Archaeoripiphorus nuwa: A Wedge-shaped Beetle from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Inner Mongolia.

Wedge-shaped Beetles, Ripiphoridae, are a small but widely distributed group of Beetles related to Blister and Fungus Beetles. They are unusual in that they are parasitoids, with their larvae developing inside the body of another Insect and only emerging as an adult (typically with fatal consequences for the host), typically targetting Cockroaches, Bees or Wasps (including Wasp species that are themselves parasitoids). Wedge-shaped Beetles lack the penetrating ovipositors (egg laying organs) of parasitoid Wasps, instead laying their eggs on a host or in places where the emergent larvae will encounter a suitable host, for example some Bee-targeting species lay their eggs on flowers, with the newly hatched larvae climbing onto the back of visiting Bees, then hitching a ride back to the hive where they infects larval Bees in their cells. Wedge-shaped Beetles have a limited fossil record, with the majority of fossil species known from Cainozoic amber, and a small number of specimens from Cretaceous amber.

In a paper published in the European Journal of Taxonomy on 14 February 2017, Yun Hsiao of the Department of Entomology at the National Taiwan University and the State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Ecology and Evolution at Sun Yat-Sen University, Yali Yu, also of the State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Ecology and Evolution at Sun Yat-Sen University and of the College of Life Sciences at Capital Normal University, Congshuang Deng, again of the State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Ecology and Evolution at Sun Yat-Sen University and of the College of Life Sciences at Capital Normal University and Hong Pang, once again of the State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Ecology and Evolution at Sun Yat-Sen University, describe a Wedge-shaped Beetle from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Inner Mongolia.

The Daohugou Beds of the Jiulongshan Formation are a fossil Lagarstätte from Ningcheng County in Inner Mongolia, which have produced a large number of well preserved Middle Jurassic Vertebrates, Insects, Plants and other fossils. The fauna has been considered to be part of the Jehol Biota, but is now generally considered to be slightly earlier. The deposits formed in lake surrounded by a moist, warm-temperate forest, dominated by Conifers, Ginkos and Cycads.

The new species is named  Archaeoripiphorus nuwa, where 'Archaeoripiphorus' is a combination of 'Archaeo' meaning ancient, and 'Ripiphorus' the modern genus from whifh the group gets its name, while 'nuwa' honours the ancient Chinese goddess Nüwa, credited with creating Mankind and rebuilding the world after a terrible flood. The species is described from a single specimen of indeterminate sex, 15.5 mm in length and 5.0 mm in width and covered in fine hairs.

Archaeoripiphorus nuwa. Photograph of complete specimen. Scale bar is 5 mm. Hsiao et al. (2017).

Archaeoripiphorus nuwa cannot be placed in any of the modern subfamilies of the Ripiphoridae, though it does bear some similarities to two modern groups, the Pelecotominae and Ptilophorinae. The similarity to the living Pelecotominae is particularly interesting as the larvae of this group specialise in parasitizing the larvae of Wood-boring Beetles, with the adults laying eggs on infested wood. A number of representatives of Beetle groups with wood-boring larvae today have been found in the Daohugou Biota, combined with Plant fossils which imply a palaeoenvironment with Gymnosperm forests and some Angiosperms.

Reconstruction of Archaeoripiphorus nuwa, illustrating a hypothesized behavior in which the females search for damaged xylem cells, caused by larvae of xylophagous Beetles, to oviposit in wood. Hsiao et al. (2017).

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Euanthus panii: A flower from the Middle-Late Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Liaoning Province, China.

Flowering Plants, Angiosperms, are the dominant group of plants in almost all modern terrestrial ecosystems, but their origins remain somewhat obscure. The group rose to dominance early in the Cretaceous, and have only a pachy and debatable fossil record before this,  though molecular clock dating methods have suggested that Angiosperms are considerably older than Cretaceous in origin.

In a paper published in the journal Historical Biology on 16 March 2016, Zhong-Jian Liu of the Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Orchid Conservation and Utilization at the National Orchid Conservation Center of China and Orchid Conservation and Research Center of Shenzhen and Xin Wang of the State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and the Palaeontological Center at Bohai University describe a well preserved flower from the Middle-Late Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Liaoning Province, China.

The specimen is described as Euanthus panii, where 'Euanthus' means 'real-flower' in Latin and 'panii' honours Kwang Pan, who collected the specimen and donated it to the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology. Euanthus panii comprises a single flower on a split limestone block, with part and counterpart showing the adaxial and abaxial surfaces; the specimen is a compression with some coalified residue.

Euanthus panii and its details. Stereomicroscopy. (a, b) The flower in two facing parts, with sepals (S) and petals (P) radiating from the receptacle. The black arrows mark the distal of the style, and the blue arrow in (b) marks the stamen. (c) A sepal (S) is almost structureless between the two arrows, implying that it is attached to the receptacle (O) with its whole base. Enlarged from (a). Bar ¼ 1 mm. (d) Pentamerous receptacle with ovarian cavity (O) in its centre. Note the corners (arrows) of about 110 degrees. Bar = 0.5 mm. (e) Basal portion of the flower after degagement. Note spatial relationship among the ovary (O), style base, a possible filament stub (arrow), sepals (S) and petal (P). Bar = 1.0 mm. Liu & Wang (2016).

The flower is about 12mm long and 12.7mm wide, with pentamerous symmetry and short stout sepals alternating with longer petals. The androecium has dithecate anthers with in situ pollen grains, the gynoecium a long, slender hairy style and an unilocular ovary enclosing unitegmic ovules. Given past controversy about pre-Cretaceous Angiosperm fossils, Lui & Wang are cautious in their dating of the specimen, but are confident the rocks of the outcrop which produced it are at least 161.8 million years old.

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Juraherba bodae: A herbaceous Angiosperm (Flowering Plant) from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia.                                  Angiosperms (Flowering Plants) are the dominant plants in almost all modern ecosystems, producing a wide variety of woody and herbaceous forms. The earliest Angiosperms are thought to have...

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Juraherba bodae: A herbaceous Angiosperm (Flowering Plant) from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia.

Angiosperms (Flowering Plants) are the dominant plants in almost all modern ecosystems, producing a wide variety of woody and herbaceous forms. The earliest Angiosperms are thought to have been woody in nature, as the group they arose from, the Gymnosperms (Conifers, Cycads, Ginkos etc.) are exclusively woody today, and appear to have been so throughout their history (some putative herbaceous Conifers have been described from the Triassic of France, but these are disputed). The first Angiosperm pollen appears in the fossil record in the Triassic, with Angiosperm macrofossils appearing in the Jurassic and the group rising to dominance in the Early Cretaceous. However herbaceous plants lacking woody material have limited preservational material, so while herbaceous Angiosperms could potentially have been present since the Triassic, the origin of such plants is unclear.

In a paper published in the journal Acta Geologica Sinica on 18 February 2016, Han Gang of the Palaeontological Center at Bohai University, Liu Zhongjian of the Palaeontological Center at Bohai University and the Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Orchid Conservation and Utilization at the National Orchid Conservation Center of China and Orchid Conservation & Research Center of Shenzhen, Liu Xueling, also of the Palaeontological Center at Bohai University, Mao Limi of the State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Frédéric Jacques of the Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology at the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, and Wang Xin, also of the State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, describe a herbaceous Angiosperm from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Inner Mongolia.

The Daohugou Beds of the Jiulongshan Formation are a fossil Lagarstätte from Ningcheng County in Inner Mongolia, which have produced a large number of well preserved Middle Jurassic Vertebrates, Insects, Plants and other fossils. The  deposits comprise coarse conglomerates, sandstone, mudstone and thin coal layers laid down in a lake surrounded by a moist, warm-temperate forest, dominated by Conifers, Ginkos and Cycads.

The new Angiosperm is named Juraherba bodae, where 'Juraherba' implies 'Jurassic Herb' and 'bodae' is a Chinese diminutive of Bohol University. The species is described from a single specimen, a complete plant 38 mm in length, with a preserved root system, elongate, blade shaped leaves similar to those of modern Grasses and four fructifications, one of which is split open sufficiently to reveal an internal seed, clearly identifying the plant as an Angiosperm.

General morphology and details of Juraherba. (a) Whole plant with physically connected parts including roots (r), stem (s), leaves (f), and fructifications (1-4). Note an associated fossil insect (arrow) at the top. Scale bar is 10 mm. (b) Helically arranged leaves (1-6). Scale bar is 0.5 mm. (c) Coalified lower portion with scales (white arrows) and hairy roots (black arrows). Scale bar is 0.5 mm. (d) Fructification 3 in Fig. 2a, with longitudinal ridges (arrows) and some coalified remains. Scale bar is 1 mm. (e) Margin (arrows) of a leaf (l) with smooth surface, and the stem (s) with rough surface. Scale bar is 0.5 mm. (f) One of the leaves with an array of insect damages (arrows). Scale bar is 1 mm. (g) Detailed view of one (arrow) of insect damages. Scale bar is 0.1 mm. Han et al. (2016).

The root structure of Juraherba bodae is extremely limited, leading Han et al. to suggest that it lived in a still aquatic environment. All of the frutifications appear to have been held at the same level, which Han et al. suggest may have been the water surface. The frutifications are fleshy in nature, raising the possibility that like many modern Angiosperms, Juraherba bodae may have relied on an unknown animal to dispurse its seeds by consuming these fruit.

 Reconstruction of whole plant, fructification, and leaf of Juraherba. Not to scale. Han et al. (2016).

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Glenrosa carentonensis: A new species of Conifer from the Early Cretaceous of Charente-Maritime, France.                             Conifers of the genus Glenrosa were first recorded from the Early Cretaceous Glen Rosa Formation of Texas in 1984 (although specimens of the plant had been collected in the area since the 1890s)...

Pollen and Spores from the Early Cretaceous Damoguaihe formation in eastern Mongolia. The Damouguaihe formation is found in the Hailar Basin in Inner Mongolia, where it has been accessed from a number of coal mines (it never naturally outcrops at the surface). More recently it has also been found in the Tamutsag Basin of Mongolia, where it has been accessed by exploration wells sunk by oil...

Traces of Insect oviposition on Ginko leaves from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou Biota of Inner Mongolia.                                         Plants and Insects are the most abundant organisms in modern terrestrial ecosystems, and generally considered to be the most important. It is thought...

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Prolyda dimidia and Prolyda elegantula: Two new species of Xyelyid Sawflies from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia.

Sawflies, Symphyta, are thought to be the oldest group of Hymenopterans, with a fossil record dating back to the Triassic, and the oldest group of Sawflies are considered to be the Xyeloids. The Xyeloids are considered to be paraphyletic (i.e. not everything descended from the last common ancestor of all Xyeloids is classifies as a Xyeloid), and can be split into two groups, the Xyelids, from which all other Sawflies are thought to be derived, and the Xyphidrids, which are thought to have been ancestral to the Wood Wasps, and thence all other Wasps, Ants and Bees, though the relationships between early members of these groups is unclear, and it is likely that this classification system will be replaced with something quite different in the future.

In a paper published in the journal ZooKeys on 26 February 2016, Chen Wang and Chungkun Shih of the College of Life Sciences at Capital Normal University, Alexandr Rasnitsyn of the PaleontologicalInstitute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Invertebrate Palaeontology Department at the Natural History Museum, and Mei Wang, also of the College of Life Sciences at Capital Normal University, describe two new species of Xyelyid Sawfly from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Inner Mongolia. Both new species are placed in the genus Prolyda, which was erected by Alexandr Rasnitsyn in 1968 to describe Sawflies from the Jurassic of Kazakhstan.

The first new species is named Prolyda dimidia, meaning 'half', in reference to the pterostigma cell on the forewing, which has a darker posterior half. The species is described from a single specimen preserved in ventral viewon a slab from which the counterpart is not known. The specimen is about 11.4 mm in length, with a large, circular head.

Prolyda dimidia, photograph of only known specimen. Wang et al. (2016).

The second new species is named Prolyda elegantula, meaning 'graceful'. This species is also described from a single known specimen, again preserved on a slab with the counterpart missing. This specimen is 12 mm in length, with a massive and wide head.

Prolyda elegantula, photograph of only known specimen. Wang et al. (2016).

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Xyelydid Sawflies from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia.                                            The Xyelydidae are an extinct group of Sawflies, Pamphilioidea, known from the Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous of Eurasia. They are possibly ancestral to other members of the group, though their relationships are poorly understood, though since Sawflies...

An early Woodwasp from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil.                                   The Hymenoptera are one of the largest groups of insects, comprising Sawflies, Wasps, Ants and Bees. The earliest members of the group were Sawflies, which appeared around the beginning of the Late Triassic. Sawflies have caterpillar-like larvae...

 

 

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Xyelydid Sawflies from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia.

The Xyelydidae are an extinct group of Sawflies, Pamphilioidea, known from the Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous of Eurasia. They are possibly ancestral to other members of the group, though their relationships are poorly understood, though since Sawflies are thought to be ancestral to all other Hymanopterans (Wasps, Bees and Ants), the Xyelydidae are of particular interest to palaeoentomologists (scientists that study fossil Insects).

In a paper published in the journal Alcheringa on 1 October 2015, Mei Wang of the Key Lab of Insect Evolution & Environmental Changes at Capital NormalUniversity in Beijing, Alexandr Rasnitsyn of the PaleontologicalInstitute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Invertebrate Palaeontology Department at the Natural History Museum in London and Chungkun Shih and Dong Ren, also of the Key Lab of Insect Evolution & Environmental Changes at Capital Normal University describe a series of fossil Xyelydid Sawflies from the late Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Inner Mongolia. All of the specimens are assigned to the enigmatic genus Ferganolyda, whose morphology has proved hard to interpret.

The first specimen described is assigned to the species Ferganolyda scylla, which has previously been described only from a single male specimen. The new specimen is somewhat smaller, at 11.4 mm in length compared to 18 mm for the original, and since members of the genus Ferganolyda are known to be sexually dimorphic, generally with larger males than females, this specimen is considered to be female (all Hymenopterans undergo radical metamorphosis upon reaching maturity, with a grub-like larval stage quite unlike the adult, so all adult specimens are known to be fully mature).

Ferganolyda scylla, latest Middle Jurassic, Inner Mongolia, China. (A) Photo of specimen. (B) Line drawing. Scale bars = 2 mm. N1, pronotum; psc2, mesoprescutum; na, notaulus; scl2, mesoscutellum; v1, valvulae 1. In all figures, cell symbols are bold and vein symbols are in regular lettering. Wang et al. (2015).

The second specimen is assigned to the previously described species Ferganolyda chungkuei. The specimen is estimated to have been 21.2 mm in length in life, though it lacks its head. It is partially covered by a film of white carbonate material, making some features hard to observe, though it is otherwise well preserved.

Ferganolyda chungkuei, latest Middle Jurassic, Inner Mongolia, China. (A) Photo of part. (B) Photo of counterpart. (C) An additional crossvein on M+Cu of right wing of part. (D), A stub on M+Cu of left wing of part. (E) Line drawing of counterpart. Scale bars = 2 mm in A, B and E; 0.5 mm in C and D. PN2, mesopostnotum; cn, cenchrus; scl3, metascutellum. Wang et al. (2015).

The third and fourth specimens described are assigned to a new species, Ferganolyda eucalla, meaning ‘beautiful’, a reference to the excellent preservation of these specimens. Both specimens are thought to be female, being 11.7 and 11.8 mm in length respectively.

Ferganolyda eucalla, latest Middle Jurassic, Inner Mongolia, China. Photo of specimen. Scale bar is 2 mm. Wang et al. (2015).

The final two specimens are assigned to another new species, Ferganolyda insolita, meaning ‘strange’, a reference to the morphology of the species. The two specimens are considered to be a male 14.3 mm in length and a female 16.9 mm in length. In this case the female is larger than the male, but can be clearly identified by the presence of an ovipositor.

Ferganolyda insolita, female specimen, latest Middle Jurassic, Inner Mongolia, China. (A) Photo of part. (B) Photo of counterpart. (C) Line drawing of part. (D) Line drawing of forewing of part. (E) Line drawing of hind wing of part. Scale bars = 2 mm in A–E. pp, propleura. Red arrows indicate a crustacean shell. Wang et al. (2015).

All members of the genus Ferganolyda have enlarged, broad heads. This is particularly true of the males, which also have long and thin antennal flagella. The purpose of these antennae is unclear, as the group has no living representatives. Males of the living Dipteran (True Fly) family Deuterophlebiidae have similar antennae, which they use to search for females while patrolling over fast-moving water. However no similar behaviour is known in any living Sawfly (or other Hymenopteran), and the enlarged head-capsule of Ferganolyda makes it unlikely that the males could have performed acts of sustained flight.

Ferganolyda insolita, male specimen, latest Middle Jurassic, Inner Mongolia, China. Wang et al. (2015).

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Two new species of Helorid Wasps from the Middle Jurasic Jiulongshan Formation of Inner Mongolia.                                        Helorid Wasps are small, black, parasiotoid Wasps, with larvae that develop inside the bodies of the young of Green Lacewings. The group has a long...

A Chalcid Wasp from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil.                                                        Chalcid Wasps are among the most widespread and numerous of all Insects, with over 22 000...

Four new species of Wasp from Cretaceous amber.                                                     Diaprioid Wasps are small parasitoids (i.e. their larvae grow inside the bodies of other animals) that largely target Dipterans (True Flies)...

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Protoplecid Flies from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou Biota of Inner Mongolia.

Protoplecid Flies are a group of True Flies, Diptera, known from Jurassic deposits across Eurasia. They are thought to be ancestral to the modern Bibionidae (March Flies and Love Bugs) and the group is therefore considered paraphyletic (i.e. not everything descended from the earliest common ancestor of the group is included in the group). The first Protoplecid specimens were described from Karatau in southern Kazakhstan in 1938, and members of the group have subsequently been described from Germany, Kyrgyzstan and a number of sites from China. The earliest specimens known come from the Blue Lias in Germany.

In a paper published in the journal ZooKeys on 30 March 2015,Xiuqin Lin, Chungkun Shih and Dong Ren of the Key Lab of Insect Evolution and Environmental Change at Capital Normal University describe five new species of Protoplecid Flies from the latest Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Inner Mongolia (the ‘Daohugou Biota’). All are placed in the genus Epimesoplecia, which previously contained two species, both described from the Daohugou Biota in 2007.

The first new species described is named Epimesoplecia plethora, where ‘plethora’ means ‘fullness’ in reference to the dense fur on the body. The species is described from two specimens, a well preserved female plus a partial fossil of indeterminate sex. The female is 10 mm in length with crescent shaped compound eyes, thin and slender forelegs and longer, hindlegs and long, narrow wings.

Epimesoplecia plethora, female specimen. Scale bar is 1 mm. Lin et al. (2015).

The second new species described is named Epimesoplecia prosoneura, where ‘prosoneura’ means ‘before the sinew’, in reference to the venation of the wings. The species is described from one male and one female specimens. The male is 9.3 mm in length, the female 8.2 mm. The male has more protrusive eyes than the female, both have long antennae with thick bases, becoming more slender towards the tips, slender fore- and middle legs, with slightly thicker and longer hindlegs and long, narrow wings.

Epimesoplecia prosoneura, male specimen. Scale bar is 1 mm. Lin et al. (2015).

The third new species described is named Epimesoplecia stana, where ‘stana’ is ‘an arbitrary combination of letters’. The species is described from a single female specimen. This is 10.2 mm in length with slender forelegs, intermediate midlegs and thicker hindlegs and long, narrow wings.

Epimesoplecia stana, female specimen. Scale bar is 1 mm. Lin et al. (2015).

The fourth new species described is named Epimesoplecia macrostrena, where ‘macrostrena’ means ‘large and strong’, in reference to the large wings and apparently strong body of this species. The species is described from two specimens of indeterminate sex and a female. These are 7-11.3 mm in length with small heads, thick legs and long, narrow wings.

Epimesoplecia macrostrena, specimen of indeterminate sex. Scale bar is 1 mm. Lin et al. (2015).

The fifth new species is named Epimesoplecia ambloneura, where ‘ambloneura’ means ‘obtuse sinew’, in reference to the venation of the wings. The species is described from one female specimen and one partial specimen of indeterminate sex (in their description Lin et al. describe the first specimen as ‘male’, but then go on to describe its anatomy as female, including illustrations of female genitalia, so ‘male’ is presumably a typing error). The complete specimen is 12.7 mm long. Both have small oval heads with long antennae, thick legs and long narrow wings.

Epimesoplecia ambloneura, female specimen. Scale bar is 1 mm. Lin et al. (2015).

See also…

Four new species of Hangingflies from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia.

Hangingflies, Bittacidae, are large members of the Scorpionfly order, Mecoptera, which resemble the more widespread Craneflies (members of the True Fly order, Diptera) both in morphology and lifestyle, although...

 

 

A new species of Snakefly from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia.                             Snakeflies (Raphidioptera) are a group of carnivorous flying insects related to the Lacewings, Antlions and Alderflies. They have long life cycles, with a number of larval stages, but still feed as adults. Modern...

Two new species of Helorid Wasps from the Middle Jurasic Jiulongshan Formation of Inner Mongolia.                                                            Helorid Wasps are small, black, parasiotoid Wasps, with larvae that develop inside the bodies of the young of Green Lacewings. The group has a long fossil...

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Four new species of Hangingflies from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia.

Hangingflies, Bittacidae, are large members of the Scorpionfly order, Mecoptera, which resemble the more widespread Craneflies (members of the True Fly order, Diptera) both in morphology and lifestyle, although the two groups are easily separated, as Hangingflies have two pairs of wings and Craneflies only one. Hangingflies uncommon today, with about 270 species known worldwide, but are thought to have been far more abundant and diverse in the Jurassic, before Flowering Plants and associated Insects came to dominate terrestrial ecosystems.

In a paper published in the journal ZooKeys on 19 December 2014, Sulin Liu, Chungkun Shih and Dong Ren of the College of Life Sciences at Capital Normal University describe four new species of Hangingflies from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Inner Mongolia. The Jiulongshan Formation comprises a series of grey tuffaceous sandstones and sandy mudstones which has produced a large number of extremely detailed fossils of a wide variety of insects, including Moths, Hangingflies, Wasps, True Flies, Lacewings and many extinct groups.

The first new species described is placed in the genus Mongolbittacus, which to date has been known only from a single species from the Jiulongshan Formation, and given the specific name speciosus meaning ‘showy’. This species is described from a single male specimen, preserved in lateral view as part and counterpart from within a split block. This specimen is 8.8 mm in length and preserved with all four wings held open and separated from one-another.

Mongolbittacus speciosus, photo of part. Scale bar is 3 mm. Liu et al. (2014).

The second new species is also placed in the genus Mongolbittacus, and is given the specific name oligophlebius, meaning ‘few veins’ in reference to the low number of crossveins on the the wings. This species is described from two specimens, both preserved as part and counterpart from split blocks. The first is only partially exposed, with only one forewing and the forepart of the body visible, the second is preserved with the limbs folded over the body.

Mongolbittacus oligophlebius, first specimen, photo of part. Scale bar is 3 mm. Liu et al. (2014).

The third specimen is placed in the genus Exilibittacus, which is also known to date from a single species from the Jiulongshan Formation, and given the specific name foliaceus, meaning ‘leafshaped’, in reference to the shape of the wings. This species is described from a single female specimen, 12.9 mm in length, preserved in dorsal view on a split block.

Exilibittacus foliaceus, female specimen in dorsal view. Scale bar is 3 mm. Liu et al. (2014).

The final new species is also placed in the genus Exilibittacus, and is given the specific name plagioneurus, meaning ‘oblique veined’, in reference to the oblique crossveins on its wings. The species is described from a single female specimen, preserved in dorsal view as part and counterpart from a split block.

Exilibittacus plagioneurus, dorsal view of part. Scale bar is 3 mm. Liu et al. (2014).

See also…

A Hangingfly from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota.

Hangingflies are long-legged Scorpionflies (Mecoptera), a group of insects related to the True Flies. Scorpionflies get their name from the reproductive organs of the males of some species, which resemble the tails of Scorpions. Despite this fierce appearance most species are harmless herbivores, though it is thought that fleas are highly...

A new species of Earwigfly from Brazil.

Earwigflies (Meropeidae) are a small group within the Mecoptera (Scorpionflies), known only from four fossil and two modern species. Three of the fossil species are from the Triassic of Kyrgyzstan, and the fourth from the Jurassic of Siberia, while the two modern species, Merope tuber and Austromerope poultoni are from North America and Australia respectively. Little is known of the biology of these Insects, the larvae having never...

Leaf mimicry in a Jurassic Scorpionfly.

The Scorpionflies (Mecoptera) are a group of insects related to the True Flies. They get their name from the reproductive organs of the males of some species, which resemble the tails of Scorpions. Despite this fierce appearance most species are harmless...

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A new species of Snakefly from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia.

Snakeflies (Raphidioptera) are a group of carnivorous flying insects related to the Lacewings, Antlions and Alderflies. They have long life cycles, with a number of larval stages, but still feed as adults. Modern Snakeflies are found throughout Europe and Temperate Asia, and in North America west of the Rockies, but they are more widespread in the fossil record, which dates back to the Early Jurassic. In the Early Cretaceous they have previously been described from three localities in East Asia and one in Brazil. 

In a paper published in the journal BMC Evolutionary Biology on 18 April 2014, Xingyue Liu of the Department of Entomology at China Agricultural University, Dong Ren of the College of Life Sciences at Capital Normal University and Ding Yang also of the Department of Entomology at China Agricultural University, describe a new species of Snakefly from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Inner Mongolia.

The new species is named Juroraphidia longicollum, where 'Juroraphidia' means 'Jurassic Snakefly' and 'longicollum' means 'long-neck'. The species is described from two specimens, both preserved as part and counterpart, from the Daohugou fossil locality of Ningcheng County in Inner Mongolia. Both specimens are slightly under 10 mm in length, with an extremely elongate prothorax (the front part of the thorax, resembling a neck). 

Juroraphidia longicollum, first specimen. (A) Photograph; (B) drawing; (C) detail of head; (D) detail of prothorax; (E) detail of tarsi; (F) proximal half of wings; (G) pterostigmatic areas of wings. Abbreviations: t1-5, 1st-5th tarsomere; Sc (f) and Sc (h), forewing and hindwing subcosta; pt (f) and pt (h), forewing and hindwing pterostigma; Rs +MA (f), forewing Rs + MA; MA (f), forewing media anterior; MP (f), forewing media posterior; CuA (f), forewing cubital anterior; CuP (f), forewing cubital posterior. Scale bars represent 1.0 mm in (A) and (B); 0.2 mm in all other panels. Liu et al. (2014).

Juroraphidia longicollum is considered sufficiently different to any other known Snakefly that it is placed in its own family, the Juroraphidiidae. The early history of Snakeflies as a group is poorly understood. The group have an abundant fossil record in the Cretaceous, when they appear to have been considerably more diverse than currently the case, but have only a sparse Jurassic record, with no earlier fossils.   

Traditionally the Raphidioptera is thought to have been more closely related to the Megaloptera (Alderflies, Dobsonflies and Fishflies) than to the Neuroptera (Lacewings, Mantidflies, Antlions, and their relatives), but recent molecular studies have suggested that the Megaloptera and Neuroptera are more closely related to one-another than either group is to the Raphidioptera. Fossil evidence suggests that the Megaloptera and Neuroptera  diverged by the end of the Permian, implying that the Raphidioptera must have also diverged from the ancestor of this group by this time, but have no fossil record prior to the Jurassic. Liu et al. suggest that the Early Jurassic was probably a key period in the diversification of Snakeflies.

Juroraphidia longicollum, second specimen. (A) Photograph; (B) 0drawing; (C) detail of head and prothorax; (D) proximal half of forewing; (E) distal half of forewing; (F) distal half of hindwing. Scale bars represent 1.0 mm in (A) and (B) 0.2 mm in all other panels. Liu et al. (2014).

See also...

 A new species of Split-foot Lacewing from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia.

 Two new species of Dustywing from Tertiary amber.

 Snakeflies in amber from the Early Cretaceous of northern Spain.

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Two new species of Helorid Wasps from the Middle Jurasic Jiulongshan Formation of Inner Mongolia.

Helorid Wasps are small, black, parasiotoid Wasps, with larvae that develop inside the bodies of the young of Green Lacewings. The group has a long fossil record, with the earliest known specimens being found in the Middle Jurasic Jiulongshan Formation of Inner Mongolia, but only about twelve modern species, found scattered across the globe.

In a paper published in the journal ZooKeys on 13 January 2014, Xiaoqing Shi, Yunyun Zhao, Chungkun Shih and Dong Ren, all of the College of Life Science at Capital Normal University in Beijing describe two new species of Helorid Wasps from the Jiulongshan Formation near Daohugou Village in Inner |Mongolia. Both of these new species are placed in the genus Archaeohelorus, which has previously been described from these deposits.

The Daohugou Beds of the Jiulongshan Formation are a fossil Lagarstätte from Ningcheng County in Inner Mongolia, which have produced a large number of well preserved Middle Jurassic Vertebrates, Insects, Plants and other fossils. The fauna has been considered to be part of the Jehol Biota, but is now generally considered to be slightly earlier. The deposits formed in lake surrounded by a moist, warm-temperate forest, dominated by Conifers, Ginkos and Cycads

The first new species is named Archaeohelorus polyneurus, meaning 'many veins', a reference to the veination of the hind wing. Archaeohelorus polyneurus is a 6.5 mm Wasp described from a two almost complete specimens.

 

Two specimens of Archaeohelorus polyneurus from the Jiulongshan Formation. Shi et al. (2014).

The second new secies is named Archaeohelorus tensus, meaning 'stretched', or 'long', a reference to the shape of the forewing. The species is described from a single, 4.4 mm male speciemen preserved as part and counterpart.

Archaeohelorus tensus, part (top) and counterpart (bottom), with detail of the terminal segments of the counterpart inset. Shi et al. (2014).

See also Fourteen new species of Moth from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Inner Mongolia,  Leaf mimicry in a Jurassic Scorpionfly, A new species of Split-foot Lacewing from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia, A Caddisfly from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia and Choristopsychid Insects from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia.

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