Sha Li

A new species of Aboilus (Insecta, Orthoptera) from the Jurassic Daohugou beds of China, and discussion of forewing coloration in Aboilus

Wang, H., Li, S., Zhang, Q., Fang, Y., Wang, B. & Zhang, H., 13.02.2015. A new species of Aboilus (Insecta, Orthoptera) from the Jurassic Daohugou beds of China, and discussion of forewing coloration in Aboilus. Alcheringa 39, xxx–xxx. ISSN 0311-5518 He Wang* [wanghe0701@163.com], Sha Li* [lisha.paleo@gmail.com], Qi Zhang* [zhqi1105@126.com], Yan Fang [yanfang@nigpas.ac.cn], Bo Wang† [bowang@nigpas.ac.cn] and Haichun Zhang [hczhang@nigpas.ac.cn], State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, PR China.*Also affiliated with University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China. †Also affiliated with Steinmann Institute, University of Bonn, Bonn 53115, Germany. A new species of Aboilinae (Orthoptera: Prophalangopsidae), Aboilus perbellus, is described and illustrated based on three well-preserved forewings recovered from the Middle–Upper Jurassic Daohugou beds of Inner Mongolia, China. The new species differs from all congeneric forms in its special forewing coloration and features of its wing venation. To date, three types of forewing coloration have been found among different species of Aboilus at Daohugou, suggesting that these taxa inhabited different ecotopes.

Early Cretaceous charophyte flora from the Chijinbao Formation in the Jiuquan Basin, Northwest China, and its stratigraphic and palaeoecological significance

Abstract The charophyte flora from the Lower Cretaceous Chijinbao Formation (Jiuquan Basin, Northwest China) and its application to biostratigraphy and palaeoecology were investigated. The species Mesochara stipitata and Aclistochara huihuibaoensis were found in the Chijinbao Formation. The intra-specific variability of M. stipitata and A. huihuibaoensis was examined based on biometric analyses. The flora suggests a Barremian age for the Chijinbao Formation, in agreement with the data obtained from conchostracan and fish assemblages. Sedimentological, taphonomic and palaeoecological data indicate that a permanent lake occurred in the area, and that the climate was warm at the time of deposition of the Chijinbao Formation. The Early Cretaceous charophyte flora of the Jiuquan Basin was poorly diverse, especially in comparison with Europe where abundant clavatoraceans dominated the lakes and ponds of the tropical to subtropical Lower Cretaceous Central Tethyan Archipelago. Instead, the Barremian Chinese flora was dominated by a few early characeans. Differences in climate may account for such contrasting diversity.

A Late Cretaceous amber biota from central Myanmar

Insect faunas are extremely rare near the latest Cretaceous with a 24-million-year gap spanning from the early Campanian to the early Eocene. Here, we report a unique amber biota from the Upper Cretaceous (uppermost Campanian ~72.1u2009Ma) of Tilin, central Myanmar. The chemical composition of Tilin amber suggests a tree source among conifers, indicating that gymnosperms were still abundant in the latest Campanian equatorial forests. Eight orders and 12 families of insects have been found in Tilin amber so far, making it the latest known diverse insect assemblage in the Mesozoic. The presence of ants of the extant subfamilies Dolichoderinae and Ponerinae supports that tropical forests were the cradle for the diversification of crown-group ants, and suggests that the turnover from stem groups to crown groups had already begun at ~72.1u2009Ma. Tilin amber biota fills a critical insect faunal gap and provides a rare insight into the latest Campanian forest ecosystem.The amber deposits from Kachin, Myanmar have provided numerous insights into life in the Cretaceous ~99 million years ago. Here, Zheng and colleagues describe a new Late Cretaceous amber biota from Tilin, Myanmar, dating from ~72 million years ago and preserving a diverse insect assemblage.