófagas que por ello eran también parásitos internos de las plantas. Los patrones de las minas en la hoja de Laurophyllum son similares a los producidos actualmente por larvas de la familia Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera). Las diferentes interacciones entre plantas e insectos aquí descritas son poco comunes en el registro fósil. Asimismo, se describe un nivel con bioturbación debida a larvas acuáticas de insectos, posiblemente quironómidos. Palabras clave: Insecta, Odonata, Coenagrionidae, puestas, Lepidoptera, Nepticulidae, hojas minadas, marcas de mordedura, Mioceno, España

Wasps (Insecta: Vespida = Hymenoptera) from the Early Cretaceous of Spain

Wasps and their relatives from the Lower Cretaceous lithographic limestones of Spain have been studied. Thirty specimens representing 30 species (4 of them with undetermined placement), at least 21 genera and 11 families are recorded. We erect 1 new family - Andrenelidae-, 6 new genera and 11 new species: Meiaghilarella cretacica n.gen., n.sp. (Sepulcidae Ghilarellinae), Eosyntexis catalonicus n.sp., Cretosyntexis montsecensis n.gen., n.sp. (Anaxyelidae Syntexinae), Montsecephialtites zherikhini n.gen., n.sp. (Ephialtitidae Ephialtitinae), Karataus hispanicus n.sp. (Ephialtitidae Symphytopterinae), Manlaya ansorge i n.sp. (Gasteruptiidae Baissinae), Andrenelia pennata n.gen., n.sp. (Andrenelidae n. fam.), Cretoserphus gomezi n.gen., n.sp. (Mesoserphidae), Montsecosphex jarzembow skii n.gen., n.sp., Angarosphex penyalveri n.sp., Pompilopterus (?) noguerensis n.sp. (Sphecidae Angarosphecinae), Cretoscolia conquensis n.sp. (Scoliidae Archaeoscoliinae). The Mesozoic family Ephialtitidae is revisited based on the restudy of the type-species. We compare these Spanish Cretaceous assemblages with other ones from various parts of the world: Central and Eastern Asia, England, Australia, and Brazil. The number of genera and families identified in the Spanish fossil-sites is almost the same as in the English Purbeck and Wealden. The absence of some hymenopteran groups as Xyelidae, is consistent with the warm climate know to exist in Spain during the Early Cretaceous. We conclude that both La Cabrúa and La Pedrera assemblages - the two sites that have yielded the greatest number of species- correspond to the Lower Cretaceous “Baissin type” (sensu Rasnitsyn et al., 1998), but including some Jurassic “survivors”. La Pedrera assemblage fits equally well in the “angarosphecine subtype”, while La Cabrúa roughly corresponds to the “proctotrupid” one, although shows a comparative ly high proportion of angarosphecins. This fact may suggest: a) possibly asynchrony between these two fossilsites, b) environmental differences not reflected in the lithological record, c) different taphonomic processes and/or, d) insufficient sample size - to reflect the reality of the source populations-. La Pedrera assemblage is very similar to those from Weald Clay (England), Bon Tsagan (Mongolia) and Santana (Brazil). La Cabrúa approaches to a some extent, though not quite agrees with the Purbeck (UK), Koonwarra (Australia), and most Lower Cretaceous Asian assemblages

New beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera) from the Lower Cretaceous of Spain

Three beetles remains from the Lower Cretaceous lithographic limestones of Spain are described. We classified them into two new genus and three new species. One specimen named Tetraphalerus brevicapitis n.sp. was placed in the Cupedidae, and both Megacoptoclava longiurogomphia n.gen., n.sp. and Bolbonectus lithographicus n.gen., n.sp. in Coptoclavidae

Insectos del Mioceno Inferior de Ribesalbes (Castellón, España). Hymenoptera

This paper studies a significant part of the fossil hymenopterous of the Lower Miocene locality of 'La Rinconada', near Ribesalbes (Province of Castellón, Spain), housed in several collections. Formicidae studied by other authors in the early eighties are reviewed. New additions to the study of hymenopterans are new specimens assigned to the following taxa: Tiphiidae indet., Ammophila aff. sabulosa (Sphecidae), Bombus sp. (Apidae), Helconinae (Braconidae), cf. Eucerotinae (Ichneumonidae) and Pteromalidae indet., together with several undetermined forms of Braconidae and Ichneumonidae. Except for Formicidae, all these taxa are uncommon in the fossil record. At Ribesalbes, they are represented by single specimens, except for the two specimens of the genus Bombus. Taphonomic observations are included and two useful methods for the study of compressed fossil insects affected by tectonic deformation are proposed. Key words: Insecta, Hymenoptera, Lacustrine environment, Lower Miocene, Spain.En el presente trabajo se realiza el estudio de una parte importante de los himenópteros fósiles del yacimiento del Mioceno Inferior de 'La Rinconada', en Ribesalbes (Castellón), presentes en varias colecciones. Se realiza una revisión de los Formicidae estudiados por otros autores a principios de los 80. Se añaden al estudio de los himenópteros nuevos ejemplares que han sido incluidos en los siguientes taxones: Tiphiidae indet., Ammophila aff. sabulosa (Sphecidae), Bombus sp. (Apidae), Helconinae (Braconidae), cf. Eucerotinae (Ichneumonidae) y Pteromalidae indet., así como varias formas indeterminadas de las familias Braconidae e Ichneumonidae. Todos estos taxa, a excepción de los Formicidae, son poco comunes en el registro fósil. En Ribesalbes estos taxa están representados por un único ejemplar, a excepción de los dos especímenes del género Bombus. Se incluyen observaciones de tipo tafonómico y se proponen dos métodos útiles para el estudio de insectos fósiles en compresión que han experimentado deformaciones tectónicas, como es el caso de los insectos de Ribesalbes. Palabras clave: Insecta, Hymenoptera, Medio lacustre, Mioceno Inferior, España

Physico-chemical analysis of Albian (Lower Cretaceous) amber from San Just (Spain) : implications for palaeoenvironmental and palaeoecological studies

Amber from a Lower Cretaceous outcrop at San Just, located in the Eastern Iberian Peninsula (Escucha Formation, Maestrat Basin), was investigated to evaluate its physico-chemical properties. Thermogravimetric (TG) and Differential Thermogravimetric (DTG) analyses, infra-red spectroscopy, elemental and C-isotope analyses were performed. Physico-chemical differences between the internal light nuclei and the peripheral darker portions of San Just amber can be attributed to processes of diagenetic alteration that preferentially took place in the external amber border colonized by microorganisms (fungi or bacteria) when the resin was still liquid or slightly polymerized. δ13Camber values of different pieces of the same sample, from the nucleus to the external part, are remarkably homogeneous, as are δ13Camber values of the darker peripheral portions and lighter inner parts of the same samples. Hence, neither invasive microorganisms, nor diagenetic alteration changed the bulk isotopic composition of the amber. δ13C values of different amber samples range from -21.1‰ to -24‰, as expected for C3 plant-derived material. C-isotope analysis, coupled to palaeobotanical, TG and DTG data and infra-red spectra, suggests that San Just amber was exuded by only one conifer species, belonging to either the Cheirolepidiaceae or Aracauriaceae, coniferous families probably living under stable palaeoenvironmental and palaeoecological conditions

Unusual concentration of Early Albian arthropod-bearing amber in the Basque-Cantabrian Basin (El Soplao, Cantabria, Northern Spain) : palaeoenvironmental and palaeobiological implications

The El Soplao site is a recently-discovered Early Albian locality of the Basque-Cantabrian Basin (northern Spain) that has yielded a number of amber pieces with abundant bioinclusions. The amber-bearing deposit occurs in a non-marine to transitional marine siliciclastic unit (Las Peñosas Formation) that is interleaved within a regressive-transgressive, carbonate-dominated Lower Aptian-Upper Albian marine sequence. The Las Peñosas Formation corresponds to the regressive stage of this sequence and in its turn it splits into two smaller regressive-transgressive cycles. The coal and amber-bearing deposits occur in deltaic-estuarine environments developed during the maximum regressive episodes of these smaller regressive-transgressive cycles. The El Soplao amber shows Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy spectra similar to other Spanish Cretaceous ambers and it is characterized by the profusion of sub-aerial, stalactite-like flows. Well-preserved plant cuticles assigned to the conifer genera Frenelopsis and Mirovia are abundant in the beds associated with amber. Leaves of the ginkgoalean genera Nehvizdya and Pseudotorellia also occur occasionally. Bioinclusions mainly consist of fossil insects of the orders Blattaria, Hemiptera, Thysanoptera, Raphidioptera, Neuroptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Diptera, although some spiders and spider webs have been observed as well. Some insects belong to groups scarce in the fossil record, such as a new morphotype of the wasp Archaeromma (of the family Mymarommatidae) and the biting midge Lebanoculicoides (of the monogeneric subfamily Lebanoculicoidinae). This new amber locality constitutes a very significant finding that will contribute to improving the knowledge and comprehension of the Albian non-marine paleoarthropod fauna

Main factors controlling sedimentation and biotic change during the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous in the Iberian Chain

The Iberian Chain developed by inversion of Mesozoic rifts of the Iberian Basin during the Paleogene. The Maestrat and Cameros basins developed during the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous rifting cycle 2. There are two main controls on sedimentation: (1) tectonics, (2) climate, and these together control sea-level and paleoecosystems. Cameros and Maestrat basins display different styles of extensional tectonic structure probably due to a crust thermally weakened. Biotic changes in freshwater plants, continental faunas, and marine carbonate producers, reveal the evolution from Late Jurassic-Earliest Cretaceous climate to show hydrological seasonality in a general warm and humid context. This is confirmed by the coexistence of biotic markers of hydrological stress (closed stomatal structures in plants, small size in animals) with sedimentologic indicators of a long-lasting humid climate (lateritic soils and karstic bauxite deposits). The long-term global sea-level curve fits the main transgressive-regressive evolution of the Maestrat basin with some local tectonic disturbance

Tafonomía y paleoecología del ecosistema acuático de Las Hoyas (Barremiense superior, Serranía de Cuenca).

The freshwater ecosystem of Las Hoyas contains one of the most significant records of aquatic organisms described from the Early Cretaceous worldwide. The benthos was formed by a diverse assemblage of animals such as aquatic insects, ostracods, cray-fishes, and juvenile and small adult fishes, which depended on the ground cover of charophytes and aquatic angiosperms for shelter and food. The nekton was mainly composed o f crustaceans and a large variety of fishes. Phytoplankton is represented by two chlorophytes and zooplankton is represented by planktonic pupae of dipterans. Cheirolepidiaceous conifers, matoniaceous tree-ferns and herbaceous schizaeacean ferns were growing in swamps. Among tetrapods with aquatic habitats modern amphibians and reptiles were found. In spite of the exceptional preservation, the fossil record of Las Hoyas includes sedimentological, taphonomic and palaeoecological biases. Form the palaeoecological point o f view, mass mortality levels contain thousands of individuals of crayfish associated with freshwater plant remains. These levels are attributed to eutrophication events of the otherwise oligotrophic lake. Other mass-mortality levels include hundreds of juvenile teleostean individuals associated with small shrimps. Changes in the water-table and related temperature changes, variation of acidity or input of toxic substances may account for this type of mass mortality

Unlocking preservation bias in the amber insect fossil record through experimental decay.

Fossils entombed in amber are a unique resource for reconstructing forest ecosystems, and resolving relationships of modern taxa. Such fossils are famous for their perfect, life-like appearance. However, preservation quality is vast with many sites showing only cuticular preservation, or no fossils. The taphonomic processes that control this range are largely unknown; as such, we know little about potential bias in this important record. Here we employ actualistic experiments, using, fruit flies and modern tree resin to determine whether resin type, gut microbiota, and dehydration prior to entombment affects decay. We used solid phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME GC-MS) to confirm distinct tree resin chemistry; gut microbiota of flies was modified using antibiotics and categorized though sequencing. Decay was assessed using phase contrast synchrotron tomography. Resin type demonstrates a significant control on decay rate. The composition of the gut microbiota was also influential, with minor changes in composition affecting decay rate. Dehydration prior to entombment, contrary to expectations, enhanced decay. Our analyses show that there is potential significant bias in the amber fossil record, especially between sites with different resin types where ecological completeness and preservational fidelity are likely affected