Modern Fauna Research Articles

An Expanded View on the Morphological Diversity of Long-Nosed Antlion Larvae Further Supports a Decline of Silky Lacewings in the Past 100 Million Years

Lacewings have been suggested to be a relict group. This means that the group of lacewings, Neuroptera, should have been more diverse in the past, which also applies to many ingroups of Neuroptera. Psychopsidae, the group of silky lacewings, is one of the ingroups of Neuroptera which is relatively species-poor in the modern fauna. Larvae of the group Psychopsidae, long-nosed antlions, can be easily identified as such in being larvae of antlion-like lacewings without teeth in their stylets (=compound structure of mandible and maxilla), with empodia (=attachment structures on legs) and with a prominent forward-protruding labrum. Therefore, such larvae can also be recognised in the fossil record. An earlier study demonstrated a decline in the morphological diversity of long-nosed antlion larvae over the past 100 million years. Here, we report several dozen new long-nosed antlion larvae and expand the earlier quantitative study. Our results further corroborate the decline of silky lacewings. Yet, a lack of an indication of saturation indicates that we have still not approached the original diversity of long-nosed antlions in the Cretaceous.

First record of the pseudoscorpion tribe Tyrannochthoniini Chamberlin, 1962 from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber of northern Myanmar (Pseudoscorpiones: Chthoniidae: Chthoniinae)

The pseudoscorpion tribe Tyrannochthoniini (Pseudoscorpiones: Chthoniidae) is one of the oldest and most specious groups within this arachnid order and is found in almost all tropical and subtropical habitats. Although molecular dating analyses suggest a Paleozoic origin for this tribe, the only known fossil records of Tyrannochthoniini until now are from the Miocene (ca. 16 Ma), indicating a significant gap in the fossil record. Here we provide the earliest record of Tyrannochthoniini in mid-Cretaceous (lowermost Cenomanian: ca. 99 Ma) Burmese amber from northern Myanmar, with the description of a new genus (Burmeochthonius) and two new species (Burmeochthonius kachinae and Burmeochthonius muelleri), extending the known fossil record of this tribe by ca. 75 Ma, from the Miocene to the Cretaceous. We also provide a discussion on the evolution and biogeography of this widespread pseudoscorpion lineage in the tropics. The occurrence of a tropical, extant pseudoscorpion tribe in Burmese amber and the similarities between these fossils and the modern fauna suggests that the paleoclimate and perhaps also paleoenvironments of Cretaceous Burmese forests did not differ much from the forests of Myanmar today.

Phylogeny and systematics of Sphaeriusidae (Coleoptera: Myxophaga): minute living fossils with underestimated past and present‐day diversity

AbstractSphaeriusidae (Coleoptera: Myxophaga) is a group of shiny, blackish and hemispherical riparian beetles, known for their miniaturized bodies. They are worldwide in distribution, but very limited information is available about taxonomic and morphological diversity, and natural and evolutionary history. The aim of this study is to help fill in these gaps. We examined the external morphology of modern representatives using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and reconstructed the phylogeny of the family using five DNA markers (cytochrome oxidase I, 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, CAD and wingless). Our results suggest a larger morphological diversity than previously expected, corresponding to the deep genetic divergences of principal lineages. We also examined two inclusions in 99‐million‐year‐old Burmese amber. The integration of all evidence allows us to recognize three genera: the extinct genus †Burmasporum Kirejtshuk, the newly defined genus Bezesporum gen.nov. preserved in Burmese amber (B. burmiticum sp.nov.) and present in the modern fauna of Southeast Asia, and the genus Sphaerius Waltl with a world‐wide distribution. Sphaerius species are morphologically highly uniform, with the exception of species from Australia and South Africa, which share some characteristics with Bezesporum gen.nov. despite being resolved as deeply nested lineages of Sphaerius by DNA data. The presence of Bezesporum gen.nov. in Burmese amber and in recent fauna indicates that Sphaeriusidae largely maintained their specific morphology and specialized riparian lifestyle for at least 100 million years. Therefore, they can be considered an exceptionally conserved group, with a minimum of evolutionary changes over a long period. Our study also demonstrates that the species numbers and fine‐scale morphological diversity of Sphaeriusidae are larger than expected in both the past and present‐day faunas. Both were apparently underestimated due to the minute body size and cryptic habits of these beetles.

Carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen stable isotopes in modern tooth enamel: A case study from Gorongosa National Park, central Mozambique

The analyses of the stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ13C), nitrogen (δ15N), and oxygen (δ18O) in animal tissues are powerful tools for reconstructing the feeding behavior of individual animals and characterizing trophic interactions in food webs. Of these biomaterials, tooth enamel is the hardest, most mineralized vertebrate tissue and therefore least likely to be affected by chemical alteration (i.e., its isotopic composition can be preserved over millions of years), making it an important and widely available archive for biologists and paleontologists. Here, we present the first combined measurements of δ13C, δ15N, and δ18O in enamel from the teeth of modern fauna (herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores) from the well-studied ecosystem of Gorongosa National Park (GNP) in central Mozambique. We use two novel methods to produce high-precision stable isotope enamel data: (i) the “oxidation-denitrification method,”which permits the measurement of mineral-bound organic nitrogen in tooth enamel (δ15Nenamel), which until now, has not been possible due to enamel’s low organic content, and (ii) the “cold trap method,” which greatly reduces the sample size required for traditional measurements of inorganic δ13Cenameland δ18Oenamel(from ≥0.5 to ≤0.1 mg), permitting analysis of small or valuable teeth and high-resolution serial sampling of enamel. The stable isotope results for GNP fauna reveal important ecological information about the trophic level, dietary niche, and resource consumption. δ15Nenamelvalues clearly differentiate trophic level (i.e., carnivore δ15Nenamelvalues are 4.0‰ higher, on average, than herbivores), δ13Cenamelvalues distinguish C3and/or C4biomass consumption, and δ18Oenamelvalues reflect local meteoric water (δ18Owater) in the park. Analysis of combined carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen stable isotope data permits geochemical separation of grazers, browsers, omnivores, and carnivores according to their isotopic niche, while mixed-feeding herbivores cannot be clearly distinguished from other dietary groups. These results confirm that combined C, N, and O isotope analyses of a single aliquot of tooth enamel can be used to reconstruct diet and trophic niches. Given its resistance to chemical alteration, the analysis of these three isotopes in tooth enamel has a high potential to open new avenues of research in (paleo)ecology and paleontology.

Taphonomy and biochronology of the Late Pleistocene mammalian fauna at Baolai cave, in Bubing Basin, southern China

ABSTRACT This paper reports a mammalian fauna collected from the excavation of Baolai cave, southeast of Bubing Basin, in 2004. The fauna mainly consists of extant species and only a few typical members of ‘Ailuropoda-Stegodon fauna’ (Stegodon, Ailuropoda and Rhinoceros). According to results of the U-series dating from flowstones overlying and below the fossil beds (54–24 Ka), the Baolai fauna represents the mammalian assemblage in the Late Pleistocene. Compared with the faunas of Middle and Late Pleistocene in southern China and Southeast Asia, extant species dominate the Baolai fauna, mostly consistent with modern fauna of southern China during the Holocene. Modern fauna emerged later in southern China than in Southeast Asia, presenting successive characteristics. Significant bias for small or tiny fossils in Baolai cave reveals a special taphonomic process. Baolai cave is located at the same horizontal level as Upper Wuyun cave and Ganxian cave which yield Middle Pleistocene deposits with mammalian fossils. However, the Baolai fauna is much younger. Based on the gnawing marks on tooth roots, rodents may be the main taphonomic agent, or the fossils were brought in by flow-water through the karstic system above.

35 million-year-old solid-wood-borer beetle larvae support the idea of stressed Eocene amber forests

Eocene amber is an important window into the past about 35 million years ago. The large quantities of resin produced by this forest of the past, resulting in amber, triggered the idea of a forest under stress. Recent findings of higher abundances of hoverfly larvae in Eocene amber, in the modern fauna often associated with wood-borer larvae, provided a hint that wood-borer larvae may have contributed to this stress. Yet, so far only few such larvae have been reported. We have compiled a dozen additional wood-borer larvae in amber, including a giant one of at least 35 mm length in Rovno amber. Heavily damaged fossils furthermore indicate that larger larvae of this type were prone to oxidation and that, at least some, enigmatic tube-like tunnels in larger amber pieces may represent remains of large wood-borer larvae. This find strongly indicates that wood-borer larvae were not rare, but common in the Eocene amber forest, which is compatible with the high abundances of hoverfly larvae and further supports the idea of a forest under stress. Whether the possible higher abundances of wood-borer larvae were the cause of the stress or a symptom of an already stressed forest remains so far unclear.

Biodiversity of Coleoptera (Insecta) in Lipetsk Region (Russia)

(1) Background: Coleoptera is one of the most diverse insect lineages. Coleoptera species live in many ecosystems around the globe and their role in ecosystems is very diverse. To study the number and distribution of species, lists of species were compiled and then added into the database generation platforms. The aim of the work was to describe the modern fauna of Coleoptera based on a recently published dataset. (2) Methods: Studies were conducted from 1971 to 2022. Insects were collected by different means (searching under the bark of trees and stumps, sifting litter and wood dust, soil samples, caught in the light, in soil traps, window traps, etc.). For each observation, the coordinates of the place of discovery, the number of individuals, dates were noted. (3) Results: The dataset presents data on 2416 species and subspecies of Coleoptera from 89 families found in the Lipetsk region. In total, the number of studied specimens in the dataset was 16,184, the number of occurrences was 6192. The largest families in terms of species diversity were Staphylinidae (541 species), Curculionidae (416), Chrysomelidae (315) and Carabidae (285). (4) Conclusions: In addition, based on the analysis of additional references, 452 more species and 2 families are indicated. Thus, the biodiversity of Coleoptera of the Lipetsk region is 2868 species from 89 families.

Morphology-based Phylogenetic Analysis of Membracoidea (Hemiptera: Cicadomorpha) With Placement of Fossil Taxa and Description of a New Subfamily

Abstract Recently discovered amber-preserved fossil Cicadellidae exhibit combinations of morphological traits not observed in the modern fauna and have the potential to shed new light on the evolution of this highly diverse family. To place the fossils explicitly within a phylogenetic context, representatives of five extinct genera from Cretaceous Myanmar amber, and one from Eocene Baltic amber were incorporated into a matrix comprising 229 discrete morphological characters and representatives of all modern subfamilies. Phylogenetic analyses yielded well resolved and largely congruent estimates that support the monophyly of most previously recognized cicadellid subfamilies and indicate that the treehoppers are derived from a lineage of Cicadellidae. Instability in the morphology-based phylogenies is mainly confined to deep internal splits that received low branch support in one or more analyses and also were not consistently resolved by recent phylogenomic analyses. Placement of fossil taxa is mostly stable across analyses. Three new Cretaceous leafhopper genera, Burmotettix gen. nov., Kachinella gen nov., and Viraktamathus gen. nov., consistently form a monophyletic group distinct from extant leafhopper subfamilies and are placed in Burmotettiginae subfam. nov. Extinct Cretaceous fossils previously placed in Ledrinae and Signoretiinae are recovered as sister to modern representatives of these groups. Eomegophthalmus Dietrich and Gonçalves from Baltic amber consistently groups with a lineage comprising treehoppers, Megophthalminae, Ulopinae, and Eurymelinae but its position is unstable. Overall, the morphology-based phylogenetic estimates agree with recent phylogenies based on molecular data alone suggesting that morphological traits recently used to diagnose subfamilies are generally informative of phylogenetic relationships within this group.

인간․비인간의 난민화와 레푸기아(Refúgĭa)

This paper focuses on the Kruger National Park in South Africa, the background of Nadine Gordimer’s novel “The Ultimate Safari”(1991), and how the park turned from a historical site of Apartheid to an ecological one. Human and non-human migration, once mainly caused by conflicts and civil wars, are increasingly the result of habitat destruction, environmental pollution, and climate change. Although the movement of flora and fauna is noticeable, the constant movement of humans has been neglected. As a result, immobility between continents was taken for granted by society, and the overall human and non-human mobility was interpreted as ominous and negative. Also, the establishment of borders and adherence to ethnocentrism and the nation-state stems from political and power relationships that incite migration with instability. Therefore, gender, race, ethnicity, and nationality work unevenly. However, humans and non-humans have a longer history of migration than imagined, and it is a natural cycle. It is rather a sign of hope to decide to move in a situation of deprivation when being ousted from one’s home. Many species die due to climate change, but finding shelter even after suffering a displacement demonstrates the capacity to move. Unlike enclaves, which alienate adjacent regions or are alienated from ones, “Refúgĭa,” refers to regions where elements of modern flora and fauna might have survived glacial periods with greatly reduced numbers and distributions. Even now, “Refúgĭa” continues to occur in many places, including Kruger National Park. In the background of losing domicile and increasing refugeeism worldwide, the move to Refúgĭa should not just mean places, but should lead to the act of creating controversial places across major connections between multiple “sharing” experiences.

Holocene bidirectional river system along the Kenya Rift and its influence on East African faunal exchange and diversity gradients

East Africa is a global biodiversity hotspot and exhibits distinct longitudinal diversity gradients from west to east in freshwater fishes and forest mammals. The assembly of this exceptional biodiversity and the drivers behind diversity gradients remain poorly understood, with diversification often studied at local scales and less attention paid to biotic exchange between Afrotropical regions. Here, we reconstruct a river system that existed for several millennia along the now semiarid Kenya Rift Valley during the humid early Holocene and show how this river system influenced postglacial dispersal of fishes and mammals due to its dual role as a dispersal corridor and barrier. Using geomorphological, geochronological, isotopic, and fossil analyses and a synthesis of radiocarbon dates, we find that the overflow of Kenyan rift lakes between 12 and 8 ka before present formed a bidirectional river system consisting of a "Northern River" connected to the Nile Basin and a "Southern River," a closed basin. The drainage divide between these rivers represented the only viable terrestrial dispersal corridor across the rift. The degree and duration of past hydrological connectivity between adjacent river basins determined spatial diversity gradients for East African fishes. Our reconstruction explains the isolated distribution of Nilotic fish species in modern Kenyan rift lakes, Guineo-Congolian mammal species in forests east of the Kenya Rift, and recent incipient vertebrate speciation and local endemism in this region. Climate-driven rearrangements of drainage networks unrelated to tectonic activity contributed significantly to the assembly of species diversity and modern faunas in the East African biodiversity hotspot.

Diversity of schizomids (Arachnida: Schizomida) revealed by new fossil genera and species from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber with implications for a Gondwanan origin of the Burma Terrane

Abstract Short-tailed whipscorpions are a small arachnid order with 379 described species from (sub)tropical regions of the world. The order has a fragmentary fossil record but has left a rich, albeit hitherto undocumented, fossil legacy in mid-Cretaceous amber from Myanmar, also called Burmese amber or Burmite. Here, we review a large series of schizomids from this type of amber and propose four new genera for seven new species. In addition, we include a short revision of all schizomid genera based on 14 morphological characters. Although none of the fossils can be assigned to Recent genera, they resemble the modern fauna in general morphology and highlight relative morphological stasis in this arachnid order. The fossils show a general trend towards eye reduction, but some of the specimens retain corneate eyes. Comparative data suggest affinities of the fossils with the Recent Old World fauna rather than American relatives. Furthermore, the fossils provide evidence for a Gondwanan origin of the Burma Terrane. Overall, the data suggest a high diversity at both species and genus levels for Burmese amber schizomids. We discuss potential reasons for this richness that will probably necessitate the description of additional genera and species in future studies.

INTESTINAL PARASITES OF DOGS FROM SE-YAKHA (YAMAL) IN CONTEMPORARY

Archaeological work is actively carried out on the territory of Yamal, while traces of invasion are also found in coprolites and the cultural layer, and therefore, it is of interest to compare modern and ancient parasite fauna. Combined and sedimentation methods were used to analyze 11 stool samples of domestic dogs collected in 2021 during the expedition in the Se-Yakha settlement. Prevalence was established – 54.55%, while the dominant parasite was Sarcocystis (27.27%), T. leonina was detected less often – 18.18% and tapeworm – 9.09%, trematode invasion was not recorded, although opisthorchiasis is constantly recorded in the region. Morphometric studies of the eggs of the tapeworm and sporocysts were carried out. The tapeworm eggs are 61.50±1.3 µm long; egg width 41.7±1.03 µm; the width of the mouth is 22.20±0.88, which most closely matches the description of D. nihonkaiense (syn. D. klebanovskii). The eggs of the tapeworms are a frequent archaeological find, but the species is not established. According to morphological and ecological characteristics, protozoa (length 14.40±0.30 µm; width 10.25±0.18 µm; shape index 1.40±0.04) correspond to the description of S. grueneri. Most likely, dogs in ancient times also had them, but due to their small size and thin shell, they were not preserved.

Unraveling the evolutionary history of the snakefly family Inocelliidae (Insecta: Raphidioptera) through integrative phylogenetics.

Inocelliidae is one of the two extant families of the holometabolan order Raphidioptera (snakeflies), with the modern fauna represented by seven genera and 44 species. The evolutionary history of the family is little-known. Here we present the first phylogenetic and biogeographical analyses based on a worldwide sampling of taxa and datasets combined with morphological characters and mitochondrial genomes, aiming to investigate the intergeneric phylogeny and historical biogeography of Inocelliidae. The phylogenetic inference from the combined analysis of morphological and molecular data recovered the sister-group relationship between a clade of (Negha + Indianoinocellia) + Sininocellia and a clade of Fibla + the Inocellia clade (interiorly nested by Amurinocellia and Parainocellia). Amurinocellia stat.r. and Parainocellia stat.r. et emend.n. are relegated to subgeneric status within Inocellia, whereas a newly erected subgenus of Inocellia, Epinocellia subgen.n., accommodates the former Parainocellia burmana (U. Aspöck and H. Aspöck, 1968) plus a new species Inocellia (Epinocellia) weii sp.n. Further, the Inocellia crassicornis group constitutes the nominotypical subgenus Inocellia stat.n., but the Inocellia fulvostigmata group is paraphyletic. Diversification within Inocelliidae is distinguished by an Eocene divergence leading to extant genera and a Miocene radiation of species. A biogeographical scenario depicts how the diverse inocelliid fauna from East Asia could have originated from western North America via dispersal across the Beringia during the early Tertiary, and how the Miocene ancestors of Inocellia could have accomplished long-distance dispersals via the Tibet-Himalayan corridor or eastern Palaearctic to western Palaearctic. Our results shed new light specifically on the evolution of Inocelliidae and, in general, the Raphidioptera.

A Cretaceous balloon lifts the veil on the antiquity and evolution of nuptial gifts

Nuptial gift-giving is one of the most remarkable traits to have evolved among animal mating systems, and has brought about numerous hypotheses regarding their evolution and influence. Yet, their study has been confined to the modern fauna owing to their ephemeral nature and lack of traces on the environment suitable for preservation. Here we report the first paleontological and earliest evidence of nuptial gift-giving behavior from a male fly of Alavesia (Diptera: Empidoidea) that is an obligate flower visitor in Cretaceous amber carrying his gift, an empty frothy balloon. The fossil demonstrates the antiquity of this behavior, its occurrence in early diverging lineages of Empidoidea, and its maintenance over 99 million years. The nature of the fossil gift provides clues into the function of swarming and the diversity of gifts employed. Based on the phylogenetic pattern of feeding and mating traits, it is inferred that the gift initially alleviated nutrient pressure on females and may have been empty and secreted from male salivary glands in the first place, those with prey items inside were derived later. The evolution of these mating systems may have been a response to maximizing the usage of exogenous nutrients and for signal transmission.

The Late Oligocene rodent faunas of Canales (MP28) and Parrales (MP29) from the Loranca Basin, Province of Cuenca, Spain

Two rodent faunas from the Upper Oligocene fluvial sediments of the Upper Detrital Unit of the Loranca Basin are described. The oldest fauna of Canales contains lssiodoromys limognensis and is correlated to MP28; the other, more modern fauna of Parrales contains I. pseudanaema and it is correlated to MP29. The cricetid genera Adelomyarion Hugueney, 1969 and Allocricetodon Freudenthal, 1994 are reviewed and the latter one is considered to be a junior synonym of the former one. The faunas are compared to other Spanish late Oligocene faunas such as Vivel de Río, Hinojosa de Jarque, and Sayaton 1 and 6. The resulting succession is correlated to the most important remaining European late Oligocene localities, and the biochronological subdivision of this period is discussed.

An owlfly larva preserved in Mexican amber and the Miocene record of lacewing larvae

Neuroptera (lacewings) is today a rather small lineage of Holometabola. These representatives of Insecta have mostly predatory larvae with prominent venom-injecting stylets formed by upper and lower jaws. These impressive larvae can be found not only in the modern fauna, but sometimes also as fossils, predominantly preserved in amber. Here we report a new specimen of a lacewing larva from Miocene Mexican amber, most likely a larva of an owlfly (Ascalaphidae) with large prominent stylets, each with three teeth. These stylets arise from a more or less square-shaped head (in dorsal view) that has distinct eye hills with at least three simple eyes (stemmata) each. The trunk is rather short. Trunk segments possess finger-like protrusions carrying numerous setae, which could have been used to attach camouflaging debris to it. Remarkably, the specimen represents only the second report of a lacewing from Miocene Mexican amber, and the first larva. Additionally, we review the Miocene record of lacewing larvae. It includes otherwise only fossils preserved in Dominican amber and remains rather scarce, with only eight specimens in the literature so far. While there seem to be additional specimens in private collections, the overall number is astonishingly low compared to the numbers in Eocene and Cretaceous ambers. Ecological and taphonomic factors possibly explaining the rarity of lacewing larvae in Miocene amber are discussed here.

Parasitic hump-backed flies (Diptera: Phoridae) from Miocene ambers

Phorid flies are an abundant and diverse dipteran family in modern faunas, yet poorly represented in the fossil record. Here, we describe the first fossil species of the millipede parasitizing genus Myriophora, M. asiatica n. sp., and three new fossil species of the ant parasitizing genus Apocephalus, A. miocenus n. sp., A. dominicanus n. sp., and A. chiapanecus n. sp. discovered in Miocene amber deposits from China, Dominican Republic, and Mexico, respectively. Moreover, we add details on the species Apocephalus succineus Brown, previously described in Dominican amber, with the observation of a new specimen. We also include a dichotomous key for all Apocephalus species described in the fossil record.

Changes in the Morphological Diversity of Larvae of Lance Lacewings, Mantis Lacewings and Their Closer Relatives over 100 Million Years.

Simple SummaryAmong insects, the group Neuroptera (lacewings) appears to be less well known to most people, at least in comparison to beetles, butterflies, or wasps. Nowadays, about 6000 species of lacewings are known, but the fossil record yields a large number of further representatives, hinting to a possibly larger role lacewings played in ecosystems of the past. Especially the larvae of lacewings (most prominent examples are antlions) exhibit a large morphological diversity, with fossils exhibiting many peculiar morphologies not known from the modern fauna. Lacewing larvae are well recognisable as such by their prominent jaws, also called stylets. In this study, we analysed the change of larval diversity in different lacewing groups based on the shape of these stylets together with the heads. Our results point to a complex pattern of diversity changes in Neuroptera from 100 million years ago until today.Neuroptera, the group of lacewings, comprises only about 6000 species in the modern fauna, but is generally assumed to have been more diverse and important in the past. A major factor of the modern-day ecological diversity of the group, and supposedly in the past as well, is represented by the highly specialised larval forms of lacewings. Quantitative analyses of the morphology of larvae revealed a loss of morphological diversity in several lineages. Here we explored the diversity of the larvae of mantis lacewings (Mantispidae), lance lacewings (Osmylidae), beaded lacewings (Berothidae and Rhachiberothidae, the latter potentially an ingroup of Berothidae), and pleasing lacewings (Dilaridae), as well as fossil larvae, preserved in amber, resembling these. We used shape analysis of the head capsule and stylets (pair of conjoined jaws) as a basis due to the high availability of this body region in extant and fossil specimens and the ecological importance of this region. The analysis revealed a rather constant morphological diversity in Berothidae. Mantispidae appears to have lost certain forms of larvae, but has seen a drastic increase of larval diversity after the Cretaceous; this is in contrast to a significant decrease in diversity in adult forms.

Extinction risk is linked to lifestyle in freshwater gastropods

AbstractAimFreshwater ecosystems and their biota are severely endangered by global change today, and predicted extinction levels are skyrocketing for many taxa. Most studies have focused on entire clades, while approaches testing for selective extinction risk with respect to ecological traits are rare. As studies are typically based on modern faunas, the generality of the detected patterns in the context of the current biodiversity crisis remains uncertain. We use a dataset of fossil and modern freshwater gastropods to investigate extinction probability in dependence of lifestyle and geographic distribution.LocationEurope, Miocene to present‐day.MethodsWe performed generalized linear mixed modelling to test for a relationship between extinction probability and taxonomic group (Caenogastropoda vs. Hygrophila, reflecting different lifestyles) and range size, while using time as random effect. Extinction and survival of modern representatives was predicted based on IUCN conservation status. To identify the types of faunas with elevated extinction risk with respect to lifestyle, we tested for a relationship between the proportion of Caenogastropoda and lake surface area and geological duration using generalized linear models.ResultsWe found a clear relationship between extinction likelihood and lifestyle, which is linked to differences in range sizes and is independent of geological time. Caenogastropoda are more prone to go extinct. A strong positive relationship between the proportion of Caenogastropoda and geological duration was found, showing that Caenogastropoda are more dominant in long‐lived lakes.Main conclusionsThe elevated extinction risk of caenogastropods is linked to their smaller geographic ranges, which reflects their comparably poor colonization ability, and urges enhanced conservation efforts. Their high diversity and high degree of endemism in long‐lived lakes render, especially these archives of evolution important conservators of biodiversity. As most of these lakes are under severe anthropogenic pressure, concerted conservation measures are needed to ensure the survival of their unique biota.

Late Miocene otoliths from northern Taiwan: insights into the rarely known Neogene coastal fish community of the subtropical northwest Pacific

ABSTRACT Knowledge of Neogene fish diversity in Taiwan is extremely limited. In this paper, we present a collection of 1716 fish otoliths recovered from the late Miocene Tapu Formation. The abundance and density of otoliths vary across the sites. Although the preservation of samples is considerably limited, our sample coverage is sufficient and reveals the presence of at least 34 otolith-based taxa belonging to 13 families. Four new species are introduced: Larimichthys koae sp. nov., Nibea chaoi sp. nov., Taosciaena jiangi sp. nov., and T. hui sp. nov. Among the earliest fossil records, this collection features a remarkable abundance of Larimichthys spp. The assemblage is dominated by otoliths of Sciaenidae, Gobiidae and Soleidae, and it is indicative of a coastal shallow-water palaeoenvironment with muddy to sandy bottoms, perhaps adjacent to a river mouth. We hypothesise that the differences in the taxonomic composition between the fossil assemblage and modern fauna are mainly chronological and evolutionary, and only a moderate turnover of certain lineages has occurred since the Miocene. Our study provides a unique ‘window’ to a rarely visited fossil fish community that exclusively documented by fossil otolith data, and reveals a past coastal fish diversity that otherwise could not be recognised.