Plant-dominated assemblage and invertebrates from the lower Cenomanian of Jaunay-Clan, western France

International audienceTwo fossil localities are reported on the "LGV SEA" railroad from the Lower Cenomanianof Jaunay-Clan (JC), near Poitiers, western France. The laminated mudstones yielded plantfossils including ferns (Cladophlebis, Osmundophyllum, Ruffordia goeppertii, Sphenopteris),conifers (Brachyphyllum, Dammarophyllum, Pagiophyllum), and terrestrial and aquaticfreshwater angiosperms (Eucalyptolaurus depreii, Ploufolia). They are associated with acoleopteran insect that shows systematic affinities to the modern subfamily Chrysomeli-nae (Chrysomelidae). This assemblage suggests connections with arborescent vegetationgrowing in calm freshwater environment. Brackish to marine invertebrates also occurand include a dakoticancroid crab (Brachyura, Podotremata, Dakoticancroidea) and a fewbivalves (Brachidontes). They suggest brackish episodes during pond sedimentation in acoastal environment. Lastly, vertebrates are represented by an isolated feather

Review of the flower-inhabiting water scavenger beetle genus Cycreon (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae), with descriptions of new species and comments on its biology

The hydrophilid genus Cycreon Orchymont, 1919, previously known from two historical specimens only, is reviewed based on the numerous material collected recently from the inflorescences of various Araceae species in the Malay Peninsula and Borneo. Four species are recognized in the genus: C. sculpturatus Orchymont, 1919 from Sumatra, C. armandi Shatrovskiy, 2017 from Singapore, C. adolescens sp. n. from peninsular Malaysia, and C. floricola sp. n. with two subspecies, the nominotypical one from Peninsular Malaysia, and C. floricola borneanus subsp. n. from Borneo. All species are very similar, differing only by the pronotal punctation, shape of the clypeus and the mentum, and the form of the median lobe of the aedeagus. Specimens of C. floricola sp. n. and C. adolescens sp. n. were collected from inflorescences of various genera of the family Araceae. The field observations and analysis of mid gut contents indicates that they feed on organic material on internal organs of the inflorescences, including the pollen of the host plant. They were also observed to carry a large amount of pollen and are likely pollinators of their host species of Araceae

Arhinops, a new name for the genus Arhina Murray, 1876, non Arhina Agassiz, 1846 (Insecta: Diptera), and notes on the tribe Arhinopini nom. n. (Insecta: Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Cryptarchinae)

The genus-group name Arhina Murray, 1876 has been used as valid for a group of beetles in the family Nitidulidae. Indeed this name is preoccupied by the available name Arhina Agassiz, 1846 (Insecta: Diptera). Arhinops nom.  n. is hereby proposed as a replacement name for Arhina Murray, 1876. Correspondingly the tribal name Arhinini Kirejtshuk, 1987 is changed into Arhinopini nom.  n. The composition of the tribe is reviewed. Support for the treatment of Arhinella Kirejtshuk, 1987 as a valid genus is given for the first time. Clarification regarding the distribution of the type species Arhinella congoensis Kirejtshuk, 1987, comb. n. is presented as well as new pictures of the same species

A new species of the subgenus Meligethes Stephens (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) from Sichuan, China

Abstract: Meligethes (Meligethes) pallidoelytrorum, Chen et Kirejtshuk sp. nov. is described and illustrated from Sichuan, China. It can be readily distinguished from related species by the smoothed dorsal integument, diffused and sparse punctations on elytra and the very distinct tooth at base of the claw. Meligethe

Käfer aus Lichtfängen am Monte San Giorgio bei Serpiano, Kanton Tessin (Coleoptera)

Beetles from light traps at Monte San Giorgio near Serpiano, canton of Ticino (Coleoptera). − During a biodiversity study in southern Ticino, insects were regularly collected with light traps at Monte San Giorgio near Serpiano, 630 ma.s.l., from 1995 to 1997. In total, 6638 beetles were collected, representing more than 366 species from 56 families. The present article provides an overview of the Coleoptera recorded, among them one species new to Switzerland: Malthodes vincens Gredler, 1870. Twenty-two species are new to the canton of Ticino.Publisher has confirmed all articles from this journal can be made available on personal sites or other repositories immediately after publication

Comment on the letter of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) dated April 21, 2020 regarding 'Fossils from conflict zones and reproducibility of fossil‑based scientific data': Myanmar amber

Recently, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) has sent around a letter, dated 21st April, 2020 to more than 300 palaeontological journals, signed by the President, Vice President and a former President of the society (Rayfield et al. 2020). The signatories of this letter request significant changes to the common practices in palaeontology. With our present, multi-authored comment, we aim to argue why these suggestions will not lead to improvement of both practice and ethics of palaeontological research but, conversely, hamper its further development. Although we disagree with most contents of the SVP letter, we appreciate this initiative to discuss scientific practices and the underlying ethics. Here, we consider different aspects of the suggestions by Rayfield et al. (2020) in which we see weaknesses and dangers. It is our intent to compile views from many different fields of palaeontology, as our discipline is (and should remain) pluralistic. This contribution deals with the aspects concerning Myanmar amber. Reference is made to Haug et al. (2020a) for another comment on aspects concerning amateur palaeontologists/citizen scientists/private collectors

Comment on the letter of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) dated April 21, 2020 regarding “Fossils from conflict zones and reproducibility of fossil‑based scientific data”: Myanmar amber

Non peer reviewe

Cockroaches Probably Cleaned Up after Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs undoubtedly produced huge quantities of excrements. But who cleaned up after them? Dung beetles and flies with rapid development were rare during most of the Mesozoic. Candidates for these duties are extinct cockroaches (Blattulidae), whose temporal range is associated with herbivorous dinosaurs. An opportunity to test this hypothesis arises from coprolites to some extent extruded from an immature cockroach preserved in the amber of Lebanon, studied using synchrotron X-ray microtomography. 1.06% of their volume is filled by particles of wood with smooth edges, in which size distribution directly supports their external pre-digestion. Because fungal pre-processing can be excluded based on the presence of large particles (combined with small total amount of wood) and absence of damages on wood, the likely source of wood are herbivore feces. Smaller particles were broken down biochemically in the cockroach hind gut, which indicates that the recent lignin-decomposing termite and cockroach endosymbionts might have been transferred to the cockroach gut upon feeding on dinosaur feces

Changes to the Fossil Record of Insects through Fifteen Years of Discovery

The first and last occurrences of hexapod families in the fossil record are compiled from publications up to end-2009. The major features of these data are compared with those of previous datasets (1993 and 1994). About a third of families (>400) are new to the fossil record since 1994, over half of the earlier, existing families have experienced changes in their known stratigraphic range and only about ten percent have unchanged ranges. Despite these significant additions to knowledge, the broad pattern of described richness through time remains similar, with described richness increasing steadily through geological history and a shift in dominant taxa, from Palaeoptera and Polyneoptera to Paraneoptera and Holometabola, after the Palaeozoic. However, after detrending, described richness is not well correlated with the earlier datasets, indicating significant changes in shorter-term patterns. There is reduced Palaeozoic richness, peaking at a different time, and a less pronounced Permian decline. A pronounced Triassic peak and decline is shown, and the plateau from the mid Early Cretaceous to the end of the period remains, albeit at substantially higher richness compared to earlier datasets. Origination and extinction rates are broadly similar to before, with a broad decline in both through time but episodic peaks, including end-Permian turnover. Origination more consistently exceeds extinction compared to previous datasets and exceptions are mainly in the Palaeozoic. These changes suggest that some inferences about causal mechanisms in insect macroevolution are likely to differ as well