The reconstruction of the early stages of social evolution in the fossil record is a challenge, as these behaviors often do not leave concrete traces. Among these behaviors, parental care represents a significant behavioral adaptation in life history and, as one of the core levels of arthropod sociality, has a wealth of sociobiological and behavioral ecological theory. Parental care has evolved independently numerous times among animals, including various lineages of insects and many vertebrates, including dinosaurs. Professor HUANG Diying from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and his team, reported a unique discovery of diverse transitional carrion beetles (Silphidae) from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou biota (ca. 165 Ma) at Ningcheng County, Inner Mongolia, the Early Cretaceous Jehol biota (ca. 125 Ma) at Beipiao City, Liaoning Province of China and the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber (ca. 99 Ma). The research is published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences (P.N.A.S.) on September 16, 2014. With fewer than 200 extant species, Silphidae are among the largest and most conspicuous of the staphylinoid Coleoptera. Silphid parental care has been intensively studied with several attempts to explain its origin and subsequent evolution. Fossil evidence that elucidates the origin and evolutionary history of this phenomenon is lacking, although modern-looking silphids have been discovered from the Late Eocene (ca. 35 Ma) of Florissant, Colorado. In recent years, HUANG Diying and his PhD student CAI Chenyang have collected a large number of well-preserved Mesozoic silphids, including 37 specimens from the Daohugou biota, 5 specimens from the Jehol biota, and 6 individuals preserved in Burmese amber, which provides new insights into the origin and early evolution of elaborate parental care in Silphidae. The diverse silphids from Daohugou extend the earliest records of the family by about 130 million years, while they are close to modern forms as evidenced by their clubbed antennae, large mesoscutellum and truncate elytra. SEM studies show that two types of sensory organs are recognizable on the antennal club of the Jurassic silphids, perfectly corresponding to those in extant nicrophorine beetles, namely sensilla coelosphaerica and sensilla basiconica. The identical olfactory structures indicate that silphids in the Jurassic were already adapted to detecting sulfur-containing volatile organic compounds over long ranges, just as in extant nicrophorines and most silphines. Mesozoic silphids may have been significant scavengers and important to the breakdown and recycling of carcasses in such ancient ecosystems before the emergence of blow flies (Calliphoridae). The Cretaceous silphids, although very similar to the Jurassic ones, possess a pair of stridulatory files on abdominal tergite used in parent-offspring communication like those found in extant Nicrophorinae. The modern Nicrophorus (burying beetles) can provide elaborate biparental care to their offspring, including exploiting small vertebrate carcasses (early birds or mammals) and burying them in soil as a source of nutrition for their larvae. The buying beetles are well known as subsocial insects. The innovation of stridulatory files in Nicrophorinae for parent-offspring communication and defense is critically linked to the origin of parental care. Competition for resources and predation has been hypothesized as ecological factors important to the evolution of parental care. Before the emergence of the potential competitors such as blow flies, the threat of predation, potentially by some derived staphylinine rove beetles (Staphylinidae) with large predatory mandibles, may have triggered the origin of parental care among ancient carrion beetles. The subsocial carrion beetles from the Jehol biota represent the oldest fossil record for (sub-) social insects, older than earliest ants from mid-Cretaceous French amber (ca. 100 Ma), the earliest bees from Burmese amber (ca. 99 Ma) and the earliest termites. Although the Mesozoic silphids from China are very similar to some modern forms, they have significantly different antennal types, while slightly younger silphids from Burmese amber have lamellate antennae are very morphologically close to modern burying beetles. These mid-Cretaceous burying beetles may have exploited and buried small rodents or birds (usually < 200 gram) as a source of nutrition for their larvae With the origin of derived mammals in the Late Triassic, early silphids might have already derived from their staphyliniform ancestors at that time. The continuous presence of carrion in the early ecosystem probably resulted in very little change of silphid morphology. The research was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China, Outstanding Youth Foundation of Jiangsu Province, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Related information of the paper: Chen-Yang Cai, Margaret K. Thayer, Michael S. Engel, Alfred F. Newton, Jaime Ortega-Blanco, Bo Wang, Xiang-Dong Wang, and Di-Ying Huang*, 2014：Early origin of parental care in Mesozoic carrion beetles. P.N.A.S., doi/10.1073/pnas.1412280111
Left: silphid from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou biota (165 Ma); middle: silphid from the Early Cretaceous Jehol biota (125 Ma); right, silphid from the earliest Late Cretaceous Burmese amber (99 Ma).
Scanning electron micrographs of stridulatory files and antenna. (A) Detail of stridulatory files of Nicrophorus orbicollis Say, 1825. (B) Stridulatory files of Cretaceous silphid (C) Enlargement of apical antennomere, showing sensilla coelosphaerica and sensillabasiconica. (D) Enlargement of antennomere of modern Nicrophorus orbicollis Say, showing the pit-like sensilla coelosphaerica. (E) Enlargement of antenna , showing detail of sensilla coelosphaerica.
Ecological reconstruction of the Early Cretaceous silphilds.
This research was reported by some medias such as Science.
A series of extrinsic (geological) and intrinsic (biological) factors such as water depth, temperature, nutrients, salinity, CO2 and O2 content of the atmosphere, ocean circulation, sea-level development, and interactions between the biota are discussed as causal factors for the shift in overall reef composition. Reefs in the Late Ordovician were commonly built up by sessile metazoans with increasing diversity and abundance of metazoan reef－builders such as bryozoans, corals, stromatoporoids, and calcareous algae, while in the Early and Middle Ordovician microbial mud mounds were predominantly which were consisting of stromatolites and thrombolites. In contrast to most Late Ordovician reefs, the reefs in Bachu, Tarim Block, NW China were dominated of microbial mud mounds and appear “old-fashioned” as they resemble Early Ordovician reefs from other areas in the world. Thus, the control factors of the microbial reefs in Bachu area are interesting aspects to discuss. After years of study and cooperative investigation with colleagues from other universities, professor LI Yue from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and his team reported the latest progress of reefs in Bachu, Tarim Block, NW China. The research has indicated that the reefs of the Late Ordovician Lianglitag Formation, Bachu area, Northwest of China deviated significantly from other Late Ordovician reefs because they were mainly built up of thrombolitic microbial carbonates and calcareous algae, whereas this time is characterised by metazoan reefs in other areas of the world. The main organisms of this reef type are Girvanella，Renalcis，Vermiporella，Halysis，Subtifloria，Wetheredella and Rothpletzella, in which Vermiporella and Halysis are abundant. In Ordovician, the Tarim Block was positioned in low latitudes, probably south of the equator prevailling southeast trades and the northwest part of the Tazhong Uplift faced the open ocean. In this respect, it could be assumed as that the microbial reefs in the Bachu area were simply the palaeogeographic position on the shallow, gently dipping, leeward side of the carbonate platform. The water on the windward, steeper side of the platform was favourable for metazoan reef growth in Tazhong because (a) it was well-oxygenated, (b) has no strong temperature changes because it faces the open ocean, and (c) it was mesotrophic (eutrophic conditions would probably prevent metazoan reef growth). On the less-steep leeward side of the shallow platform, the water was less turbulent and warmer because it was heated while it flew over the platform. Because in warmer water less gas can be dissolved these water masses were depleted in both oxygen and CO2, the latter resulting in increasing (super) saturation of calcium carbonate, which favoured the growth of microbial carbonates in the Bachu area. Related informations of this paper: Zhang Yuanyuan, Li Yue, Axel Munnecke. Late Ordovician microbial reefs in the Lianglitag Formation (Bachu, Tarim, NW China). Facies, 2014, 60(2)：663－684.
Hypothesis for the development of microbial reefs in the Bachu area.
The main reef-builder of the reefs of the Lianglitag Formaiton in Bachu area, Tarim Block, NW China.
The main reef types of the Lianglitag Formation in Bachu area, Tarim Block, NW China.
Coleoptera, or so-called beetles, is one of the most diverse and widespread groups of Insecta. More than 350,0000 beetles have been described to date, accounting for one third of all known insects. Coleoptera is divided into four suborders, and Polypaha including 144 extant families and 16 superfamilies is the largest group, accounting for about 90% of all beetles. Study on fossil polyphagan beetles is of great significance for understanding the origin and early diversification, systematics, and paleogeography of those beetles. Recently, PhD student Mr. CAI Chenyang and Prof. HUANG Diying from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences reported four polyphagan beetles from the Middle Jurassic (ca. 165 Ma) Daohugou biota at Daohugou, Ningcheng County, Inner Mongolia, the Yixian Formation (ca. 125 Ma) at Bisiyingzi, Ningcheng County, Inner Mongolia, and the upper Eocene from southern France, including Derodontidae, Schizopodidae and Staphylinidae. 1. First discovery of Mesozoic Derodontidae. With only 23 species placed in four genera, the beetle family Derodontidae (or tooth necked fungus beetles) is an isolated and primitive group in Polyphaga placed in their own superfamily Derodontoidea. The first fossil tooth-necked fungus beetle, Juropeltastica sinica, is described and illustrated based on a single impression fossil from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou beds (ca. 165 Ma) of northeastern China. It represents the first definitive fossil belonging to Derodontidae. The occurrence of a reliable derodontid fossil from 165 million years ago places Derodontidae among the small but growing number of beetle families of known Middle Jurassic age, which is important in the dating of phylogenetic trees. 2. Oldest false jewel beetle. With only seven extant species placed in three genera, the buprestoid family Schizopodidae (or false jewel beetles) is a small group of beetles endemic to the western North America, including California, southern Nevada, southwestern Arizona, and northern Baja California. A new false jewel beetle, Mesoschizopus elegans, is described from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of China. It represents a definitive Mesozoic fossil belonging to the recent small buprestoid family Schizopodidae, highlighting the antiquity of the small family, and providing an example of a now narrowly distributed group whose ancestral groups were probably more widespread in the Mesozoic. 3. A primitive and enigmatic rove beetle. Staphylinidae is one of the most diverse groups of animals, with more than 60,000 described species placed in one extinct and 32 extant subfamilies. A new unusual rove beetle, Mesapatetica aenigmatica, is described from the Middle Jurassic (ca. 165 Ma) of China. The new species displays an enigmatic combination of features belonging to the two basal subfamilies Apateticinae and Trigonurinae. The discovery of the genus from the Middle Jurassic reinforces the hypothesis that Apateticinae and Trigonurinae are sister taxa and together form one of the earliest lineages of Staphylinidae. 4. A new stenine genus. The rove beetle subfamily Steninae comprises 2763 described species placed in two extant genera, representing a remarkable beetle radiation found in all biogeographical regions except Antarctica and New Zealand. Fossil stenines are very rare and are confined to extant genera. A remarkable new genus and species of rove beetle, Eocenostenus fossilis, is described from the late Eocene of Monteils, France. This discovery highlights the palaeodiversity of a genus-poor subfamily and suggests that the early diversification of Steninae is probably complicated These researches were supported by the National Basic Research Program of China, Outstanding Youth Foundation of Jiangsu Province, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Related information of the papers: 1. Chenyang Cai, John F. Lawrence, Adam ？lipiński, Diying Huang (2014) First fossil tooth-necked fungus beetle (Coleoptera: Derodontidae): Juropeltastica sinica gen. n. sp. n. from the Middle Jurassic of China. European Journal of Entomology 111(2): 299-302 2. Chenyang Cai, Diying Huang, Alfred Newton, Margaret Thayer (2014) Mesapatetica aenigmatica, a new genus and species of rove beetles (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) from the Middle Jurassic of China. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 87(2): 219-224 3. Chenyang Cai, Adam ？lipiński, Diying Huang (2014) First false jewel beetle (Coleoptera: Schizopodidae) from the Lower Cretaceous of China. Cretaceous Research doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2014.03.028 4. Chenyang Cai, Dave Clarke, Diying Huang, André Nel (2014) A new genus and species of Steninae from the Late Eocene of France (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae). doi: 10.1080/03115518.2014.924351
Fig. 1. First Mesozoic Derodontidae
Fig. 2. Oldest false jewel beetle
Fig. 3. A primitive and enigmatic rove beetle
Fig. 4. Eocene stenine Eocenostenus fossilis Cai et al., 2014 (Left), Recent Dianous sp. (Middle) and Stenus sp. (Right)
Investigations of geologic and biotic events across the Triassic-Jurassic transition rely predominantly on detailed stratigraphic frameworks and biodiversity analyses. The alternating sequences of marine and terrestrial Triassic-Jurassic formations in Guangdong Province, southern China represent one of the most remarkable coal-bearing series in southern China. The Lower Jurassic strata are widely distributed in Guangdong yielding rich marine and non-marine fossil fauna. However, as little research has been conducted on fossil plant remains in this region, it is difficult to investigate the systematics, diversity, and floral aspects of the Jurassic. In a recent study, Prof. WANG Yongdong and his team from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences have announced that diverse and well-preserved plant fossils were first found from the Jurassic in Shenzhen, southern China. This flora is dominated by the ferns, cycads and conifers and are preserved in the Early Jurassic deposits dated as ca.190 Ma. This represents the first discovery of fossil plants in the Shenzhen area, and the first documentation of Jurassic plants in Guangdong and the Pearl River Delta regions, the lower latitude regions of southern China. The results has been recently published online in Chinese Science Bulletin. The researchers report their recent collections of rich fossil plants from the Early Jurassic Jinji Formation in the Dapeng area of Shenzhen, in southern Guangdong Province. Preliminary studies demonstrate taxonomical affiliations, preservation status, and diversity features of these plant fossils, which are marked by the close association of densely preserved, pinnae and rachis connected leaves, and the bennettitalean reproductive organs of Williamsoniella, which may represent an Early Jurassic plant community dominated by Otozamites of the bennettitales. Research related to these plant fossils will be helpful in the correlation of the Early Mesozoic coal-bearing strata in Guangdong, and will provide a deeper understanding of variations in plant diversity of the Triassic and Jurassic transition in southern China. Additionally, it will provide terrestrial plant evidence for explorations in Jurassic palaeoecology, palaeoclimatology, and palaeogeography of southern China. This study was supported by the State Basic Research Program of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Knowledge Innovation Program of CAS, and the Team Program of Scientific Innovation and Interdisciplinary Cooperation of CAS.
Related information of the paper: Wang Yongdong*, Wu Xiangwu, Yang Xiaoju, Duan Wei, Li Liqin, 2014. The discovery of Jurassic plants from Shenzhen of Guangdong, southern China and related significance. Chinese Science Bulletin, 2014, doi: 10.1007/s11434-014-0449-5
Fig.1 Fossil fens and cycads from the Early Jurassic in Shenzhen
Fig.2 Fossil cycads and conifers from the Early Jurassic in Shenzhen
Amber, known as “time capsule”, preserving excellent evolutionary fragments of early life in geological history, has become one of the research hotspots in palaeontology. Study on the amber inclusions in China is mainly focused on the Eocene Fushun amber; Since 70's of the last century, many publications including the book Amber Insects of China have been concentrated on the detailed study on insects in the Fushun amber. However, amber inclusions, especially those from foreign countries, are still poorly studied by Chinese scholars. Amber from Kachin (Hukawng Valley), northern Myanmar, has been known in the Annals of the Han Dynasty (205-265 AD). Thus, Burmese amber has been known for about two thousand years, but the scientific collection of inclusion fossils was made approximately 90 years ago. Age of the material is currently accepted as earliest Cenomanian (Upper Cretaceous), about 99 million years old. Burmese amber probably harbors the most diverse biota in amber from the Cretaceous. Insect inclusions in Burmese amber are exceptionally well preserved and very diverse. Study on insects in amber is of great significance for understanding the early evolution, systematics, paleoecology and paleogeography of difference insect groups. Recently, Prof. HUANG Diying from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and his group, reported four new fossil insects in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, including Coleoptera and Psocoptera. 1. The first Mesozoic Micropeplinae. The staphylinid subfamily Micropeplinae includes small strongly sclerotized beetles with truncate elytra exposing most part of abdomen. Fossil micropeplines are rare and confined to Cenozoic representatives of extant genera. The oldest micropepline, Protopeplus cretaceus gen. and sp. n., is described from Burmese amber. Fluorescence microscope and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) were both used to reveal diagnostic features of Micropeplinae and some primitive traits that place Protopeplus very basally within Micropeplinae. 2. The oldest Osoriinae. The staphylinid subfamily Osoriinae is characterized by the absence of abdominal paratergites. A remarkable new genus and species, Mesallotrochus longiantennatus n. gen. n. sp., is described and figured using both light and fluorescence microscopes. Mesallotrochus is placed in the extant tribe Thoracophorini and is comparative to the extant subtropical/tropical genus Allotrochus. The new discovery of the oldest Osoriinae from about 99 million years not only suggests the antiquity of the subfamily, but also bears significant biogeographic implications. 3. The first described ground beetle. The ground beetle, or Carabidae, is one of the most common adephagan beetles. Cooperated with colleague from the Institute of Zoology, CAS, the first carabid from the Burmese amber is formally described and named as Oodes kachinensis Liu et al., 2014, which is placed in the extant genus Oodes of the extant tribe Oodini. The new discovery represents the oldest record for Oodes, bearing significant implications for the origin, early evolution and paleogeography of the genus. 4. The earliest Pachytroctidae. With colleague from the Lebanese University, two new genera and new species of Pachytroctidae (Psocoptera), Burmipachytrocta singularis Azar et al., 2014 and Atapinella garroustei Azar et al., 2014 are described based on two individuals preserved in Burmese amber. The positions of the new taxa are discussed and the fossils are compared to other pachytroctids. The described species represent the earliest records of the family Pachytroctidae, bearing significance for understanding the early diversification of the small group. This research was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China, Outstanding Youth Foundation of Jiangsu Province, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Related information of the paper: 1. Chenyang Cai, Diying Huang (2014) The oldest micropepline beetle from Cretaceous Burmese amber and its phylogenetic implications (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae). Naturwissenschaften doi: 10.1007/s00114-014-1221-z 2. Chenyang Cai, Diying Huang (2014) The oldest osoriine rove beetle from Cretaceous Burmese amber (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae). Cretaceous Research doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2014.03.020 3. Ye Liu, Hongliang Shi, Chenyang Cai, Hongbin Liang, Diying Huang* (2014) The first record of Cretaceous ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Oodini) from Burmese amber. Cretaceous Research doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2014.05.013 4. Dany Azar, Diying Huang, Chenyang Cai, André Nel (2014) The earliest records of pachytroctid booklice from Lebanese and Burmese Cretaceous ambers (Psocodea, Troctomorpha, Nanopsocetae, Pachytroctidae). Cretaceous Research doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2014.04.005
Fig. 1. The first Mesozoic Micropeplinae
Fig. 2. Details of Mesozoic Micropeplinae: a, b, CLSM images; d, f, Fluorescence microscope images; others, Biological microscope images
Fig. 3. The oldest Osoriinae
Fig. 4. The first Oodes ground beetle. Fossil species, Oodes kachinensis (left) ; Reconstruction of O. kachinensis (middle); Extant Oodes species (right)
Fig. 5. The earliest Pachytroctidae. Burmipachytrocta singularis Azar et al., 2014 (left); Atapinella garroustei Azar et al., 2014 (right)
Permineralized woods and isolated axes have been documented from numerous Permian localities of northern China. However, most of the previous observations focused on fossil woods from the Cathaysian floral province. Few Permian woods have been investigated from the Subangaran floral province in China. Septomedullopitys szei sp. nov. is discovered and described from the Wuchiapingian Wutonggou low-order cycle (roughly equivalent to Wutonggou Formation) in Tarlong valley, southern Bogda Mountains, Xinjiang, northwestern China. The stem has a heterogeneous pith approximately 15-20 mm in diameter containing numerous straight secretory ducts and parenchymatous bands. Primary xylem is endarch and the tracheids contain scalariform thickenings. Secondary xylem is of the Protophyllocladoxylon type. Comparisons with contemporaneous gymnosperm woods containing either solenoid pith or Protophyllocladoxylon type secondary xylem and from the (Sub)Angara landmass indicate that the Tarlong stem represents a new Permian morphotaxon for the region. The presence of coprolites, borings, and spindle-like cavities within the stem suggests well-developed animal-plant-fungi interactions in the Wuchiapingian time. The presence of numerous growth interruptions and absence of true growth rings within the stem suggest that the climate did not minimal annual temperature and/or precipitation seasonality. The interruptions suggest a humid-subhumid climate with short-term, nonperiodic droughts. This research was supported by Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Basic Research Program of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China and Missouri University of Science and Technology. Related information of this paper: Mingli Wan, Wan Yang, Jun Wang *, 2014. Septomedullopitys szei sp nov., a new gymnospermous wood from Lower Wuchiapingian (Upper Permian) continental deposits of NW China, and its implication for a weakly seasonal humid climate in mid-latitude NE Pangaea. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 407: 1-13. doi: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2014.04.011
Fig.1 Location of the fossil stem of Septomedullopitys szei sp. nov. and geological map of the research area
Fig.2 Photos showing features of Septomedullopitys szei sp. nov.
Fig.3 Photos showing features of Septomedullopitys szei sp. nov.
Fig.4 Photos showing features of Septomedullopitys szei sp. nov.
Amber-bearing deposits are among the most important Konservat-Lagerst？tten providing unique windows into past ecosystems. Fushun amber has been known for over a century and was traditionally regarded as an important source of medicine as well as organic gemstones. The inclusions, however, were not the subject of a comprehensive investigation and its paleobiota and scientific significance were inevitably overlooked in almost all mainstream paleontological literature. After more than 110 years of mining, the opencast mine is closing at Fushun ending the supply of amber. We now have a final opportunity to study this fossil resin and its inclusions before local knowledge fades and collections are dispersed. Professor Zhang Haichun from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and his team, reported a unique amber biota (50–53 million years ago) from the Lower Eocene of Fushun in northeastern China which fills a large biogeographic gap in Eurasia. Fushun amber is derived from cupressaceous trees as determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, infrared spectroscopy, and paleobotanical observations. Twenty-two orders and more than 80 families of arthropods have been reported so far, making it among the most diverse amber biotas. Our results reveal that an apparent radiation of ecological keystone insects including eusocial, phytophagous, and parasitoid lineages occurred at least during the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum. Some insect taxa have close phylogenetic affinities to those from coeval European ambers, showing a biotic interchange between the eastern and western margins of the Eurasian landmass during the early Paleogene. Fushun amber contains the only Paleogene Asian (Laurasia-originated) arthropod biota that has sufficiently numerous and diverse fossils to permit detailed investigation. It not only fills a crucial biogeographic gap in Eurasia, but spans the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO) which is considered an important analogue for inferring future effects of warming trends on biotic interactions, making it a vital source of information for biotic change during the Paleogene. This study provides the first detailed, comprehensive investigation for the Fushun amber. So far, we have found abundant arthropod inclusions belonging to more than 80 families, making it amongst the most diverse amber biotas. In spite of the cessation of mining operations, the already gathered material is being studied and holds the potential for a deeper understanding of Paleogene biogeography and environmental change. This research was supported by Chinese Academy of Sciences and National Basic Research Program of China. The paper was published in Current Biology (Wang Bo*, Rust J., Engel M.S., Szwedo J., Dutta S., Nel A., Fan Yong, Meng Fanwei, Shi Gongle, Jarzembowski E.A., Wappler T., Stebner F., Fang Yan, Mao Limi, Zheng Daran, Zhang Haichun* (2014) A Diverse Paleobiota in Early Eocene Fushun Amber from China. Current Biology, doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.05.048.)
Amber samples
Representative plants and arthropods in Fushun amber.
The reconstruction of ancient insect ectoparasitism is challenging, mostly because of the extreme scarcity of fossils with obvious ectoparasitic features such as sucking-piercing mouthparts and specialized attachment organs. The early evolution of insect ectoparasites and their associations with hosts are still poorly known. Professor ZHANG Haichun from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and his team, cooperating with colleagues from Linyi University, Germany, USA and UK, described a bizarre fly larva (Diptera), named as Qiyia jurassica. The fossils are from the Jurassic deposits of Inner Mongolia, northeastern China. The larva represents a stem group of the tabanomorph family Athericidae, and exhibits adaptations to an aquatic habitat. The most notable structure of these newly discovered fossils is the ridged thoracic sucker which is a unique evolutionary adaptation among holometabolan insects. The round sucker has six radial ridges which are considered highly modified thoracic legs. These six robust ridges could increase both the suction area and surface friction, thus providing more adhesion and increasing lateral stability while reducing slippage, like the radial grooves in modern octopus suckers and supporting ribs in man-made suction cups. Taken together, the larva preserves an unusual combination of features including a thoracic sucker with six radial ridges, unique in insects, piercing-sucking mouthparts for fluid feeding, and crocheted ventral prolegs with upward directed bristles for anchoring and movement while submerged. In the Daohugou deposits fish are completely absent but salamanders are extremely abundant (several thousand specimens recovered to date). The Daohugou salamanders match well Q. jurassica in size as well as co-occurrence, suggesting a possible parasite-host relationship. The larva was an aquatic ectoparasitic insect, probably feeding on the blood of salamanders. The discovery reveals an extreme morphological specialization of fly larvae, and broadens our understanding of the diversity of ectoparasitism in Mesozoic insects. This research was supported by Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Basic Research Program and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The paper was published in eLife (Chen Jun, Wang Bo*, Engel M.S., Wappler T., Jarzembowski E.A., Zhang Haichun, Wang Xiaoli, Zheng Xiaoting, Rust J. Extreme adaptations for aquatic ectoparasitism in a Jurassic fly larva. eLife, 3:e02844. doi: 10.7554/eLife.02844.)
The Cambrian Burgess Shale-type (BST) fossil lagerst？tten have a global distribution from Laurasia to Gondwana. Exceptionally well-preserved soft-bodied fossils from these lagerst？tten document unique information for elucidating the origin and early evolution of metazoans during the ‘‘Cambrian explosion’’. Over the past three decades, several famous BST fossil lagerst？tten have been uncovered from the Cambrian of South China, and attracted worldwide attention and public interests. In recent years, a research groupheaded by Prof. ZHU Maoyan from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences have unremittingly discovered exciting fossils in the Cambrian strata in southeastern Yunnan. Recently, Dr. ZHAO Fangchen and his colleagues from the research group report a new Chengjiang-type fossil assemblage from the lower part of the Hongjingshao Formation at Xiazhuang village of Chenggong, Kunming, Yunnan. The fossil assemblage, named as Xiazhuang fossil assemblage, yields abundant soft-bodied fossils except for common trilobites, including arthropods, brachiopods, priapulids, lobopods and some problematic taxa, with arthropods being the most dominant group. Preservation and composition of the fossil assemblage are very similar to the typical Chengjiang biota, which is preserved in the middle Yu’anshan Formation in the large area of eastern Yunnan. The associated trilobites demonstrate that the soft-bodied fossil assemblage belongs to the late Qiongzhusian in age (Stage 3, Cambrian), suggesting that the Hongjingshao Formation is probably a diachronous lithostratigraphic unit ranging from the upper Qiongzhusian to the lower Canglangpuan stages in eastern Yunnan. The fossil assemblage from the Xiazhuang area fills up the missing link between the typical older Chengjiang biota and the younger Malong and Guanshan biotas, making eastern Yunnan a unique area in the world to reveal the early evolutionary history of animals and palaeocommunity dynamics during the ‘‘Cambrian explosion’’. This research was supported by Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Basic Research Program of China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Related information of this paper: ZENG Han, ZHAO Fangchen*, YIN Zongjun, LI Guoxiang, ZHU Maoyan. 2014. A Chengjiang-type fossil assemblage from the Hongjingshao Formation (Cambrian Stage 3) at Chenggong, Kunming, Yunnan. Chinese Science Bulletin, DOI:10.1007/s11434-014-0419-y.
The trilobites from the lower Hongjingshao Formation, indicate that the new soft-bodied fossil assemblage belongs to the late Qiongzhusian age.
Representative soft-bodied fossils from Hongjingshao Formation at Xiazhuang, Chenggong area
The Australian Lower Cretaceous Koonwarra fossil bed (ca. 118 Ma) has yielded abundant plants, vertebrates and invertebrate fossils, including insects, spiders and branchiopods. The flea, Tarwinia, is one of the most arresting fossils among them. In 1970, two different fleas, Tarwinia (about 7 mm long) and Niwratia, were reported by an Australian paleontologist Riek in Nature. Niwratia is small, and it was thought to be closely related to modern fleas; whereas the holotype of Tarwinia preserved sufficient morphological details and probably some ancestral features, making it a hotspot for scientists’ attention. Tarwinia has been well known for the sole definitive Mesozoic flea fossil before diverse transitional fleas reported in Nature from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou biota (ca. 165 Ma) and the Early Cretaceous Jehol biota (ca. 125 Ma) of northeastern China by Prof. HUANG Diying from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Science in 2012. However, the systematic position of Tarwinia is controversial: paleontologists generally agree that Tarwinia presents a member of Siphonaptera, while neontologists do not agree. The reason accounting for this situation is probably the inaccurate description of Tarwinia. For instance, siphonate mouthparts are well developed in extant fleas, while the structure is not found in Tarwinia. In Evolution of Insect by Grimaldi and Engel (2005), it was pointed out that Tarwinia does not possess siphonate mouthparts. In 2012, Huang et al. indicated that as seen from the figures in that book the piercing and sucking mouthparts are probably present in Tarwinia. The discovery of the diverse giant fleas from the Mesozoic of China also support that Tarwinia belongs to Siphonaptera. In 2013, Tarwinia was elevated to a new family status by Huang and his colleagues. In November of 2013, HUANG Diying visited the Victoria Museum in Melbourne, Australia and restudied the holotype of Tarwinia. He confirmed for the first time that the other flea genus Niwratia is in fact a libellulid larva of Odonata and has no affinity with fleas. The description of Tarwinia is inaccurate, so Tarwinia was restudied by Huang and the result was recently published online in Cretaceous Research. New examinations confirm that Tarwinia has siphonate mouthparts, and special sensilla-bearing pygidium is present near the apex of its abdomen. Some authors thought that Tarwinia is a relatively derived Mesozoic flea as supported by its laterally compressed body, while it is due to the misunderstanding of the preservation. Huang argues that Tarwinia has affinity with the giant fleas from the Middle Jurassic and Early Cretaceous of China, and they differ in the morphology of the ctenidia on tibiae. Like other Mesozoic fleas, Tarwinia only has ctenidia on tibiae, but ctenidia are very long and comb-like, and located at the apical and outer edges. In the head, thorax, or abdomen of extant fleas, different ctenidia are developed, making the fleas from being removed from their hosts. The ctenidia are only present on tibiae, and their different morphology likely suggests different adaption to hosts. It is possible that Tarwinia and other Mesozoic fleas were derived from the same ancestor. Before the Middle Jurassic, a time when Pangaea was not completely broken up, the flea ancestor has had likely immigrated to every continent with their hosts. With the break up of Pangaea and the Early Cretaceous Australia was distinctly separated from other continents, the ecological isolation made early vertebrates evolve separated, making their parasites have the morphological adaption accordingly and evolve to specialized species. The possibility that the comb-like ctenidia was associated with feathers cannot be ruled out, as a number of diverse early birds or feathered dinosaurs have been discovered, and bird feathers were also found in Tarwinia-bearing strata. This research was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China, Outstanding Youth Foundation of Jiangsu Province, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Related information of the paper: Huang, Diying (2014): Tarwinia australis (Siphonaptera: Tarwiniidae) from the Lower Cretaceous Koonwarra fossil bed: Morphological revision and analysis of its evolutionary relationship. Cretaceous Research, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2014.03.018
Tarwinia australis from Lower Cretaceous Koonwarra fossil bed of Australia, the enlarged pictures indicate the ctenidia on fore tibia.
