Rovno Amber Research Articles

Discovery of Atomaria saxonica (Coleoptera: Cryptophagidae) in Rovno amber and Eocene silken fungus beetles diversity

Atomaria saxonica Lyubarsky et Perkovsky, 2018, a first cryptophagid species from Bitterfeld amber, is redescribed after its discovery in Rovno amber. European amber cryptophagids are listed. Cryptophagids (18 species) are the most diverse group of mycophagous beetles in European amber.

Palaeohelicopsyche netnetdaida sp.n., a first species of Helicopsychidae (Insecta: Trichoptera) from Eocene Rovno amber

A new caddisfly species Palaeohelicopsyche netnetdaida sp. nov. (Helicopsychidae) is described and illustrated from Rovno amber (Priabonian). The family Helicopsychidae is recorded for Rovno amber for the first time. The list of caddisflies known from Rovno amber includes 43 named species.

A new genus of Ambositrinae (Hymenoptera, Diapriidae) from Rovno amber and remarks on the Eocene distribution of the subfamily

Arcanys rostratus Chemyreva gen. et sp. nov. is described from the Eocene Rovno amber in the tribe Betylini (subfamily Ambositrinae) as the first member of this tribe discovered in Europe – in amber and in recent fauna. This new genus differs from other genera of the Ambositrinae by a combination of such features as: the pleurostomal carinae positioned at right angles to each other, the absence of notauli, the propodeum with strongly elevated plicae but without median carina and carina along posterior margin, the fore wings with short marginal and stigmal veins, and the base of T2 deeply arcuated but without notches and elongate grooves. The distribution of the subfamily Ambositrinae is discussed.

New species and new record of embiids (Insecta: Embiodea) from upper Eocene of Europa

The second species of the genus Electroembia, E. olmii sp. n., is described from Baltic amber (Priabonian). The new species have fully developed fore and hind wings contrary to wingless E. antiqua, the type and previously single known species of the genus Electroembia. The first embiid from Rovno amber (Priabonian of Ukraine) is described. The only specimen is a female or a last instar female larva, making precise identification impossible. However, the described species is clearly not conspecific to the described webspinners from Baltic amber.

Review of fossil heterostigmatic mites (Acari: Heterostigmata) from late Eocene Rovno Amber. II. Family Resinacaridae, with redescription of Resinacarus resinatus (Vitzthum), four new species and a new genus

The fossil representatives of the family Resinacaridae (Acari: Heterostigmata) from the Late Eocene Rovno amber are reviewed. Three new species are described in the genus Resinacarus Vitzthum, namely, R. longipilis sp. nov., R. vitzthumi sp. nov., and R. striatus sp. nov. A new genus and species, Pararesinacarus krczali gen. and sp. nov. are also described. The extant species Pararesinacarus aradii (Krczal) comb. nov. was moved from Resinacarus. All active stages of the extant type species of the genus Resinacarus, R. resinatus Vitzthum, are redescribed based on type material. A key to genera and species of Resinacaridae is also provided.

First representative of the genus Lycocerus Gorham, 1889 (Coleoptera, Cantharidae) from Rovno amber

A new species of soldier beetles of the subfamily Cantharinae, Lycocerus albovacca sp. n., from Eocene Rovno amber is described and illustrated. It is the first record of a representative of the genus Lycocerus Gorham, 1889 in Rovno amber. A checklist and an identification key to fossil Lycocerus are presented, with seven species from Baltic and one from Rovno amber. The presumable ecological preferences of the new taxon are discussed.

Rogue sawflies: rare late Eocene amber fossils provide new calibration points for dating the evolution of Tenthredinoidea (Insecta: Hymenoptera)

True sawflies (Tenthredinoidea) have a substantial fossil record but are rarely encountered in Eocene ambers. Here we describe three new taxa in this superfamily from late Eocene ambers. †Rovnotaxonus aristovi gen. et sp. nov. is the first true sawfly reported from Rovno amber. Based primarily on characters in the fore wing venation, we assign the new taxon to Tenthredinidae: Allantinae: Allantini. We also describe two new species of Diprionidae from Baltic amber: †Eodiprion pectinatus sp. nov. from a female specimen and †Monodiprion gladius gen. et sp. nov. from a male previously reported as †Eodiprion sp. by Schedl (2008); we redescribe †Eodiprion Schedl, 2007 and provide emended diagnoses of the genus and of †Eodiprion groehni Schedl, 2007. We integrate all these fossils as well as †Sambia Vilhelmsen and Engel, 2012 (Tenthredinidae: Tenthredininae) previously described from Baltic amber in a combined data set assembled from previously published morphological and molecular data sets. We analyse the combined data set in a Bayesian framework and implement RoguePlots to evaluate the positions of the fossils. The diprionid fossils are unequivocally placed inside Diprionidae, in a polytomy with extant members of Diprioninae; the Monocteninae, the other subfamily currently recognized in the family, is not retrieved as monophyletic. †Rovnotaxonus is placed inside Allantinae and shares some characters with Taxonus. †Sambia is placed near the base of Tenthredininae. The evaluation of the phylogenetic position of the fossils treated here will make them available for future dating analyses of Tenthredinoidea, helping to further elucidate the evolutionary history of this significant lineage of herbivorous insects. Possible reasons for the comparatively low abundance of true sawflies in late Eocene ambers are discussed. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pubF2095774-CF02-4851-8D73-250B5718EF6F.

The new species and two new records of Polycentropodidae (Insecta: Trichoptera) from Eocene Rovno amber

A new caddisflies species Holocentropus totuttotam sp. nov. and Nyctiophylax totaktoetak sp. nov. (Polycentropodidae) are described and illustrated from Rovno amber (Priabonian). Holocentropus atratus (Pictet, 1856) and Holocentropus vetustus (Germar, 1813) are recorded for Rovno amber for the first time. Now the family Polycentropodidae is represented by 23 named species among 42 named species of caddisflies known from Rovno amber. A list of fossil Trichoptera known from the Rovno amber is given.

New silken fungus beetle species (Coleoptera, Cucujiformia, Cryptophagidae) from Rovno amber

Based on a fossil specimen from the late Eocene Rovno amber, Cryptophagus vorontsovi sp. nov. is described. The new species is similar to Cryptophagus harenus Lyubarsky et Perkovsky, 2012 differing by the pronotum distinctly narrowed basally and the lateral pronotal margin unidentate medially. The endemic composition of Rovno amber coleopterofauna is discussed. Only 15% of more than 90 Rovno amber beetle species are known also from Baltic amber.

Trinodes puetzi Háva et Prokop (Coleoptera, Dermestidae, Trinodinae) from Klesov: first record for the Ukrainian Eocene

Trinodes puetzi Háva & Prokop, 2006 is a new record from Rovno amber. The Eocene distribution of the Trinodes is discussed.

Hepatics from Rovno amber (Ukraine). 12. Jubula polessica sp. nov.

Hepatics from Rovno amber (Ukraine). 12. Jubula polessica sp. nov.

‘Where there are many cattle’ in the Eocene of Ukraine: Review of Ambositra Masner (Hymenoptera, Diapriidae, Ambositrinae) from Rovno amber, with the description of three new species

Three species of the genus Ambositra: A. epicnemia sp. nov., A. bicarinata sp. nov. and A. masneri sp. nov. are described from Eocene Rovno amber. The new combination Ambositra villumi (Brazidec & Vilhelmsen) comb. nov. is suggested for the extinct diapriid wasp Basalys villumi described from Baltic amber. The female of A. villumi is described. A detailed illustration of the single extant species Ambositra famosa Masner and the original illustrated key for all known Ambositra species is given. The diagnosis of the genus Ambositra is clarified.

The first fossil of subgenus Neomicrambe (Coleoptera: Cryptophagidae: Micrambe) from Danish amber

Micrambe tristis sp. nov., a new species of Cryptophagidae (Coleoptera), is described and illustrated from Eocene Danish amber. Micrambe tristis sp. nov. differs from M. sarnensis Lyubarsky et Perkovsky, 2010 from Baltic and Rovno amber by sutural stria present, size of pronotal callosity and length of antennomere 4. Extant species of subgenus are distributed on the highest mountains of Africa from southern Ethiopia to Tanzania. The supposed migration of the subgenus to Africa is discussed.

Hepatics from Rovno amber (Ukraine). 11. Radula oblongifolia and R. tikhomirovae sp. nov.

A study of Rovno amber has revealed two fossil leafy liverwort species of the genus Radula (Radulaceae, Marchantiophyta) that are new to the late Eocene flora of Rovno amber. One of these species, R. oblongifolia, was described previously from Eocene Baltic and Bitterfeld amber, whereas the other species, R. tikhomirovae, is described here as new. Radula tikhomirovae differs from R. oblongifolia and two other Eocene species of that genus, R. sphaerocarpoides and R. baltica, by the presence of microphyllous branches and by the shape of its leaf lobules.

Vladimiretskia nathani gen. et sp. nov. (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae: Porricondylinae, Asynaptini, Vladimiretskiana subtr. nov.) from Eocene Rovno amber with description of their eggs

The new taxа Vladimiretskiana Fedotova et Perkovsky subtr. nov. and Vladimiretskia nathani Fedotova & Perkovsky gen. et sp. nov. are described from a single female. The new species is characterized by eyes that almost completely cover the head, antennae with 16 flagellomeres that possess a short neck and circumfilar sensoria, very short mouth parts with 3-segmented palpi, an unsclerotized costal cell, a short straight vein R5 not reaching the wing apex, simple veins CuA and M4, absence of r-m, ovipositor not telescopic, and cerci with 3-segmented dorsal lamellae. Eggs of the new species are described. The only previously known fossil eggs are of paedogenetic Miastor vlaskini (Fedotova et Perkovsky, 2007) from late Eocene Rovno amber and Krassiloviola geniusloci Fedotova et Perkovsky, 2017 from late Cretaceous Taimyr amber.

The second extinct microhisterid species (Coleoptera: Histeridae: Bacaniini) described from the Eocene Rovno amber using X-Ray microtomography

ABSTRACT The third fossil species of the tribe Bacaniini (Coleoptera, Histeridae), Bacanius caterinoi Sokolov et Perkovsky, sp. nov., is described from the Eocene Rovno amber. Previous two extinct species were known from the Rovno and Baltic amber. We compared the new species with them and extant representatives of related taxa. The new species belongs to the extant genus Bacanius LeConte, 1853 and can be included to the extant subgenus Gomyister Mazur 1984. This is the second species of the subgenus from Rovno amber indicating the diversity of this currently primarily tropical group in the Eocene of Europe. Zoobank LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:85027CC6-42D0-44CB-B111-8CE1A8F53F12

Electroadicella unipetra sp. nov., a new fossil species of Leptoceridae (Insecta: Trichoptera) from Eocene Rovno amber

A new caddisflies species Electroadicella unipetra sp. nov. (Leptoceridae) is described and illustrated from Rovno amber (upper Eocene, 36 million years old). Now the family Leptoceridae is represented by five named species among 38 named species of caddisflies known from Rovno amber.

First record of the parasitoid family Ismaridae (Hymenoptera, Diaprioidea) from Eocene Baltic and Rovno ambers with the description of a new genus and two new species.

A new genus, Lubomirus gen. nov., of the family Ismaridae (Hymenoptera, Diaprioidea) from the late Eocene Baltic and Rovno ambers is described and illustrated. The new genus is the second known genus of the family Ismaridae. The two new species, Lubomirus masneri sp. nov. from Rovno amber and Lubomirus victori sp. nov. from Baltic amber, are described. The diagnosis of the Ismaridae family and the single extant genus of the familyIsmarus Halidayare clarified. The systematic position of Cretapria Fujiyama, 1994 is discussed.

A remarkable fossil berothoid larva (Neuroptera) from the late Eocene Rovno amber (Ukraine)

ABSTRACT The larva of Berothidae or Rhachiberothidae (Neuroptera) is described from the late Eocene Rovno amber; it is the first record of either family from this amber. The larva is in particular characteristic with a four-segmented antenna, at least five stemmata, and lateral sutures on the head capsule connecting the coronal suture and lateral margins of the head. Based on these characters, the larva probably may belong to one of basal taxa of Berothidae, possibly to a suprageneric taxon which includes an undescribed small species from Baltic amber which is closely related to the mid-Cretaceous Haploberotha, or to Rhachiberothidae. This larva was most likely free living, possibly occurring under/on tree bark. In addition, the genus Protomenocria Emeljanov and Shcherbakov 2009 (Hemiptera: Achilidae) is recorded from Rovno amber for the first time.

Diversity and morphology of Eocene and Oligocene Mordellidae (Coleoptera)

Characteristics of the locomotor apparatus (excluding wings) and other diagnostic features of Mordellidae preserved in Eocene Baltic and Rovno amber are investigated. Main features of Eocene Mordellidae are compared with those of their extant relatives using mainly light microscopy and micro-CT scans. The entire record of Eocene and Oligocene fossils of this family is reviewed, revealing a great number of discrepancies in diagnoses of species of Eocene and Oligocene Mordellidae at the generic level, which makes a reliable discussion of their biogeography and relationship with extant species impossible. To overcome this situation, four new collective group names (i.e., without a type species designation) are established: Baltimorda nov., Baltistena nov., Rovnostena nov., and Petrimordella nov. Seven new species of Mordellistenini from Baltic amber are described, diagnosed and illustrated: Baltistena ultima sp. nov., B. aurata sp. nov., B. longistrigata sp. nov., B. hoffeinsorum sp. nov., B. concava sp. nov., B. brevispina sp. nov., and B. atronigra sp. nov. The number of Mordellistenini recorded from Baltic amber is doubled from seven to fourteen. The subgenus Palaeostena Kubisz, 2003, with the type species Falsomordellistena eocenica Kubisz, 2003, is elevated to a genus.