Amber Research Articles

Decrease of heat capacity on aging, long and linear extrapolations for fictive temperature, and the case of 20-million-year-old fossil-amber

A glass and its melt have the same value of a physical property at fictive temperature, Tf, which is estimated by matching the area between two linearly extrapolated plots of the heat capacity, Cp, against temperature T, one from Cp of glass and the other from that of the melt. According to the DSC heating scans, the Cp values of 20-million-year-old fossil-amber and its melt-cooled fresh-amber are the same at T < 273 K, and Tf of fossil amber is 0.89 Tg→l, where Tg→l is the glass-liquid transition temperature of melt-cooled amber [Nat. Commun. 4 (2013) 1783]. A comparison of Tf with the variation of stress relaxation time with T led to the conclusion that relaxation dynamics of amber deviates from super-Arrhenius variation. Here we show that use of the same Cps of the two ambers at T > 0 K violates basic thermodynamics, and argue that Cp of (denser) fossil-amber would be less than that of fresh-amber at T < 273 K. The Cp,confof the melt, taken as the difference between the extrapolated Cps of fossil-amber and of its melt, increases by ∼13% on cooling from T= Tg→l to T= 0.72 Tg→l, and this increase and the corresponding increase of (Cp,conf/T)= (∂Sconf/∂T)p are too small to indicate an approach towards a second-order transition of the entropy theory. Hence we conclude that deviation from super-Arrhenius variation of relaxation time of amber is an artefact of a long and linear extrapolation of its melt's Cp used for determining Tf.

A new genus of dance fly (Diptera: Empidoidea: Hybotidae) from Cretaceous Spanish ambers and introduction to the fossiliferous amber outcrop of La Hoya (Castellón Province, Spain).

Hybotidae fly species, also known as dance flies, in Cretaceous ambers have been described from Lebanon, France, Myanmar, Russia, and Canada. Here we describe Grimaldipeza coelica gen. et sp. n., and recognize another two un-named species, in Spanish amber from the middle Albian El Soplao and lower Cenomanian La Hoya outcrops. The fore tibial gland is present in the new genus, which is characteristic of the family Hybotidae. We compare Grimaldipeza coelica gen. et sp. n. with the holotypes of Trichinites cretaceus Hennig, 1970 and Ecommocydromia difficilis Schlüter, 1978, and clarify some morphological details present in the latter two species. Further taxonomic placement beyond family of the here described new genus was not possible and remains incertae sedis within Hybotidae until extant subfamilies are better defined. We provide new paleoecological data of the hybotids, together with paleogeographical and life paleoenvironmental notes. A table with the known Cretaceous Hybotidae is provided. Furthermore, the La Hoya amber-bearing outcrop is described in detail, filling the information gap for this deposit.

Faunal richness and checklist of sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in India

This review aims to fill the voids and to update the checklist of sandfly fauna along with its spatial distribution in India. Resource databases i.e. either online or offline were searched to deduce the information to systematize the Indian sandfly fauna. Articles/data retrieved were screened and analysed to further update the available latest checklist. The species name and authorship were given in accord with the International Code for Zoological Nomenclature. We compiled an updated checklist of reported Indian sandfly species along with their state-wise distribution till 2022 as per published literature. Kerala has maximum number of species reports when compared to other endemic states and states with pockets of transmission. Phlebotomus argentipes is the most widely distributed, recorded so far, followed by other Sergentomiya and Phlebotomus species in India. In this review, we have also described the vector and non-vector species of sandfly prevalent in different parts of the country. Phlebotoiella eoindianensis, an amber fossil sandfly species recorded from Gujarat might be older than other records of Indian sandfly fauna. So far 69 species (4 genera and 15 subgenera/groups) of Phlebotomine sandflies have been recorded in India. Proper knowledge of species diversity and its distribution is a prerequisite for planning a systematic vector control strategy and disease management.

David Grimaldi—appreciations

The previous issue of Palaeoentomology brought the first set of papers honoring David A. Grimaldi on the occasion of his 65th birthday. With the current one, it is continued, in recognition of his impact on the fields of amber studies, palaeontology, palaeo- and neoentomology, and evolutionary biology. After the success of Jurassic Park (both the Michael Crichton book from 1990 and the Steven Spielberg movie from 1993) everyone wants to know more know about the miracles of long ago that are encapsulated in petrified resin. Amber: window to the past (Grimaldi, 1996) originally published to accompany a 1996 exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, explored the properties of amber and revealed its role in tracing evolutionary history and its use in the decorative arts and jewelry. This surge in interest in amber and palaeoentomology resulted the establishment of the International Palaeoentomological Society in 2001 at the Second International Congress on Palaeoentomology—Fossil Insects, and particularly the study of insect inclusions in amber from various parts of the world. An essential reference for anyone interested in the study of amber fossils, insect evolution, and the earliest stages of the association between insects and angiosperms devoted to amber from New Jersey and edited by Grimaldi (2000), provided an incredibly vivid window into animal and plant evolution in the Late Cretaceous. Another book—Evolution of the insects (Grimaldi &amp; Engel, 2005)—is the first comprehensive synthesis of all aspects of insect evolution integrating the living and fossil record. The book was a great source of information about what we know at the time of its publication, but also highlighted what we do not know, making the book a great source of inspiration for subsequent studies.

Ain Zhalta: A new early Barremian fossiliferous amber outcrops from central Lebanon

Lebanon has an extraordinarily high proportion of Mesozoic amber outcrops, some (19 outcrops) from the Kimmeridgian, Upper Jurassic (Azar et al., 2010b; Nohra et al., 2013; Maksoud &amp; Azar, 2020); and others (more than 450 outcrops) from the lower Barremian (Granier et al., 2016; Maksoud et al., 2017; Maksoud et al., 2022), Lower Cretaceous (Maksoud &amp; Azar, 2020). The latter number is still endlessly growing (for a very small country with a total surface of 10,452 km2). To date 28 outcrops yielding biological inclusions are known (Maksoud et al., 2019, 2020, 2021a, b, c; Maksoud &amp; Azar, 2022).

An Exceptionally Preserved Terrestrial Record of LIP Effects on Plants in the Carnian (Upper Triassic) Amber-Bearing Section of the Dolomites, Italy

The Carnian Pluvial Episode (CPE) has been recognized as a time of plant radiations and originations, likely related to observed swift changes from xerophytic to more hygrophytic floras. This suggests that the increasing humidity causally resulting from LIP volcanism was the trigger for these changes in the terrestrial realm. Understanding the cause and effects of the CPE on the plant realm, requires study of well-preserved floras that are precisely aligned with the CPE. We therefore focus on the best age-constrained section within the CPE for the terrestrial to marginal marine environment to understand the floristic composition at the early CPE. This is found in the Dolomites, Italy, and is remarkable for the preservation of the oldest fossiliferous amber found in the rock record. An integrated study of palynomorphs and macro-remains related to the conifer families of the fossil resin bearing level brings together the floral components from this section. This observed mixture of different taxa of extinct and modern conifer families underlines firmly the effects of the LIP-induced CPE on the evolution and radiation of conifers.

Southeast Asian Dipterocarp origin and diversification driven by Africa-India floristic interchange.

The evolution and diversification of ancient megathermal angiosperm lineages with Africa-India origins in Asian tropical forests is poorly understood because of the lack of reliable fossils. Our palaeobiogeographical analysis of pollen fossils from Africa and India combined with molecular data and fossil amber records suggest a tropical-African origin of Dipterocarpaceae during the mid-Cretaceous and its dispersal to India during the Late Maastrichtian and Paleocene, leading to range expansion of aseasonal dipterocarps on the Indian Plate. The India-Asia collision further facilitated the dispersal of dipterocarps from India to similar climatic zones in Southeast Asia, which supports their out-of-India migration. The dispersal pathway suggested for Dipterocarpaceae may provide a framework for an alternative biogeographic hypothesis for several megathermal angiosperm families that are presently widely distributed in Southeast Asia.

AMBER DROPLETS IN THE SOUTHERN ALPS (NE ITALY): A LINK BETWEEN THEIR OCCURRENCES AND MAIN HUMID EPISODES IN THE TRIASSIC

The Anisian amber from the “Voltzia beds” of the Recoaro area, produced by Voltzia recubariensis, represents the most ancient Triassic amber known so far. The discovery of amber in the Anisian localities of Kühwiesenkopf/Monte Prà della Vacca and Piz da Peres, in the Dolomites area, fills a gap in the amber fossil record and gives an important contribution to the knowledge of Triassic amber. The finding of amber droplets, both dispersed in the sediment and anatomically connected to shoot fragments of V. recubariensis, demonstrates that during the Anisian this species was a major resin-producer and that the favorable conditions for the preservation of resin and plant remains were present at regional scale. The contribution of Voltziales to Middle Triassic resin production in Northern Italy is also testified by the Ladinian amber from the “Wengener Schichten” of Wengen/La Valle, produced by Voltzia ladinica, whereas the Late Triassic amber was mainly produced by cheirolepidiaceous conifers. The finding of organic body trapped in the amber of Kühwiesenkopf/Monte Prà dalla Vacca is noteworthy, although difficult to interpret, and shows once again its capability to entrap and preserve witnesses of past life. Moreover, the correspondence between the Triassic amber occurrences and regional/global scale humid shifts, suggests a cause-and-effect relationship, in which the rise of amber production/preservation potential is related to climate/environmental changes, particularly in marginal marine/costal environments.

Pushing the limits of optical resolution in the study of the tiniest fossil arthropods

ABSTRACT Studies of minute fossils trapped in amber shed light on the chronology of species and allow us to track evolutionary, ecological and biospheric changes. However, the resolution of commonly used methods for imaging amber fossils is limited, and the quality of preservation is not the only reason for this limitation. We have used super-resolution confocal laser microscopy (Airyscan) to study fossil mites (Acari) from the Eocene and Cretaceous amber (35–100 Ma). Here we report our technical approaches and methodological findings, including the selection of mounting medium, clearing of specimens, the effects of hydration of fossils in amber and the advantages of super-resolution confocal microscopy in obtaining images with sub-micron detail. Our results show that modern microscopy, in combination with specific non-destructive methods of amber preparation, can facilitate achieving image resolutions that were previously hardly feasible in fossils.

Phylogeny, evolution, and classification of the ant genus Lasius, the tribe Lasiini and the subfamily Formicinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

AbstractWithin the Formicidae, the higher classification of nearly all subfamilies has been recently revised given the findings of molecular phylogenetics. Here, we integrate morphology and molecular data to holistically address the evolution, classification, and identification of the ant genus Lasius, its tribe Lasiini, and their subfamily Formicinae. We find that the crown Lasiini originated around the end of the Cretaceous on the Eurasian continent and is divisible into four morphologically distinct clades: Cladomyrma, the Lasius genus group, the Prenolepis genus group, and a previously undetected lineage we name Metalasius gen.nov., with one extant species M. myrmidon comb. nov. and one fossil species, †M. pumilus comb. nov. The crown of the Lasius genus group is considerably younger than that of the Prenolepis genus group, indicating that extinction has played a major role in the evolution of the former clade. Lasius itself is divided into two well‐supported monophyletic groups, which are approximately equally speciose. We present evidence that temporary social parasitism and fungiculture arose twice independently in Lasius. In addition, we recover the paraphyly of three Lasius subgenera and propose replacing all subgenera with an informal species group classification: Lasius = Acanthomyops syn.rev., = Austrolasius syn.nov., = Cautolasius syn.nov., = Chthonolasius syn.nov., = Dendrolasius syn.nov. Total‐evidence analysis reveals that the Baltic‐region amber fossil species †Lasius pumilus and †Pseudolasius boreus are misplaced to genus; we, therefore, create Sussuido gen. nov. to accomodate †S. boreus comb. nov. and transfer †L. pumilus to Metalasius. Further, we transfer †Sussudio and †Glaphyromyrmex out of the Lasiini, considering the former to be incertae sedis in the subfamily, and the latter a member of the Formicini (tribal transfer). Two final taxonomic actions are deemed necessary: synonymy of Lasius escamole with Liometopum apiculatum syn.nov. (subfamilial transfer), and transfer of Paratrechina kohli to Anoplolepis (tribal transfer, forming A. kohli comb.nov.).ZooBank Article LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:016059BA‐33C3‐43B2‐ADAD‐6807DC5CB6D8Author ZooBank LSIDs: Borowiec: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:411B711F‐605B‐4C4B‐ABDB‐D4D96075CE48. Boudinot: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:919F03B0‐60BA‐4379‐964D‐A56EB582E16D. Prebus: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:1A6494C7‐795E‐455C‐B66F‐7F6C32F76584

Clusiomitidae, A New Family of Eocene Fossil Acalyptratae, with Revision of Acartophthalmites Hennig and Clusiomites Gen. Nov. (Diptera).

Simple SummaryThis study contributes to knowledge of the diversity of tertiary fossil flies of the group Acalyptratae. A new family Clusiomitidae is described on the basis of seven (four new) species from Baltic amber inclusions (Eocene, ca 48–34 Ma) belonging to two genera, Clusiomites gen. nov. and Acartophthalmites Hennig, 1965. Discovery of a new acalyptrate family in Baltic amber indicates an unusually rich diversity of this group in the so called “amber forest” covering a vast area of Europe in the Eocene climatic optimum.The Eocene Baltic amber fossil flies of the genus Acartophthalmites Hennig, 1965 (Diptera: Acalyptratae) are revised. Seven species are recognized and described or redescribed. Five species, A. crassipes sp. nov., A. luridus sp. nov., A. rugosus sp. nov., A. tertiaria Hennig, 1965 (type species) and A. willii Pérez-de la Fuente, Hoffeins et Roháček, 2018 are retained in Acartophthalmites while Clusiomites gen. nov. is described for two other species, C. clusioides (Roháček, 2016) comb. nov. (type species) and C. ornatus sp. nov. Relationships of these fossil taxa are discussed and, because they cannot be confidently placed in any known family of Diptera, a new family, Clusiomitidae, is established for them. Clusiomitidae is recognized as a family of Opomyzoidea, probably most closely allied to Clusiidae. These results again confirmed that the diversity of acalyptrate flies was very high in the Mid-late Eocene amber forest.

Fifty years of Bryology in Mexico

Background: Mexican botanists were not involved in bryophyte research fifty years ago; only four small floristic contributions were published between 1942-1958.&#x0D; Questions: What has been learned in the last fifty years? How many bryophytes are there in Mexico? What are the contributions by Mexican scientists?&#x0D; Studied species: Bryophyte flora.&#x0D; Study site and dates: Mexico, between 1942-2021.&#x0D; Methods: Bibliographic compilations were used to revise the status of bryophyte research in Mexico. Data for the last fifty years cited there and in an updated version of Latmoss served to determine the current knowledge of Mexican bryophytes as contributed by Mexican scientists. No thesis research was considered unless published in a scientific journal.&#x0D; Results: There are 16 species of Anthocerotophyta, ca. 600 of Marchantiophyta, and 997 Bryophyta in Mexico. At least seven phytogeographic elements are represented: Northern, Meso-American, Caribbean, Southern, Wide distribution, and Endemic. Highlights of Mexican research include the discovery of Hypnodontopsis sp., a Miocene amber fossil from Chiapas, identification of heavy metals deposits in urban mosses in Mexico City and Toluca, determination of chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes of Pseudocrossidium replicatum , and the potential use of recombinant proteins from Physcomitrella patens .&#x0D; Conclusions: Taxonomic and floristic studies should be continued along with the bryological exploration of the country. Conservation is urgent, but studies of drought tolerance, air pollution, climate change, and potential uses in medicine require support and collaboration from other scientists.

Dinosaur bonebed amber from an original swamp forest soil.

Dinosaur bonebeds with amber content, yet scarce, offer a superior wealth and quality of data on ancient terrestrial ecosystems. However, the preserved palaeodiversity and/or taphonomic characteristics of these exceptional localities had hitherto limited their palaeobiological potential. Here, we describe the amber from the Lower Cretaceous dinosaur bonebed of Ariño (Teruel, Spain) using a multidisciplinary approach. Amber is found in both a root layer with amber strictly in situ and a litter layer mainly composed of aerial pieces unusually rich in bioinclusions, encompassing 11 insect orders, arachnids, and a few plant and vertebrate remains, including a feather. Additional palaeontological data-charophytes, palynomorphs, ostracods- are provided. Ariño arguably represents the most prolific and palaeobiologically diverse locality in which fossiliferous amber and a dinosaur bonebed have been found in association, and the only one known where the vast majority of the palaeontological assemblage suffered no or low-grade pre-burial transport. This has unlocked unprecedentedly complete and reliable palaeoecological data out of two complementary windows of preservation-the bonebed and the amber-from the same site.

Crab in amber reveals an early colonization of nonmarine environments during the Cretaceous.

Amber fossils provide snapshots of the anatomy, biology, and ecology of extinct organisms that are otherwise inaccessible. The best-known fossils in amber are terrestrial arthropods—principally insects—whereas aquatic organisms are rarely represented. Here, we present the first record of true crabs (Brachyura) in amber—from the Cretaceous of Myanmar [~100 to 99 million years (Ma)]. The new fossil preserves large compound eyes, delicate mouthparts, and even gills. This modern-looking crab is nested within crown Eubrachyura, or “higher” true crabs, which includes the majority of brachyuran species living today. The fossil appears to have been trapped in a brackish or freshwater setting near a coastal to fluvio-estuarine environment, bridging the gap between the predicted molecular divergence of nonmarine crabs (~130 Ma) and their younger fossil record (latest Cretaceous and Paleogene, ~75 to 50 Ma) while providing a reliable calibration point for molecular divergence time estimates for higher crown eubrachyurans.

A tardigrade in Dominican amber.

Tardigrades are a diverse group of charismatic microscopic invertebrates that are best known for their ability to survive extreme conditions. Despite their long evolutionary history and global distribution in both aquatic and terrestrial environments, the tardigrade fossil record is exceedingly sparse. Molecular clocks estimate that tardigrades diverged from other panarthropod lineages before the Cambrian, but only two definitive crown-group representatives have been described to date, both from Cretaceous fossil deposits in North America. Here, we report a third fossil tardigrade from Miocene age Dominican amber. Paradoryphoribius chronocaribbeus gen. et sp. nov. is the first unambiguous fossil representative of the diverse superfamily Isohypsibioidea, as well as the first tardigrade fossil described from the Cenozoic. We propose that the patchy tardigrade fossil record can be explained by the preferential preservation of these microinvertebrates as amber inclusions, coupled with the scarcity of fossiliferous amber deposits before the Cretaceous.

Fossils constrain biogeographical history in a clade of flattened spiders with transcontinental distribution

AbstractAimFossil data may be crucial to infer biogeographical history, especially in taxa with tropical trans‐Pacific distributions. Here, we use extinct and extant trochanteriid flattened spiders to test hypotheses that could explain its trans‐Pacific disjunct distribution, including a Boreotropical origin with a North Atlantic dispersal, an African origin with South Atlantic dispersal and an Eurasian origin with Bering Bridge route.LocationWorld‐wide.TaxonTrochanteriidae, Plator‐Doliomalus‐Vectius (PDV) clade.MethodsMicroCT was used to collect morphological data from an undescribed Baltic amber fossil. These data were used with additional fossils and extant species in a total‐evidence, tip‐dated phylogenetic analysis. We tested different scenarios using constrained dispersal matrices in a Bayesian approach. An analysis with fossils pruned was also performed to explore how lack of fossil data might impact inferences of biogeographical process.ResultsThe phylogenetic analyses allowed us to place the new fossil in the genus Plator. Analyses without fossils suggest an African origin with a dispersal to Asia from India and a South Atlantic dispersal to South America. When fossils are included, hypothesis‐testing rejects this scenario and equally supports a Boreotropical and an Afro‐European origin with a South Atlantic route and a dispersal to Asia from Europe.Main conclusionsBiogeographical inferences of disjunctly distributed taxa should be interpreted with caution when fossils are not included. Although one alternative hypothesis was not completely rejected, results show that the Boreotropical hypothesis for the PDV clade could be a robust explanation for its actual distribution. This hypothesis is mostly overlooked in animal taxa and rigorous tests with other taxa with similar distributions may reveal that a Boreotropical origin is common. We discuss methodological approaches that could improve biogeographical tests using fossils as terminals.

Long-headed predators in Cretaceous amber—fossil findings of an unusual type of lacewing larva

Lacewing larvae (Neuroptera) are known to be fierce predators which are morphologically highly specialised for a raptorial lifestyle. Mandibular-maxillary stylets are characteristic for all larvae of this group; these stylets can be extraordinarily massive. Despite these distinct sucking-piercing stylets, also other extreme features occur in some ingroups, such as an extremely elongated neck. In larvae of thread-winged lacewings (Crocinae) the neck can reach up to about one third of the body length; they are also called ‘long-necked antlions’. Even though the larvae of living neuropteran species show a variety of conspicuous morphologies today, indeed 100 million years ago, in the Cretaceous, Neuroptera seems to have had an even more “experimental phase”. Several larval specimens are known so far especially in Myanmar, Spanish and Lebanese amber from the Cretaceous with unique and unusual character combinations not found in any group living today. We describe here ten new fossil findings of one of these types of larvae with elongated head capsule in Myanmar amber, previously only known from a single specimen. We compared the head shapes of the new specimens with those of 190 specimens of other lacewing larvae and discuss further implications of our findings, especially making functional comparisons with long-necked antlions.

Rewinding the molecular clock in the genus Carabus (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in light of fossil evidence and the Gondwana split: A reanalysis.

Molecular clocks have become powerful tools given increasing sequencing and fossil resources. However, calibration analyses outcomes depend on the choice of priors. Here, we revisited the seminal dating study published by Andújar and coworkers of the genus Carabus proposing that prior choices need re-evaluation. We hypothesized that reflecting fossil evidence and the Gondwanan split properly significantly rewinds the molecular clock. We re-used the dataset including five mitochondrial and four nuclear DNA fragments with a total length of 7888 nt. Fossil evidence for Oligocene occurrence of Calosoma was considered. Root age was set based on the fossil evidence of Harpalinae ground beetles in the Upper Cretaceous. Paleogene divergence of the outgroup taxa Ceroglossini and Pamborini is introduced as a new prior based on current paleontological and geological literature. The ultrametric time-calibrated tree of the extended nd5 dataset resulted in a median TMRCA Carabus of 53.92 Ma (HPD 95% 45.01–63.18 Ma), roughly 30 Ma older than in the Andújar study. The splits among C. rugosus and C. morbillosus (A), C. riffensis from the European Mesocarabus (B), and Eurycarabus and Nesaeocarabus (C) were dated to 17.58 (12.87–22.85), 24.14 (18.02–30.58), and 21.6 (16.44–27.43) Ma. They were decidedly older than those previously reported (7.48, 10.93, and 9.51 Ma). These changes were driven almost entirely by constraining the Carabidae time-tree root with a Harpalinae amber fossil at ~99 Ma. Utilizing the nd5 dating results of three well-supported Carabus clades as secondary calibration points for the complete MIT-NUC dataset led to a TMRCA of Carabus of 44.72 (37.54–52.22) Ma, compared with 25.16 Ma (18.41–33.04 Ma) in the previous study. Considering fossil evidence for Oligocene Calosoma and Late Cretaceous Harpalini together with the Gondwanan split as a new prior, our new approach supports the origin of genus Carabus in the Eocene. Our results are preliminary because of the heavy reliance on the nd5 gene, and thus will have to be tested with a sufficient set of nuclear markers. Additionally, uncertainties due to dating root age of the tree based on a single fossil and outgroup taxon affect the results. Improvement of the fossil database, particularly in the supertribe Carabitae, is needed to reduce these uncertainties in dating Carabus phylogeny.

Miocene Ethiopian amber: A new source of fossil cryptogams

AbstractAmber is renowned for the exceptional preservation state of its inclusions, allowing detailed morphological analysis and providing relevant environmental, palaeoecological, geographical, and geological information. Amber deposits are predominantly known from North America, Europe, and Asia, and are considered to be rare on the continents that formed Gondwana. The recent discovery of fossiliferous amber deposits in Ethiopia, therefore, provides an inimitable opportunity to close gaps in the fossil record of African terrestrial biota and to study organisms which are otherwise rare in the fossil record. Here we show that diverse cryptogams are preserved in highest fidelity in Miocene Ethiopian amber. We describe gametophyte fragments of four liverworts: Thysananthus aethiopicus sp. nov. (Porellales, Lejeuneaceae), Lejeunea abyssinicoides sp. nov. (Porellales, Lejeuneaceae), Frullania shewanensis sp. nov. (Porellales, Frullaniaceae), and Frullania palaeoafricana sp. nov. (Porellales, Frullaniaceae). Furthermore, we describe a pleurocarpous moss of the extant genus Isopterygium (Hypnales, Pylaisiadelphaceae) and a lichen representing the order Lecanorales. These new specimens represent the first amber fossils of liverworts, mosses, and lichens from the African continent and render Ethiopian amber as one of the few worldwide amber deposits preserving bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) or lichens. Fossil species of Thysananthus were recorded in Eocene Baltic and Oligocene Bitterfeld as well as Miocene Dominican and probably also Miocene Mexican ambers. Fossils that can unequivocally be assigned to Lejeunea have only been found in Dominican amber so far. Neotropical ambers contain only one taxon of Frullania to date, while the genus is most diverse in Baltic, Bitterfeld, and Rovno ambers, formed in temperate regions. The new fossils support a tropical to subtropical origin of Ethiopian amber. The new African liverwort fossils are included in an updated list of leafy liverworts described from worldwide Cenozoic ambers to date.

Baskinta and Bqaatouta: Two new early Barremian fossiliferous amber outcrops from Central Lebanon

Two new fossiliferous amber outcrops in the heights of Baskinta and Bqaatouta (El-Maten and Kesserouan districts, Central Lebanon) are described. These new discoveries constitute respectively the 27th and 28th amber outcrops with biological inclusions in Lebanon, enrich and improve our knowledge about the palaeobiodiversity and palaeoenvironment of the North-Eastern coast of Gondwana during the early Barremian.