The smallest Neoptera (Baryshnyalidae fam. n.) from Hagen-Vorhalle (early Late Carboniferous: Namurian B; Germany)

Jan-Michael Ilger,Carsten Brauckmann

doi:10.3897/zookeys.130.1422

Abstract

With Baryshnyala occulta gen. et sp. n. (Baryshnyalidae fam. n.) we report a new small species from early Late Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) deposits in Hagen-Vorhalle. It differs in its unique venation pattern and small size from all other Neoptera known from this Lagerstätte and other contemporaneous locations worldwide. With an estimated wing length of <10 mm it is by far the smallest species of Neoptera from Hagen-Vorhalle and is less than half as long as Heterologopsis ruhrensis Brauckmann & Koch, 1982 (~25 mm). The specimen shows some relations to the earliest Holometabola and may date back the first appearance of holometaboly to the Namurian B (early Bashkirian: Marsdenian). The new species increases the paleo-biodiversity and span of inter-specific variability within the early Neoptera. It shows that very small and tiny specimens and species can easily be overlooked.

Highlights

Hagen-Vorhalle is one of the most important Konservat-Lagerstätten of the early Late Carboniferous (Early Pennsylvanian) and has provided remarkable data of supra-regional importance about the evolution of the most ancient Pterygota.An extraordinary insect fauna was discovered in 1982 and reported in a brief article by Brauckmann and Koch (1982)
The previously known species of Neoptera from Hagen-Vorhalle are of medium to rather large size
Baryshnyala occulta gen. et sp. n. shows that expanded and carefully directed prospection methods will increase the chance of finding small insects

Summary

Introduction

An extraordinary insect fauna was discovered in 1982 and reported in a brief article by Brauckmann and Koch (1982). Hendricks (2005) published a complete list of determinable taxa whereas Brauckmann et al (2010) presented an actual outline of the insect fauna and their relation to other locations. Most of the material is very well preserved, including basal Neoptera Martynov, 1923 with ~210 specimens in 5 species: Kemperala hagenensis Brauckmann, 1984, Holasicia rasnitsyni Brauckmann, 1984, Kochopteron hoffmannorum Brauckmann, 1984, Heterologopsis ruhrensis Brauckmann & Koch, 1982, and Baryshnyala occulta gen. Most of the material is very well preserved, including basal Neoptera Martynov, 1923 with ~210 specimens in 5 species: Kemperala hagenensis Brauckmann, 1984, Holasicia rasnitsyni Brauckmann, 1984, Kochopteron hoffmannorum Brauckmann, 1984, Heterologopsis ruhrensis Brauckmann & Koch, 1982, and Baryshnyala occulta gen. et sp. n

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion