D. S. Kopylov

Fossil Insects of the Middle and Upper Permian of European Russia

Fossil insects of European Russia from the Urzhumian to Vyatkian stages are reviewed, new taxa are described, and dynamics of insect taxonomic diversity around the Permian-Triassic boundary in light of the Paleozoic-Mesozoic boundary global extinction problem is analyzed. Traces of interactions between arthropods and plants are analyzed. Insect-bearing deposits of the Late Paleozoic found in the northern and eastern areas of the East European Platform are unique on the global scale in their completeness and continuity, allowing us to trace especially comprehensively the biotic processes that occurred around the boundary described as the time of the greatest biotic catastrophe of the Phanerozoic. A total of 28 genera and 111 species are newly described. Within the range from the Urzhumian to the Permo-Triassic boundary, 15 representative successive assemblages, including 112 families, are recognized (seven in the area in question and eight in other regions of Asia, Australia, and Africa). New tools are developed for the analysis of the dynamics of diversity. These tools show an approximately equilibrium (slightly positive) dynamics in the Urzhumian and Severodvinian and a drop in diversity during the Vyatkian Age. It is shown that Permian insect assemblages acquired a substantially post-Paleozoic pattern much earlier than the end of the Paleozoic. The character of changes that took place in the Induan and Olenekian remains uncertain, but a large-scale extinction event did not occur here: most families that have not been recorded at the beginning of the Triassic are recorded again in the Middle and Upper Triassic. Nevertheless, a biotic crisis probably actually took place, but was reduced to reorganization of the biota’s structure, which provided enormous growth of biodiversity over subsequent hundreds of millions of years, rather than resulted in catastrophic extinction. This study is intended for entomologists, stratigraphers, and all readers interested in the biotic events that took place around the Permian-Triassic boundary.

Ichneumonids of the Subfamily Tanychorinae (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) from the Lower Cretaceous of Transbaikalia and Mongolia

A new species, Tanychora loki, sp. nov., and a new genus and species, Megachora sibirica gen. et sp. nov., are described from the Lower Cretaceous of Transbaikalia and Mongolia. The genus Tanychora Townes, 1973 is divided into two genera: Tanychora s. str., composed of T. petiolata Townes, 1973 (type species), T. sinensis Zhang, 1991, and T. loki sp. nov., and Amplicella, gen. nov., composed of A. sessilis (Townes, 1973) (type species), A. exquisite (Zhang et Rasnitsyn, 2003), A. beipiaoensis (Zhang et Rasnitsyn, 2003), and A. spinata (Zhang et Rasnitsyn, 2003). The frequency of occurrence of ichneumonids in the principal Cretaceous localities of central and northern Asia is calculated.

A new subfamily of ichneumonids from the Lower Cretaceous of Transbaikalia and Mongolia (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae)

A new subfamily of ichneumonids, Palaeoichneumoninae, is described from the Lower Cretaceous of Transbaikalia (Baisa locality) and Mongolia (Bon Tsagan and Kholbotu Gol localities). The new subfamily is intermediate between the archaic subfamily Tanychorinae and the Recent Ichneumonidae. It includes 12 new species, described in three new genera: Palaeoichneumon freja gen. et sp. nov., P. ornatus sp. nov., P. danu sp. nov., P. micron sp. nov., P. mirabilis sp. nov., P. tenebrosus sp. nov., P. townesi sp. nov., Rudimentifera mora gen. et sp. nov., R. suspecta sp. nov., Dischysma maculata gen. et sp. nov., D. similis sp. nov., and D. ramulata sp. nov.

New species of Praeichneumonidae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonoidea) from the Lower Cretaceous of Transbaikalia

Three new species of the fossil Lower Cretaceous family Praeichneumonidae are described from the Lower Cretaceous of Transbaikalia (Russia, Buryatia, Khasurty locality): Praeichneumon dzhidensis sp. nov., P. khamardabanicus sp. nov., and P. zakhaaminicus sp. nov. One poorly preserved specimen, Praeichneumon sp., is described. Rudiments of the second anal vein A2 and internal vein a1–a2 and bullae in crossveins of the fore- and hindwing are described in Praeichneumonidae for the first time.

Ichneumon wasps of the Khasurty locality in Transbaikalia (Insecta, Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae)

One new genus and four new species of ichneumon wasps are described from the Lower Cretaceous of Buryatia (Khasurty locality): Amplicella mininae, sp. nov., A. shcherbakovi, sp. nov., A. bashkuyevi, sp. nov., Khasurtella buriatica, gen. et sp. nov. The species Tanychora sinensis Zhang, 1991 is transferred to the new genus Khasurtella. Similarity of the ichneumonid faunas of Khasurty and the Chinese localities Yixian and Laiyang indicates the age similarity between these localities. Identification key to genera and species of Tanychorinae is given.

A new subfamily of ichneumon wasps (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) from the Upper Cretaceous of the Russian Far East

A new subfamily of ichneumon wasps, Labenopimplinae subfam. nov. (Ichneumonidae), is described from the Cenomanian Ola Formation of the locality Obeshchayushchiy, Magadan Region, Russian Far East. The subfamily is highly diverse morphologically and combines characters of the Labeninae and Pimplinae. It includes 11 new species described in five new genera: Labenopimpla rasnitsyni gen. et sp. nov., L. kasparyani sp. nov., Armanopimpla zherikhini gen. et sp. nov, Ramulimonstrum intermedium gen. et sp. nov., Rugopimpla vulgaris gen. et sp. nov., R. fallax sp. nov., R. angusticella sp. nov., R. macra sp. nov., R. matrona sp. nov., Micropimpla lucida gen. et sp. nov., and M. obscura sp. nov. Also described is a new monotypic genus, Tryphopimpla xoridoptera gen. et sp. nov., which combines characters of the Tryphoninae, Pimplinae, and Xoridinae and cannot be currently placed into any of the known subfamilies. The population of fossil ichneumon wasps at this locality is distinctly dominated by females.

New Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera) from the Upper Cretaceous ambers of the Taimyr Peninsula

Two new genera and four new species of Ichneumonidae are described from the Upper Cretaceous ambers of the Taimyr Peninsula: Agapia sukatchevae gen. et sp. nov., Agapteron popovi gen. et sp. nov., Eubaeus abdominalis sp. nov., and Urotryphon baikurensis sp. nov. New detailed diagnoses are provided for the genera Urotryphon and Eubaeus. The genera Catachora, Urotryphon, and Eubaeus, previously placed in the subfamily Tryphoninae, are transferred to the subfamily Labenopimplinae, as well as the new genera Agapia and Agapteron. Possible causes of the miniaturization in ichneumonid wasps in the Cretaceous are discussed.

New sepulcids (Hymenoptera: Sepulcidae) from the Lower Cretaceous of Asia. I. Parapamphiliinae and Xyelulinae

Three new species of sepulcids (Hymenoptera: Sepulcidae) are described from the Lower Cretaceous of Khasurty, Transbaikalia: Pamparaphilius khasurtensis sp. nov., Micramphilius mirabilipennis sp. nov., and Onokhoius venustus sp. nov. The new species reveal the previously unknown structure of the hindwings in the subfamily Xyelulinae and the genus Micramphilius. A new method of preparation for stone fossils is also described.

New sawflies of the subfamily Madygellinae (Hymenoptera, Xyelidae) from the Middle-Upper Triassic of Kyrgyzstan

Two new genera and seven new species of Madygellinae (Xyelidae) from the Middle-Upper Triassic of Kyrgyzstan (Madygen Formation, Dzhailoucho locality): Madygella levivenosa sp. nov., M. kurochkini sp. nov., M. aristovi sp. nov., M. bashkuevi sp. nov., S. ryzhkovae gen. et sp. nov., S. shmakovi sp. nov., Chubakka madygensis gen. et sp. nov. Improved diagnoses of the subfamily Madygellinae and genus Madygella and improved redescription of the species Madygella analoga Rasnitsyn, 1969 are given. The taxonomic position of madygellines within Hymenoptera and their relationships with Sepulcidae (Cephoidea) are discussed.

New archaeocynipids (Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea, Archaeocynipidae) from the Lower Cretaceous of Transbaikalia

A new genus and three new species of parasitic hymenopterans of the family Archaeocynipidae are described from the Lower Cretaceous of Transbaikalia: Khasips alisectus gen. et sp. nov., K. sculptus sp. nov., and K. kovalevi sp. nov. The placement of archaeocynipids in the system of Cynipoidea is discussed.