New dictyopteran fossils from the Pennsylvanian of West Beijing, China

Abstract

Carboniferous insects from China are rare. Here we report a new fossiliferous locality at the Yexi Section, western Beijing, from where Pennsylvanian insects have been discovered. These insect fossils collected from the black shales of the Benxi Formation (middle–late Moscovian to early Kasimovian) are associated with rich plant remains. The fossils are represented mainly by dictyopteran tegmina that cannot be further identified. The discovery is helpful for our understanding of the diversity and preservation of Carboniferous insects in western Beijing and also the Benxi Formation of North China.