Jurassic Park approached: a coccid from kimmeridgian cheirolepidiacean Aintourine Lebanese amber

With the exception of a fly and a mite from the Triassic of Italy, all Mesozoic amber arthropods are from the Cretaceous. Late Jurassic Lebanese amber from Aintourine revealed a completely preserved adult coccid male (wing length 0.8 mm), Jankotejacoccus libanogloria gen. et sp. n., the earliest rec...

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Published in:National science review 2024-06
Main Authors: Vršanský, Peter, Sendi, Hemen, Kotulová, Júlia, Szwedo, Jacek, Havelcová, Martina, Palková, Helena, Vršanská, Lucia, Sakala, Jakub, Puškelová, Ľubica, Golej, Marián, Biroň, Adrian, Peyrot, Daniel, Quicke, Donald, Néraudeau, Didier, Uher, Pavel, Maksoud, Sibelle, Azar, Dany
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:With the exception of a fly and a mite from the Triassic of Italy, all Mesozoic amber arthropods are from the Cretaceous. Late Jurassic Lebanese amber from Aintourine revealed a completely preserved adult coccid male (wing length 0.8 mm), Jankotejacoccus libanogloria gen. et sp. n., the earliest record of a plant sucking scale insect. Associated plant material included the cheirolepidiaceans Protopodocarpoxylon, Brachyphyllum and Classostrobus, plus Classopolis pollen, suggesting a forested temporary swamp habitat with ferns, tree ferns, water ferns, tall araucarian and ginkgoacean trees and shrubs. (Sub)tropic lateritic soil with vegetation debris underwent incomplete microbial decomposition in an anoxic water environment of peat swamp development. Strata-associated marine organisms support the Kimmeridgian age revealed by zircons. The discovery opens a new field of research in Jurassic amber fossils.
ISSN:2095-5138
2053-714X
DOI:10.1093/nsr/nwae200