Revision of the Early Cretaceous mydid Cretomydas santanensis (Diptera: Mydidae)

International audienceThe Early Cretaceous mydid genus and species Cretomydas santanensis is revised on the basis of a new specimen, allowing to precise its relationships within the 'advanced Mydidae', probably close to the subfamily Diochlistinae. This extant group has a 'Gondwanan' distribution, known from Southern South America and Australia, in accordance with its possible great antiquity in the Early Cretaceous. The presence of an 'advanced Mydidae' during the Cretaceous also suggests a greater antiquity for this family

The oldest representative of the modern clade Aeshnodea from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation, Araripe Basin, NE Brazil (Odonata: Anisoptera)

International audienceThe hawker dragonfly Primumaeshna britta gen. et sp. nov., type genus and species of the new family Primumaeshnidae, is described from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation in Brazil, corresponding to the oldest record of the clade Aeshnodea. The previously described representatives of the Aeshnoptera from this formation belonged to extinct families or to the Gomphaeschnidae. Otherwise the oldest Aeshnodea were previously only known from the Cenomanian. This new discovery confirms that the diversification of the modern lineages of hawker dragonflies occurred during the Early Cretaceous

Beautiful wing coloration pattern in a new doratomantispine species (Neuroptera: Mantispidae) from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber

International audienceA new species, namely Doratomantispa pouilloni sp. nov., of the mantidfly subfamily Doratomantispinae, is described and illustrated from a complete individual preserved in mid-Cretaceous amber from Tanai, northern Myanmar. Doratomantispa pouilloni sp. nov. preserves nearly all the diagnostic characters of this subfamily, but differs from the two other species of the genus Doratomantispa, inter alia, in its forelegs with stout trochanter, femora with nine spines on outer edge, two spines on inner edge, tibia with parallel sides, probasitarsomeres with around six pairs of black and thick spines; wings elongate and narrow, forewings with costal veinlets simple before ScP and RA fusion, coloration pattern present. Doratomantispa pouilloni sp. nov. highlights the diversity and the niche specialization of mid-Cretaceous Mantispidae from Tanai amber

The first fossil horntail wasp (Hymenoptera: Siricidae) from Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation in Brazil

International audienceA new wood wasp, Cratosirex sennlaubi gen. et sp. nov., is described and figured from one specimen collected from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation in northeastern Brazil. This new genus is placed in the new siricid subfamily Cratosiricinae subfam. nov., based on a combination of plesiomorphic and autapomorphic characters. The presence of small and sub-equal forewing cells 1R1 and 2R1 is a synapomorphy with the extant subfamily Siricinae, absent in the other extinct subfamilies †Auliscinae and †Gigasiricinae, supporting a sister group relationships with the Siricinae. Our new discovery expands the distribution range of Siricidae fossil records, highlights the antiquity of the family, and emphasizes the need for more studies of this particular insect lineage in the Mesozoic deposits. Currently, all the representatives of the crown group of the extant Siricidae are Cenozoic

The first Cenozoic roproniid wasp from the Paleocene of Menat, France (Hymenoptera: Proctotrupoidea)

Paleoropronia salamonei gen. et sp. nov., the first Cenozoic Roproniidae, is described from the Paleocene of Menat (Massif Central, France) on the basis of its fore wing venation. The Roproniidae range between the Mesozoic and the present time. P. salamonei gen. et sp. nov. was perhaps a parasitoid on tenthredinid sawfly larvae, as these insects were present in the wasp fauna from Menat outcrop

The first Cenozoic roproniid wasp from the Paleocene of Menat, France (Hymenoptera: Proctotrupoidea)

Garrouste, Romain, Pouillon, Jean-Marc, Nel, André, Umr, Isyeb - (2016): The first Cenozoic roproniid wasp from the Paleocene of Menat, France (Hymenoptera: Proctotrupoidea). European Journal of Taxonomy 239: 1-9, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2016.23

New Burmese amber fossils clarify the evolution of bethylid wasps (Hymenoptera: Chrysidoidea)

International audienceTwo new bethylid wasps from Cenomanian Burmese amber, one tentatively placed in †Protopristocerinae: Cretapristocera longiscapa gen. & sp. nov. and one in †Holopsenellinae: Megalopsenella pouilloni gen. & sp. nov., are described and illustrated here. They provide new data on the Cretaceous diversity of the family and extend the Cenomanian Burmese amber records to six species. We discuss their systematic placements and provide identification keys to species of †Holopsenellinae and †Protopristocerinae to assist future taxonomic studies. We phylogenetically analyse Bethylidae, adding several fossil taxa to a recent study, suggesting a new hypothesis for the relationships between the different subfamilies. We also address the distribution and underestimated diversity of the family during the Cretaceous and the evolution of the venation of their wings. Finally, we discuss the possible misplacement of the families Plumariidae and †Falsiformicida

A new Caloneurodea family (Insecta, Archaeorthoptera) increases the insect palaeodiversity of the middle Permian Salagou Formation (southern France)

International audienceA new genus and species of the archaeorthopteran order Caloneurodea are described and illustrated from the Salagou Formation (France) as Lodevogramma pumilia gen. et sp. nov. The particular wing venation of this species precludes its placement within one of the already described families of Caloneurodea. Consequently, the family Lodevogrammatidae fam. nov. is created to accommodate this specimen. A detailed comparison of the new species with other Caloneurodea is provided. This new species differs from all other Caloneurodea because it has: petiolate wings; the area between C and R/RA is very narrow; vein RA ends near the wing apex; vein RP has two branches; the fork of CuP basad the base of M; and two very short anal veins are present. This new species increases the diversity of Caloneurodea in the Salagou Formation and provides additional information on the diversity of the order around the late Capitanian extinction. We compared the diversity of Caloneurodea with that of Megasecoptera, another order with a similar history between the Carboniferous and the Permian, and hypothesized that the decrease in the size of both groups could be an indicator of their declines, possibly related to floral changes, following a pattern similar to that of Permian tetrapods. The decline of Caloneurodea could also be related to the diversification of the Orthoptera during the middle–late Permian

A new ‘grylloblattodean’ genus and species (Insecta: Polyneoptera) from the middle Permian Salagou Formation (France)

International audienceLodevoisadia coheni gen. et sp. nov. is described as the ninth species of ‘Grylloblattodea’ from the middle Permian of the Salagou Formation, near Lodève town (France). It is currently not reasonable to place this species into a specific family, even though it seems to share most characters with the small family Tunguskapteridae. The lack of phylogenetic analysis and the current poor delineation of the majority of the grylloblattodean families (lacking synapomorphies) render any attribution of new taxa to a particular family often uncertain

Taxonomic additions to the pelecinid wasps (Hymenoptera, Pelecinidae) of the 'mid- Cretaceous' Burmese amber

International audienceA new species of pelecinid wasp, Eopelecinus inopinatus sp. nov., is described and figured from Cenomanian Burmese amber based on a single female specimen. Additionally, the examination of a new, well preserved specimen of Zoropelecinus periosus Guo, Shih & Ren 2016, allows to emend the diagnosis of this species. These discoveries confirm that Pelecinidae were clearly highly diverse during the Cretaceous. We provide a list of Eopelecinus species with their respective metasomal ratio