Plant–insect interactions from the Late Pennsylvanian of the Iberian Peninsula (León, northern Spain)

We describe new evidences of plant-insect interactions from the Late Pennsylvanian of northern Iberian Peninsula (Leon, Spain). We document nine different Damage Types (DTs) among 216 fossil plant specimens. The interactions include four different Functional Feeding Groups (FFGs), including margin feeding (DT12 and DT13), hole feeding (DT09), galling (DT33, DT80, and DT116), and oviposition (DT67, DT100, and DT102) on Pteridophytes, Pteridospermatophytes, and Coniferophytes. Margin feeding and hole feeding were identified on different species of Polymorphopteris (P. polymorpha, P. cf. pseudobucklandii, and P. integra); galling on Mixoneura wagneri, Pecopteris apicalis, and Oligocarpia gutbieri; and oviposition on Polymorphopteris integra, Cordaites cf. angulostriatus and Polymorphopteris cf. integra. The oviposition scars represent the oldest record of oviposition from the Iberian Peninsula so far. In addition, it is the first evidence of plant-insect interactions on Oligocarpia and Polymorphopteris leaves in the area. These evidences reveal various ecological interactions between different groups of plants and insects in the Late Pennsylvanian forests of Spain, suggesting that these plants were a relevant source of food and lodge for a variety of arthropods (mainly insects). We also explore the possible culprits of these damages and the climatic implications.We appreciate the "Asociacion Paleontologica Alcarrena Nautilus" for the support received during the sampling works in open-cast mines in Leon. This work was supported by the project GRC2019/028 (ED431C-2019/28) of the Galician Government. Artai Santos is supported by a predoctoral fellowship from the Galician Government (Department of Culture, Education and University Planning) co-financed by the European Social Fund (Ref: ED481A-2019/243). Funding for open access charge: Universidade de Vigo/CISUG. We also thank the editors, Dr. Esther Pinheiro, and one anonymous reviewer for the constructive suggestions that have helped to improve the manuscript. All the samples are in the Museo de Ciencias Naturales de Alava (MCNA)

Late Carboniferous ecosystems in the NW Iberian Peninsula: plants, arthropods, and plant-arthropod interactions

Congreso realizado en Valencia del 4 al 7 de octubre de 2023.Peer reviewe

The Jurassic – Cretaceous transition in the West Cameros Basin (Tera Group, Burgos, Spain): Sedimentological and palynostratigraphical insights

The Jurassic–Cretaceous boundary transition is widely distributed within the West Cameros Basin. This horizon is constituted by the Tera Group, consisting of two depositional sequences (DS1 and DS2) comprising four geological formations spanning the Tithonian to the Berriasian. Here, a combined sedimentological and palynostratigraphic study was made covering the Tera Group. The sedimentological results for the DS 1 differentiate three facies associations (FA 1-1, 1-2 and 1-3) corresponding to floodplains and braided channels of a distributive fluvial system shifting to shallow lacustrine facies in a semi-arid climate. For the DS 2, three FA were also differentiated (FA 2-1, 2-2, and 2-3), corresponding to tidal-influenced meandering channels and floodplains in a distal fluvial to a delta-plain system that shifts to shallow lacustrine facies. The palynological results were only productive in samples from the Jaramillo Formation. The palynological record shows an assemblage dominated by spores including Concavissimisporites, Leptolepidites and Taurocusporites, as well as Classopollis pollen. According to the stratigraphic ranges of some selected taxa, the suggested chronostratigraphic assignment is lower Berriasian for the Jaramillo Fm. A comparison of the microfloras from the Tithonian–Berriasian recorded in the Iberian Peninsula was carried out. The following observations can be concluded: 1) the change in the plant communities, already observed since the Late Jurassic onwards, became more pronounced between the Tithonian–Berriasian boundary and the late Berriasian; and 2) a noteworthy occurrence of some biostratigraphically important taxa, specifically for the Tithonian–Berriasian interval

The First Representative of the Roachoid Family Spiloblattinidae (Insecta, Dictyoptera) from the Late Pennsylvanian of the Iberian Peninsula

Sysciophlebia ‘sp. form Villablino’, the first Iberian representative of the Palaeozoic–Early Mesozoic family Spiloblattinidae, is described and illustrated. Its forewing colour pattern is strongly similar to those of the Gzhelian–early-middle Asselian species Sysciophlebia euglyptica, Sysciophlebia ilfeldensis, Sysciophlebia rubida, and ‘Sysciophlebia sp. form KBQ’, supporting the currently proposed Gzhelian age for its type locality. It supports the use of the representatives of the Spiloblattinidae for stratigraphic purposes. The diagnoses and limits of the families Subioblattidae, Phyloblattidae, Compsoblattidae, Spiloblattinidae, and of the spiloblattinid genera are discussed