Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Fossil Insects within Their Ecosystems

Objective This work is designed effect and production to improve the quality, visual efficiency of ecological reconstruction of fossil insects by using various three- dimensional software and exploring helpful methodologies and techniques.

A New Fossil Hangingfly(Mecoptera: Cimbrophlebiidae) from the Early Cretaceous of China

A new species, Cimbrophlebia rara sp. nov., in the family Cimbrophlebiidae（Mecoptera） is described and illustrated. This specimen was collected from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation at Liutiaogou in Inner Mongolia, China. This is the first record of a cimbrophlebiid from the Jehol biota. A key to all species of Cimbrophlebia is given. A preliminary review of published taxa data indicates that from the Middle Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous, Mecoptera became less diverse and less abundant in northeastern China at familiar level（from 11 to 6）, generic level（from 32 to 8） and specific level（from 44 to 14）.

New Primitive Fossil Earwig from Daohugou,Inner Mongolia,China(Insecta:Dermaptera:Archidermaptera)

A new genus and species Palaeodermapteron dicranum gen. et sp. nov. of the subfamily Dermapterinae and family Dermapteridae is described from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Daohugou, Inner Mongolia in China. This article documents the earliest record of fossil earwig, extending the earwig existence to the Middle Jurassic. Detailed description and illustration of the specimen along with a brief review of the subfamily Dermapterinae are given. Evolutional trend of earwig morphology and its associated living environment are also discussed.

Lebanese Amber: A Fantastic Journey into the Time of Dinosaurs

The history of amber and its trade in Lebanon dates back to ancient times,during the Phoenician civilization.Amber in Lebanon can be found in over 450 outcrops,comprising approximately 10%of the country’s land.Some of these outcrops are Late Jurassic(Kimmeridgian)in age,while the majority are Early Cretaceous(early Barremian).The Early Cretaceous amber found in Lebanon is the oldest amber with extensive biological inclusions,making it a crucial source of knowledge regarding continental palaeobiodiversity during the Early Cretaceous period.This period is widely recognized as witnessing the first occurrence and early evolution of angiosperms,representing a critical time for the co-evolution between flowering plants and insects.In Lebanese amber,biological inclusions often serve as records of the earliest representatives of modern living insect families or the youngest ones for extinct families.

Late Mesozoic Chresmodids with Forewing from Inner Mongolia, China (Polyneoptera: Archaeorthoptera)

Three new species of Chresmodidae are described. They belong to two different genera： Chresmoda multinervis sp. nov., Chresmoda shihi sp. nov. and Jurachresmoda sanyica sp. nov.. A study of the forewing venation is provided. Longitudinal veins are mostly parallel; costal area is broad at the basal and narrowing distally; ScP is probably extending close to the wing apex; R is parallel at length to ScP; MA is running close to R, with two long parallel branches; MA branched-off basally; while MP is not branched until the middle of the wing. However, the important basal part of MP and CuP is poorly preserved. In addition, unique fringing hairs on the mid legs of C. shihi sp. nov. and J. sanyica sp. nov. are described and compared with Jurachresmoda gaskelli Zhang, Ren and Shih, 2008.

A New Species of the Family Juraperlidae (Insecta:Grylloblattida) from the Middle Jurassic of China

Juraperla grandis sp. nov. （Grylloblattida： Juraperlidae） is described from the Daohugou locality （Middle Jurassic, China）. Its wing venation is very similar to that ofJuraperla daohugouensis Huang and Nd, 2007 （Grylloblattida： Juraperlidae）, in the particular occurrence of a supplementary longitudinal vein in the area between the anterior wing margin and ScP. The larger size of the new specimen, the lower number of CuA1 branches, and the occurrence of two rows of cells between MP and CuA in forewings justify the erection of a new species, J. grandis sp. nov.. The material also preserved hind wing and body structures, described for the first time in Juraperlidae.

The Insect Oviposition Firstly Discovered on the Middle Jurassic Ginkgoales Leaf from Inner Mongolia, China

Although the evidence of insect oviposition on plant organs has been reported from the late Paleozoic to the Miocene, record from the middle Jurassic is still blank. This paper reports a significant evidence of insect oviposition on plant leaf from the middle Jurassic for the first time. The ovipositional scar is distributed on the abaxial surface of Sphenobaiera leaf（Ginkgoales） from the middle Jurassic Daohugou Formation of Inner Mongolia, China. A new ichnospecies Paleoovoidus venustus sp. nov. is described. The scar is elliptic to oval, arranged in longitudinal rows between leaf veins with almost regular distance, with its long axis paralleling to the leaf venation. This discovery adds new information to the morphology of insect endophytic oviposition probably produced by Odonata existed in a terrestrial ecosystem ~165 Ma ago. The new materials also provide important data for the study of insect reproductive biology, plant-insect interaction and coevolution, as well as understanding the paleoclimate and palaeoenvironment during that time in northeast China.

A New Subfamily of Aphids (Hemiptera,Aphidomorpha) from the Early Cretaceous Lebanese Amber with a Description of the Oldest Apterous Morphs

Aphids are marked by their high polymorphism, but species reported from the Early Cretaceous are known only from alate morphs. The discovery of an apterous adult morph in Lebanese amber and a larva of the same species are very important for the understanding of both the morphological and biological evolution of this insect group at the very early stage of development. Gondvanoaphis estephani new subfamily, new genus and species of the recent aphids family Thelaxidae is described. The characters of the new genus in respect to other genera placed in Thelaxidae are reviewed. The palaeoeeological and palaeogeographical data concerning Gondvanoaphis new genus are also discussed.

Derived, still living cockroach genus Cariblattoides （Blattida： Blattellidae） from the Eocene sediments of Green River in Colorado, USA

Cariblattoides labandeirai sp.n. from the Eocene sediments of Green River in Colorado, USA bear only two plesiomorphies, but also several significant autapomorphies within the advanced and highly derived living cockroach genus. Thus, Cariblattoides with extant occurrence in the Caribbean and South America was historically common in the Nearctic, and represents important evidence for the occurrence of derived living genera of cockroaches -50 Ma ago. Generally, the vast majority of living genera were absent during the Palaeocene, thus the diversification of most living cockroach lineages near the Palaeocene/Eocene boundary must have been extremely rapid. Females of living C. suave, the type species, have identical （sophisticated） coloration ofpronotum, but the most related living taxa are C. piraiensis and C.fontesi from Brazil （supported by phylogenetical analysis）.