DOI: 10.3897/contrib.entomol.76.e173923

Authors: Ole-Kristian Odin Schall, Daniel Lima, Sam W. Heads, Allysson P. Pinheiro, Martin Husemann

Abstract: The first genus and species of Eumastacoidea from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation of northeastern Brazil is described. Cratomastax mariellaae gen. et sp. nov. is reported from a relatively well-preserved specimen, with the wings, head, and metathoracic leg aspects in good condition. It is assigned to the Eumastacoidea based on its forewing venation feature, with M and CuA + CuPaα fused. Due to the presence of two branches of M + CuA, it may be allied to Chorotypidae, but the forewing venation of other families of Eumastacoidea is not sufficiently known to confidently exclude it from these taxa. Additionally, a second species of Aestuacrida is described from the Crato Formation. Aestuacrida mikronaulion sp. nov. is significantly larger than A. stereofemoris Schall, Lima, Heads, Pinheiro, Kotthoff & Husemann, 2025, and its wing venation is more fully preserved. The new species suggests that Aestuacrida belongs to the subfamily Pseudoacridinae, increasing the diversity of this recently established taxon. Lastly, a new specimen of Locustrix gallegoi Martins-Neto, 2003, is reported. Individuals of this genus appear to be rather rare, and the apomorphies of Locustrix Martins-Neto, 2003, were not well understood. The new specimen helps resolve this issue. Locustrix can now be assigned to the subfamily Locustopsinae. The genus is characterized by having two branches of M and CuA + CuPaα and a short ScP of only about 50% of the total forewing length.

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DOI: 10.3897/contrib.entomol.75.e173576

Authors: Alexander Radchenko, Hans-Werner Ribbecke

Abstract: The previously unknown queen of Stiphromyrmex robustus (Mayr, 1868) is described. The taxonomic position of the fossil genera Stiphromyrmex Wheeler, 1915, Enneamerus Mayr, 1868, and Thanacomyrmex Chény, Wang & Perrichot, 2019 is discussed, and their placement in the Myrmecina genus-group of the tribe Crematogastrini Forel, 1893 is confirmed. A key for the identification of fossil genera and species of this genus-group is provided.

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DOI: 10.3897/contrib.entomol.75.e154529

Authors: Ole-Kristian Odin Schall, Chengquan Cao, Martin Husemann

Abstract: Two new genera and species of Ripipterygidae Ander, 1939 are described from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber of Northern Myanmar. Ozymandipteryx campana gen. et sp. nov. is remarkable for its absent or very reduced metatarsus. In modern species of Tridactyloidea, a reduced metatarsus can only be found in the Tridactylidae Brullé, 1835 genera Ellipes Scudder, 1902 and Xya Latreille, 1809, but not in Ripipterygidae. Magnidactylus robustus Xu et al., 2020, type species of the genus, is found to share the character of a fully reduced metatarsus (apical spurs were previously misinterpreted as metatarsus), but M. robustus differs from O. campana in several important characters and hence remains a separate genus. However, a new genus Yakkhapipteryx is erected to include the other two former Magnidactylus species M. mirus Gu et al., 2022 (Yakkhapipteryx mirus comb. nov.) and M. gracilis Gu et al., 2022 (Yakkhapipteryx gracilis comb. nov.), which both have a metatarsus in normal condition. Another newly described taxon is Ciconipteryx bidactylus gen. et sp. nov. This species is the first fossil Ripipterygidae with only two dactyls on its protibia, a feature it shares with the modern species Mirhipipteryx pulicaria (Saussure, 1896). Ciconipteryx bidactylus stands out due to its long mid- and hindlegs in relation to its body size. This character may have enabled it to perform very efficient jumps. The new species add to the diversity of Ripipterygidae from Kachin amber, expanding our knowledge of this little studied family and raising new possibilities for interpreting their evolutionary history.

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DOI: 10.3897/contrib.entomol.74.e125308

Authors: Jan Batelka, Michael Weingardt, Bernhard L. Bock, Rolf G. Beutel

Abstract: Five specimens of primary larvae of Ripiphoridae (Insecta: Coleoptera) are reported from one piece of Cretaceous Kachin amber. They represent two morphotypes: one conicocephalate and one belonging to the tribe Ripidiini (represented by four specimens). The conicocephalate morphotype is compared with similar larvae known from Kachin, Taimyr and Manitoba Cretaceous amber, and the larvae of Ripidiini are compared with their Cretaceous, Eocene and extant relatives. Phylogenetic analyses were performed to establish a working hypothesis about possible relationships of both lineages. The results, which conform with a recent molecular phylogeny, indicate that the larvae described here belong to Ripidiini or are closely related, respectively. To allow taxonomic and systematic work with conicocephalate larvae from Kachin amber, a collective group name †“Ripilarva” nov. is proposed here to accommodate these immature stages. Both species of †“Ripilarva” nov. from Kachin amber are described: †“R.” parabolica sp. nov. and †“R.” kachinensis sp. nov. Syninclusion of †“Ripilarva” kachinensis sp. nov. and four larvae of a species of Ripidiini indicate that females of both ripiphorids chose the same time and microhabitat for oviposition in the Kachin Cretaceous forest. The results are further verified by the use of UV-photography, as the different larval morphotypes occurred in the same resin flow. The presence of larvae of Ripidiini in clusters contrary to the solitary occurrence of †“Ripilarva” nov. in Cretaceous amber of Russia, Canada, USA, and Myanmar is interpreted as a possible result of different oviposition strategies, with different numbers of eggs deposited at one spot. Graphical abstract

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DOI: 10.3897/contrib.entomol.73.e110405

Authors: Jessica A. Thomas, Paul B. Frandsen, John C. Morse

Abstract: Based on a recalibrated BEAST diversification time analysis, we provide a revised chronology for the evolution of major lineages of Trichoptera. Fossil evidence indicates that caddisflies evolved at least by the Norian of Late Triassic (median age 222.6 Ma), compared with our estimate of at least 201.3 Ma. The ancestors of suborders Annulipalpia and Integripalpia also evolved as early as the Norian. Fossil evidence indicates that the ancestor of subterorder Phryganides lived at least by the Aalenian of Middle Jurassic (median age 173.6 Ma), compared with our estimate of at least 174.1 Ma.

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DOI: 10.3897/contrib.entomol.73.e110258

Authors: Wilfried Wichard

Abstract: The paper gives an overview of Trichoptera found as adults in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber from about 100 million years ago. Fifty-eight extinct species are listed, three of which are still described here: Paduniella cretacea sp. nov., Palerasnitsynus vilarinoi sp. nov., Palleptocerus kuranishii sp. nov. The extinct subfamily Palerasnitsyninae stat. nov. of the family Xiphocentronidae is established and the extinct Bipectinata orientalis comb. nov. is transferred from the family Calamoceratidae to the family Odontoceridae. The extinct family Lepidochlamidae Wang et al., 2022, stat. nov. is transferred to the superfamily Leptoceroidea. The fifty-eight caddisflies of Burmese amber are distributed among twenty-one genera and fourteen families, of which fifteen genera and four families are also extinct. The large time distance between extinct and extant organisms makes the assignment to the extant genera and families difficult, because the higher taxa are defined according to the species living today and often do not or hardly correspond to the earlier species and their adaptations. Furthermore, in line with the hypothesis of a Gondwanan origin of Burmese amber, some embedded Trichopterans are discussed as relict descendants of Gondwanan Trichoptera, e.g. the family Palleptoceridae and the Xiphocentronid subfamily Palerasnitsyninae.

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