Lygistorrhinidae (Diptera: Bibionomorpha: Sciaroidea) in early Eocene Cambay amber

One new genus and three new species of Lygistorrhinidae in early Eocene Cambay amber from India are described, which significantly increases our knowledge about this group in the Eocene.Lygistorrhina indican. sp. is the oldest fossil known from this extant genus.Indorrhina sahniin. gen. et sp. shows morphological similarities to each of the two extant generaLygistorrhinaandAsiorrhina.Palaeognoriste orientaleis the third species known from a group that has only been recorded from Eocene Baltic amber before. The latter finding reveals faunal links between Cambay amber and the probably slightly younger Baltic amber, adding further evidence that faunal exchange between Europe/Asia and India took place before the formation of Cambay amber.</jats:p

Arthropods in modern resins reveal if amber accurately recorded forest arthropod communities

Amber is an organic multicompound derivative from the polymerization of resin of diverse higher plants. Compared with other modes of fossil preservation, amber records the anatomy of and ecological interactions between ancient soft-bodied organisms with exceptional fidelity. However, it is currently suggested that ambers do not accurately record the composition of arthropod forest paleocommunities, due to crucial taphonomic biases. We evaluated the effects of taphonomic processes on arthropod entrapment by resin from the plant Hymenaea, one of the most important resin-producing trees and a producer of tropical Cenozoic ambers and Anthropocene (or subfossil) resins. We statistically compared natural entrapment by Hymenaea verrucosa tree resin with the ensemble of arthropods trapped by standardized entomological traps around the same tree species. Our results demonstrate that assemblages in resin are more similar to those from sticky traps than from malaise traps, providing an accurate representation of the arthropod fauna living in or near the resiniferous tree, but not of entire arthropod forest communities. Particularly, arthropod groups such as Lepidoptera, Collembola, and some Diptera are underrepresented in resins. However, resin assemblages differed slightly from sticky traps, perhaps because chemical compounds in the resins attract or repel specific insect groups. Ground-dwelling or flying arthropods that use the treetrunk habitat for feeding or reproduction are also well represented in the resin assemblages, implying that fossil inclusions in amber can reveal fundamental information about biology of the past. These biases have implications for the paleoecological interpretation of the fossil record, principally of Cenozoic amber with angiosperm origin

The first representative of Tipulomorpha (Diptera) from Early Eocene Cambay amber (India)

ABSTRACTThe first representative of Tipulomorpha in Early Eocene Cambay amber from India is described. The new find belongs to the genus Dicranomyia in the family Limoniidae. This genus has a worldwide distribution today and is relatively common in Eocene Baltic amber. A new species belonging to the subgenus Dicranomyia is described as Dicranomyia (Dicranomyia) indica sp. nov.</jats:p

A peculiar leg structure in the first non-biting midge described from Cambay amber, India (Diptera: Chironomidae)

ABSTRACTWe present the first specific record of a chironomid of the tribe Tanytarsini from early Eocene Cambay amber, India (52–53 Ma). The oldest known extinct tanytarsine genus, Gujaratomyia Giłka &amp; Zakrzewska, gen. nov., is described on the basis of adult males of G. miripes Giłka &amp; Zakrzewska, sp. nov. The species displays an unusual leg structure with unique leg ratios and tibial armature. The combination of the head and genital apparatus characters supports the hypothesis that Gujaratomyia and Cladotanytarsus are members of a common group within the subtribe Tanytarsina.</jats:p

Moth flies and sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in Cretaceous Burmese amber

One new subfamily, four new genera and 10 new species of Psychodidae are described from Burmese amber which significantly increases our knowledge about this group in the Cretaceous. Protopsychodinae n. subfam. probably represents the oldest known ancestor of modern Psychodinae and includes three species within two genera: Datzia setosa gen. et sp. n., Datzia bispina gen. et sp. n., and Mandalayia beumersorum gen. et sp. n. Sycoracinae and Phlebotominae are represented by two genera each in the studied material, Palaeoparasycorax globosus gen. et sp. n., Palaeoparasycorax suppus gen. et sp. n., Parasycorax simplex sp. n., and Phlebotomites aphoe sp. n. and Phlebotomus vetus sp. n., respectively. Bruchomyiinae is represented by Nemopalpus quadrispiculatus sp. n. Furthermore, one genus of an incertae sedis subfamily, Bamara groehni gen. et sp. n., is described. The systematic positions of the new taxa are discussed