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This paper focuses on transition policies targeted at supporting workers now employed in the fossil fuel industries and ancillary sectors within high-income economies. As a general normative principle, I argue that the overarching aim of such policies should be to protect workers against major losses in their living standards resulting through the fossil fuel industry phase-out. The impacted workers should be provided with guarantees to accomplish this, in the areas of jobs, compensation and pensions. Just transition policies should also include job search, retraining and relocation programs, but these forms of support should be recognized as supplementary. The overall set of just transition policies is fully aligned with the Energy Justice and Capabilities Approach as well as the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Within this framework, the paper first reviews experiences with transitional policies in Germany, the UK, the EU and, more briefly, Japan and Canada. The policies either implemented or discussed in these cases do not provide the needed guarantees. The paper then presents an illustrative robust just transition program for the heavily fossil fuel-dependent U.S. state of West Virginia. This program will cost, as an annual average, about $42,000 per impacted worker, or about 0.2 percent of West Virginia's current GDP. I briefly summarize results for seven other U.S. states and for the overall U.S. economy. For the U.S. economy overall, the just transition program's costs would total to about 0.015 percent of GDP. These findings demonstrate the financial viability of robust just transition programs for high-income economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of well-preserved organic matter (OM) within mineral concretions has provided key insights into depositional and environmental conditions in deep time. Concretions of varied compositions, including carbonate, phosphate, and iron-based minerals, have been found to host exceptionally preserved fossils. Organic geochemical characterization of concretion-encapsulated OM promises valuable new information of fossil preservation, paleoenvironments, and even direct taxonomic information to further illuminate the evolutionary dynamics of our planet and its biota. Full exploitation of this largely untapped geochemical archive, however, requires a sophisticated understanding of the prevalence, formation controls and OM sequestration properties of mineral concretions. Past research has led to the proposal of different models of concretion formation and OM preservation. Nevertheless, the formation mechanisms and controls on OM preservation in concretions remain poorly understood. Here we provide a detailed review of the main types of concretions and formation pathways with a focus on the role of microbes and their metabolic activities. In addition, we provide a comprehensive account of organic geochemical, and complimentary inorganic geochemical, morphological, microbial and paleontological, analytical methods, including recent advancements, relevant to the characterization of concretions and sequestered OM. The application and outcome of several early organic geochemical studies of concretion-impregnated OM are included to demonstrate how this underexploited geo-biological record can provide new insights into the Earth's evolutionary record. This paper also attempts to shed light on the current status of this research and major challenges that lie ahead in the further application of geo-paleo-microbial and organic geochemical research of concretions and their host fossils. Recent efforts to bridge the knowledge and communication gaps in this multidisciplinary research area are also discussed, with particular emphasis on research with significance for interpreting the molecular record in extraordinarily preserved fossils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Simple Summary: Flowers are beautiful due to their perianth which is frequently colourful and conspicuous. The existence of the colourful perianth is closely related to insect pollination in extant angiosperms. The Early Cretaceous (1.25 million years ago) Yixian Formation in Northeastern China is famous for its great diversity of reproductive organs of early angiosperms. However, unlike typical flowers in extant angiosperms, the previously documented fossil flowers are "naked", namely, they do not have typical perianth, suggestive of a strategy different than the extant one adopted in the reproduction of early angiosperms. However, without fossil evidence, whether there is perianth and whether androecium and gynoecium are protected in early flowers are open questions. In this paper, we document the first flower bud fossil, Archaebuda lingyuanensis, from the Yixian Formation. Besides being the first recorded flower bud (which is fragile and unlikely to be fossilized) in the Early Cretaceous, the flower bud does protect its internal parts, which are vulnerable to various attacks and harm, using the perianth. In addition, perianth plays an important role in attracting insects for successful pollination of early angiosperms. This knowledge on the reproduction of early angiosperms is otherwise unavailable if only the previous fossils are taken into consideration. Background: Although various angiosperms (including their flowers) have been reported from the Yixian Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of China, which is famous worldwide for its fossils of early angiosperms, no flower bud has hitherto been seen in the Early Cretaceous. Such a lack of examples hinders our understanding of the evolution of flowers. Methods: The specimen studied in the present paper was collected from an outcrop of the Yixian Formation (the Barremian-Aptian, Lower Cretaceous) of Dawangzhangzi in Lingyuan, Liaoning, China. The specimen was photographed using a Nikon D200 digital camera, its details were observed and photographed using a Nikon SMZ1500 stereomicroscope, and some of its details were observed using a Leo 1530 VP SEM. Results: We report a fossilized flower bud, Archaebuda lingyuanensis gen. et sp. nov, from the Yixian Formation of China. The debut of Archaebuda in the Yixian Formation provides first-hand material for debate on the early evolution of angiosperm flowers and underscores the great diversity of angiosperms in the Yixian Formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The earliest Crocodylia from Asia have been represented so far only by alligatoroids and planocraniids. Although definitive crocodyloids are not known until the late Eocene, it has been hypothesized that Asiatosuchus -like basal crocodyloids originated in Asia before the late Palaeocene. In this paper, we describe a new fossil crocodyloid from the lower Palaeocene of Qianshan Basin, Anhui Province, China. The skull and lower jaw fragment exhibit several characteristics typical of juvenile crocodylians. They also display a combination of features not seen in any other taxon, warranting the erection of a new species and genus, Qianshanosuchus youngi gen. & sp. nov. Its affinities are tested in phylogenetic analyses based on two recent character matrices of Eusuchia. To assess the effect of juvenile characteristics on the outcome of the phylogenetic analyses, juvenile specimens of extant crocodylian taxa are analysed in the same way, showing that the effect of their ontogenetic stage on their placement in the tree is minimal. Our analyses point to a basal crocodyloid position for Q. youngi. With these findings, the presence of Crocodyloidea in Asia is extended to the early Palaeocene, 15–20 Myr earlier than formerly thought. Furthermore, our results corroborate previous hypotheses of a Palaeocene dispersal route of Asiatosuchus -like crocodyloids from Asia into Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major increase in cetacean brain size happened in the middle Miocene, about 15 million years ago, and involved the modern oceanic dolphin lineage Delphinoidea. In this paper, we describe a new specimen of an archaic dolphin, aff. Prosqualodon davidis, from the Gee Greensand, near Oamaru, New Zealand. The specimen is from the early Miocene, approximately 23–19–18 Ma, and includes an incomplete cranium, endocast, teeth, and some postcranial elements. Comparison of the median sulcus among previously reported endocasts and brains of the Cetacea suggests that the cerebrum was expanded incipiently in the Odontoceti from the early Miocene in the Eurhinodelphinidae + Delphinoidea lineage. Conversely, the olfactory fossa has been reduced in Odontoceti, and completely lost in at least two clades (Delphinoidea and Platanista gangetica), because olfaction was most likely no longer an essential sense for animals spending their life in water. Reduction and loss of the olfactory fossa saved energy, which may be related to the expansion of the cerebrum and cortex in an Odontoceti lineage that led to modern oceanic dolphins. The early Miocene appears to have been a transitional period for archaic and modern-type odontocetes, which were possibly and partly separated by these differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Filistatids, the crevice weavers, are an ancient family of cribellate spiders without extant close relatives. As one of the first lineages of araneomorph spiders, they present a complicated mixture of primitive and derived characters that make them a key taxon to elucidate the phylogeny of spiders, as well as the evolution of phenotypic characters in this group. Their moderate diversity (187 species in 19 genera) is distributed mainly in arid and semi‐arid subtropical zones of all continents, except Antarctica. The objective of this paper is to generate a comprehensive phylogenetic hypothesis for this family to advance the understanding of its morphological evolution and biogeography, as well as lay the basis for a natural classification scheme. By studying the morphology using optical and electronic microscopy techniques, we produced a matrix of 302 morphological characters coded for a sample of 103 species of filistatids chosen to represent the phylogenetic diversity of the family. In addition, we included sequences of four molecular markers (COI, 16S, H3 and 28S; 3787 aligned positions) of 70 filistatid species. The analysis of the data (morphological, molecular, and combined) consistently indicates the separation of the Filistatidae into two subfamilies, Prithinae and Filistatinae, in addition to supporting several groups of genera: Filistata, Zaitunia and an undescribed genus from Madagascar; Sahastata and Kukulcania; all Prithinae except Filistatinella and Microfilistata; Antilloides and Filistatoides; a large Old World group including Pritha, Tricalamus, Afrofilistata, Labahitha, Yardiella, Wandella and putative new genera; and a South American group formed by Lihuelistata, Pikelinia and Misionella. Pholcoides is transferred to Filistatinae and Microfilistata is transferred to Prithinae, and each represents the sister group to the remaining genera of its own subfamily. Most genera are valid, although Pikelinia is paraphyletic with respect to Misionella, so we consider the two genera as synonyms and propose a few new generic combinations. Considering the new phylogenetic hypothesis, we discuss the evolution of some morphological character systems and the biogeography of the family. The ages of divergence between clades were estimated using a total‐evidence tip‐dating approach by including fossils of Filistatidae and early spider clades; this approach resulted in younger age estimates than those obtained with traditional node‐dating. Filistatidae is an ancient family that started diversifying in the Mesozoic and most genera date to the Cretaceous. Clades displaying transcontinental distributions were most likely affected by continental drift, but at least one clade shows unequivocal signs of transoceanic long‐distance dispersal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A newly recognised Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) specimen re-discovered amongst the animal remains excavated by the Harrissons at West Mouth (Niah Cave) in 1958 re-opens the debate about the origin of the species in Borneo. This represents the only specimen of the species with clear stratigraphic information recovered from any controlled excavation sites in the whole island. The current study presents the first zooarchaeological evidence from Niah Cave that unequivocally confirms that Asian elephant was part of the large mammal community on Borneo during late Pleistocene times. This important find is put in a broader context of other prehistoric proboscidean remains recorded from the island, including one previously unreported post-cranial specimen from the fossil collection of Sarawak Museum. Key issues discussed in the present paper include: the geological age of the Niah specimen, geographic origins and the current distribution pattern, the validity of the available subspecific names, and the doubtful presence of the Straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon) in Borneo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new extinct species of false skin beetles (Biphyllidae) are described and illustrated based on inclusions in Baltic amber: Biphyllus lar sp. nov. and Coelodiplus uuu-impressa gen. et sp. nov. The new Eocene fossils are compared with the related extant and extinct representatives of the family. A new monotypic genus is erected for one fossil; another Eocene species is classified within the extant genus Biphyllus Dejean, 1821. The holotype of Diplocoelus probiphyllus Vitali, 2010 (Baltic amber) is re-examined and its diagnosis is emended. The present paper brings the total number of described biphyllid species from European succinite to three. A key to all documented fossil species of the family is provided. Several aspects of insect use as paleoenvironment and climate proxies are briefly discussed. On the basis of the revealed biphyllid palaeofauna and analysis of the climatic extremes of the modern distribution of the family in the Northern Hemisphere, the lowest possible annual temperature in the area of amberiferous forests of Eocene Northern Europe is hypothesised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The family Lucanidae Latreille, 1804, has long been considered to be one of the most archaic groups in the superfamily Scarabaeoidea and contains more than 110 genera and about 1300 extant species. Most adult lucanids display obvious sexual dimorphism as males are often larger and possess well-developed and variable mandibles used to compete with other males. For a long period of time, researchers of stag beetles have had problems and disputes, because many views are only speculation and cannot be supported by the evidence of fossil specimens. In this paper, we describe and illustrate a new fossil species from the Early Cretaceous of northeastern China: Prolucanus beipiaoensis gen. et sp. nov. Based on this well-preserved specimen, a new genus is established, representing the first record of the fossil Lucaninae in China and the oldest reliable record of the subfamily. A new stag beetle fossil is described from the Yixian Formation in northeastern China. A new genus is established based on this well-preserved specimen. Prolucanus beipiaoensis gen. et sp. nov. is firmly placed in the extant lucanid subfamily Lucaninae based on its broad prosternal process and geniculate antennae. Our discovery represents the first fossil record of Lucaninae from the Late Mesozoic of China and the oldest reliable record belonging to the subfamily. We also summarize the fossil species of stag beetles found in China and the described fossil species of the subfamily Lucaninae found in the world. A key to all fossil genera of Lucanidae from China is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Museologia e Patrimônio is the property of Museologia e Patrimonio and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

An extinct genus and species of Diptera – Cretothereva antiqua – has recently been described from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil (Crato Formation). The fossil has been assigned to the family Therevidae and, according to its authors, would represent the oldest known member of the family of the entire Therevoid clade, with important implications for the evolutionary history of the group. A recent paper written by several Diptera experts challenges the systematic position of Cretothereva antiqua, but without a detailed assessment of the evidences. The evidence for the systematic position of this important fossil is reassessed. We argue that criticism of scientific hypotheses must be based on formal discussion of evidence, not based only on conjecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Terr@ Plural is the property of Terr@ Plural and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Beetles have a remote evolutionary history dating back to the Carboniferous, with Mesozoic fossils playing a pivotal role in elucidating the early evolution of extant families. Despite their exceptional preservation in amber, deciphering the systematic positions of Mesozoic trogossitid‐like beetles remains challenging. Here, we describe and illustrate a new trogossitid‐like lineage from mid‐Cretaceous Kachin amber, Foveapeltis rutai Li, Kolibáč, Liu & Cai, gen. et sp. nov. Foveapeltis stands out within the Cleroidea due to the presence of a significant large cavity on each hypomeron. While the exact phylogenetic placement of Foveapeltis remains uncertain, we offer a discussion on its potential affinity based on our constrained phylogenetic analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indo-Australian Archipelago (IAA) today exhibits the highest marine biodiversity, which has been evolving since the early Miocene. The existence of this high palaeobiodiversity is attested to by the presence of many fossil invertebrates; however, the region's fossil fish record is sparse and understudied, which is also the case for cartilaginous fishes. Elasmobranch fossils are dominantly represented by shark and ray teeth in the geological record and can give a quick overview of the composition of the fauna. The first IAA elasmo fossils, shark teeth were described from Java (Indonesia) at the end of the 19th century, and until today, most of the publications are known from this island. In the early and middle of the 20th century, remarkable fossils were also reported from the islands of Madura (NE Java) and Sulawesi, some with detailed taxonomical descriptions. In addition, only sporadic reports on fossil occurrences exist elsewhere from the IAA, but these lack any detailed taxonomic accounts. In 2019 our research group reported a late Miocene elasmobranch fauna from Brunei (Borneo), which is now the most diverse known shallow water fossil assemblage from the entire IAA. This fauna was described from a single fossiliferous outcrop, called Ambug Hill. However, several new localities have been discovered and studied over the years, as a result the number of fossils increased, and their age range extended. Here we provide an overview of these new sites and their elasmobranch fossils, and describe remains from ten taxa among, of which eight are new to the IAA fossil record (Chiloscyllium sp., cf. Hemitriakis sp., Paragaleus sp., Carcharhinus borneensis, C. limbatus, Lamiopsis sp., Scoliodon sp., Rhinobatos sp.). The overall north Bornean elasmo assemblage is then compared with other IAA occurrences. An extended fauna list is given based on literature review and preliminary investigation of the Naturalis Biodiversity Centre collection in Leiden (The Netherlands) where most of the fossil fishes of the early explorations are stored. These assemblages are also briefly summarized, and attention is drawn to some of the unique and thus far unreported taxa (e.g., Dalatias licha). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Management of Natural History collections, particularly paleontological collections, is usually structured around specimens. However, it might not be feasible when the collections are incorporated from sources where the whole cycle of specimen collection is unknown, making it hard to determine what fossils belong to a single specimen and if these specimens belong to a single fossil-assemblage, taxon or individual. The Sociedade de História Natural from Torres Vedras (Portugal) manages such collections using a management strategy approach based on the spatial location from where the fossils were found. To achieve this, we have implemented a methodology for field collection and developed a spatial database in PostgreSQL/PostGIS to manage the entire stages of paleontological collections management. On top of the database, a second layer of web services, Web GIS (Geographical Information System) applications, and desktop GIS, all based on QGIS, are also under development to facilitate access to data stored in the database to internal and external researchers and partners, as well public institutions. This effort is made in close collaboration with in-house actors and stakeholders and has yielded promising results. The development of this system provides four advantages: (i) it played an essential role in supporting the transfer of the collection to new storage facilities; (ii) it provides overviews of the distribution of the characteristics of the collections; (iii) it enhances institutional partnerships by providing consistent and reliable data and(iv) it supports the establishment and development of research lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a new species of shearwater, Ardenna buchananbrowni sp. nov., from the Pliocene of New Zealand. It is both the smallest and oldest known diving member of the genus, demonstrating that this now abundant form of shearwater has had a long presence in southern oceans. Ardenna buchananbrowni sp. nov. is among the few extinct shearwaters described from the Southern Hemisphere and adds to an increasingly diverse seabird assemblage in the Pliocene of the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The systematics of Cyrtophyllitinae Zeuner, 1935 sensu Gorochov, Jarzembowski & Coram, 2006 was revised. A new subfamily Archaboilinae subfam. nov. and a new genus, Pararchaboilus gen. nov. were erected. Two new species, Archaboilus ornatus sp. nov. and Vitimoilus gigantus sp. nov., are described from the Middle Jurassic China. A phylogeny of Cyrtophyllitinae Zeuner, 1935 sensu Gorochov, Jarzembowski & Coram, 2006, based on wing morphology, is presented including all genera. Cyrtophillitinae is found to be paraphyletic. Except for Cyrtophyllites rogeri Oppenheim, 1888, all other species were moved from the subfamily Cyrtophyllitinae (Hagloidea, Haglidae). Consequently, a new subfamily Archaboilinae subfam. nov. was erected and accommodates most of the previous cyrtophillitine taxa, except Cyrtophyllites rogeri. The type genus Archaboilus Martynov, 1937 of the new subfamily was designated; a new genus, Pararchaboilus gen. nov., was erected with the designation of type species Pararchaboilus cretaceus comb. nov. From the Middle Jurassic deposits of China, two new species, Archaboilus ornatus sp. nov. and Vitimoilus gigantus sp. nov., are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Flowers are attractive to many people mainly due to their colourful and conspicuous perianth, which is closely related to successful insect pollination in extant angiosperms. The Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation (125 million years ago) in Northeastern China is famous for its great diversity of early angiosperms. However, unlike typical flowers in extant angiosperms, the previously documented fossil flowers are usually famous for their "nakedness", namely, they do not have typical petals (corolla), suggesting a pollination strategy for early angiosperms that is different than that of the extant angiosperms. However, without fossil evidence, whether there are petals (corolla) and whether androecium and gynoecium are protected in early flowers are rarely addressed questions. Here, we document a flower bud fossil, Archaebuda cretaceae sp. nov., from the Yixian Formation, which is the second case in the Formation. While reinforcing the truthful occurrence of fragile flower buds in the Early Cretaceous, new fossil evidence demonstrates the existence of gynoecium and possible androecium within the flower bud, suggestive of the possible bisexuality and the protection function of petals in Archaebuda, just as in extant flowers. In addition, it is very likely that conspicuous petals may have played an important role in attracting insects for successful pollination in early angiosperms. Therefore, the occurrence of petals (corolla) in Archaebuda cretaceae sheds a new light on the reproduction of early angiosperms. The Yixian Formation (Lower Cretaceous) in China is famous worldwide for its fossils of early angiosperms, but there has been only one record of flower buds (Archaebuda lingyuanensis) hitherto, in which only the surface of the flower bud was documented while no internal details were known. Such a partial knowledge of flower buds hinders our understanding of the evolution of flowers, and this knowledge lacuna needs to be filled. Our new specimen was collected from an outcrop of the Yixian Formation (Barremian–Aptian, Lower Cretaceous) near Dawangzhangzi, Lingyuan, Liaoning, China. Our observations reveal a new fossil flower bud, Archaebuda cretaceae sp. nov., from the Lower Cretaceous of China. This new record of Archaebuda in the Yixian Formation not only confirms the truthful existence of the expected gynoecium (plus possible androecium) in a flower bud but also underscores the occurrence of typical flowers in the Early Cretaceous. This new information adds first-hand data to flower sexuality, pollination, and evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this review, we highlight our recent developments on the formic acid refining of lignocellulosic biomass and how it can be an innovative way to produce sustainable hydrogen and fuels. There is a worldwide high demand for green energy and green chemistry endeavors to drastically slow down climate change in accord with the COP 21. This review mainly focuses on the deconstruction of the lignocellulosic biomass, using formic acid-based mixtures, into its 3 main components and how they can be the new resources for hydrogen, fuels, and products in the 21st century. We are underlining the natural carbon capture in the form of atmospheric CO2 concentrated into lignocellulosic biomass wastes from the forest and agricultural land sites and the subsequent low energy organic extraction of cellulose, lignin, and hemicelluloses. We illustrate in this review that our dependence on fossil fuels will be greatly reduced, and that atmospheric CO2, sunlight and water will provide safe energy and products for future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Simple Summary: Our research, made possible by recent advancements, has led to more accurate diagnoses of ancient pathologies, despite the rarity of well-preserved specimens, the predominance of bone remains, and the difficulty in distinguishing neoplastic from non-neoplastic lesions in fossils. This study compiles reports of tumours in fossilised animals, highlighting that neoplasms are present in various vertebrates and drawing comparisons to modern instances of similar diseases, thereby providing unique insights into the presence of tumours in ancient animals. Paleo-oncology studies neoplastic diseases in fossilised animals, including human remains. Recent advancements have enabled more accurate diagnoses of ancient pathologies despite the inherent challenges in identifying tumours in fossils—such as the rarity of well-preserved specimens, the predominance of bone remains, and the difficulty in distinguishing neoplastic from non-neoplastic lesions. This study compiles reports of tumours in fossilised animals, highlighting that neoplasms are present in a wide range of vertebrates and drawing comparisons to modern instances of similar diseases. The findings underscore the multifactorial aetiology of tumours, which involves genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors, and suggest that tumours have been around for at least 350 million years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new genus and new species of the euthemistid, Kidaneuthemis ningchengensis gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia, China. It can be assigned to the Euthemistidae by the several long intercalary veins between RP1 and IR1, IR1 and RP2, as well as between RP2 and IR2 and between IR2 and RP3/4. Kidaneuthemis ningchengensis gen. et sp. nov. distinguishes from the other two genera of this family by the presence of not less than eight intercalary veins between MP and wing margin; about three rows of cells in the distal part between MA and MP; the base of IR2 is two cells distal to that of RP3/4. In addition, a revision of the family Euthemistidae has been proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several fossil beetles from the Late Pliocene (Piacenzian) of Willershausen (Lower Saxony, Germany) previously identified as Tenebrionidae and Staphylinidae are reviewed. One species, formerly determined as "Staphylinoidea" is identified as Euboeus mimonti Boieldieu, 1865 (Tenebrionidae: Helopini). This species is the oldest record of an extant species of darkling beetles, which occurs now in the Balkans and Anatolia. The discovery of Euboeus mimonti in the Late Pliocene of Germany indicates that the range of this species was much wider, and the climate in the Late Pliocene in the modern territory of Lower Saxony was much milder. One species formerly determined as "Alleculidae gen. sp." belongs to the subfamily Alleculinae (Tenebrionidae) and it is identified here as Pseudocistela aff. ceramboides. Two species, misidentified by a previous author as Tenebrionidae belong to Elateridae and Cerambycidae respectively. Generic and species composition, as well as the ratio of extinct and extant beetle taxa in the Willershausen Fossil Lagerstätte are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One new genus and three new species of Archexyelinae (Xyelidae) are described from the Middle–Late Triassic Madygen Formation of Kyrgyzstan, including Xyelinus scherbachov sp. nov., Triassoxyela sharovi sp. nov., and Microxyela minuta gen. et sp. nov. Xyelidae is the most ancient hymenopteran family in fossil records and the only one known from the Triassic. Triassic xyelids are known from five localities throughout the whole Pangaea. The most diverse and abundant Triassic xyelid fauna comes from Madygen, with 16 genera and 34 species in the two subfamilies Archexyelinae and Madygellinae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a new Eocene fossil assassin bug, Aphelicophontes danjuddi gen. et sp. nov. (Reduviidae: Harpactorinae), from the Green River Formation of Colorado. The specimens informing this description are extraordinarily preserved, particularly in the external and internal structures of the adult male genitalia. We discuss implications of the new species for the systematics and evolutionary history of the group, as well as the strength of phylogenetic signal in harpactorine genitalia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new extinct species of the genus Dibelonetes R. Sahlberg, 1847: D. antecessor sp. nov. from Baltic amber and three new extinct species of the genus Nazeris Fauvel, 1873: N. antiquus sp. nov. from Baltic amber, N. damzeni sp. nov. and N. electrus sp. nov. from Ukrainian (Rovno) amber are described, illustrated and distinguished from related species. New records of the extinct species of the genera Dysanabatium Bernhauer, 1915 and Orsunius Assing, 2011 from Baltic amber are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heptageniidae (Ephemeroptera) is found in various biogeographical realms such as the Holarctic, Afrotropical, and Oriental regions, and is considered to be relatively species-rich. However, the family's fossil records are sparse. In this paper, a new genus and species of Heptageniidae, Burmaheptagenia zhouchangfai gen. et sp. nov., is introduced based on a male imago that was found in mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber. The distinguishing features of Burmaheptagenia zhouchangfai gen. et sp. nov. include a mesothoracic furcasternum with a convergent anterior medial depression, a prosternum that is rounded and lacks transverse or longitudinal ridges, a 4-segmented hindtarsus, and the presence of penes with lateral sclerites. This new mayfly displays morphological traits of both Rhithrogeninae and Ecdyonurinae and might be a stem group of the two subfamilies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than a decade has passed since the publication of the only world checklist available for Onychophora. During this period, numerous nomenclatural acts and taxonomic changes have been suggested within the group and a wealth of novel data has been published on many taxa. Herein, the up-to-date taxonomic scenario within Onychophora is presented, with appraisal of name status. This checklist covers both extant (Peripatidae and Peripatopsidae) and fossil taxa, and each species is accompanied by information on synonyms, type designation, holotype location, type locality, and language of original description. Additional remarks include nomenclatural inconsistencies, synonymizations, name misspellings, conflicting collecting event data, availability of taxonomically informative molecular data, etc. According to the data, 237 species are currently assigned to Onychophora: 140 of Peripatopsidae, 92 of Peripatidae, and five fossil species with unclear relationship to extant taxa. Since the previous checklist, 37 species have been added to Onychophora, representing an increase of 18.5% in the diversity described for the group. Yet, taxonomic descriptions seem slow-paced, with an average of 3.6 onychophoran species being described annually. From the taxonomic standpoint, 216 species are valid, although many of them require morphological revision and molecular characterization; 21 species exhibit major taxonomic ambiguities and have been regarded as nomina dubia. Recurrent taxonomic issues identified in the literature include inaccurate collecting event data, doubtful taxonomic assignment of molecular sequences, and non-observance of nomenclatural rules. These and other taxonomic aspects are addressed herein in the light of the directives established by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angiosperms are frequently assumed to constitute a monophyletic group. Therefore, the origin of angiosperms is a key question in systematic botany since the answer to this question is hinged with many questions concerned with angiosperm evolution. Previously, the lack of fossil evidence undermines the robustness of related hypotheses, and explains the instability of the systematics of angiosperms in the past century. With increasing evidence of early angiosperms, the origin and early evolution of angiosperms become approachable targets. However, reaching a strict consensus is still a mission impossible now: there are too many issues open to debate. A good sign in research is that palaeobotanists started addressing the issue of criterion identifying angiosperms, this would bring order in studies of early angiosperms. Several flaws in fundamental concepts inflicting botany require efforts to elucidate and remedy. The author here opens a discussion on these problems, hoping that more botanists will join to discuss and clarify previously blurry concepts and place a solid foundation for future development in botany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microvertebrate assemblages of the Upper Cretaceous (late Cenomanian to mid- Turonian) Favel Formation of Manitoba are formally described for the first time. New vertebrate occurrences from the Favel Formation include the actinopterygians Caturidae indet., cf. Albulidae incertae sedis, Micropycnodon kansasensis, Pachyrhizodus minimus, Protosphyraena sp., Thryptodus loomisi, chondrichthyans Ischyrhiza cf. mira, I. texana, Ptychodus marginalis, P. occidentalis, and P. rhombodus, the avian cf. Ichthyornis sp., the reptile Testudines indet., and an unknown taxon referred to as Vertebrate A. Changes in faunal occurrences throughout the formation suggest an offshore open marine environment for the lower and middle horizons and nearshore marine for the upper horizon, represent ing mid- and late stages of the Greenhorn third-order marine cycle. This newly described diversity increases biogeographic affinities of the late Cenomanian to mid-Turonian vertebrate assemblages of Manitoba with central WIS localities in South Dakota and Kansas, providing additional support for a central vertebrate biogeographic subprovince during late Cenomanian to early Turonian times, as well as WIS localities further south in Texas decreasing the gradient of the north-south or central-south community boundary during early and mid-Turonian times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helotidae is a small and morphologically uniform family in Nitiduloidea. In this study, we report an unusual form of helotids, represented by Lobatihelota lescheni Li, Liu & Cai gen. nov., sp. nov. and L. iridescens Li, Liu & Cai sp. nov. from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Lobatihelota is unique within the family in having a leg morphology typical of some Nitidulidae and Kateretidae (tibia widened distally, tarsomeres 1–3 bilobed, tarsomere 4 shortened). Additionally, new diagnostic characters are suggested for Trihelota from the same deposit (prosternum and mesoventrite with paired carinae, metanepisterna short, metacoxae meeting elytra laterally), and the morphological divergence of representative genera of the superfamilies Erotyloidea, Nitiduloidea and Cucujoidea is visualised using a phylomorphospace approach. ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FE0E4D6A-8157-4E14-9240-7B87F285AEA5 Helotidae is a small family in Nitiduloidea. We report an unusual form of helotids, represented by Lobatihelota lescheni gen. nov., sp. nov. and L. iridescens sp. nov., from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Lobatihelota is unique within the family in having a leg morphology typical of some Nitidulidae and Kateretidae. Additionally, new diagnostic characters are suggested for Trihelota from the same deposit, and the morphological divergence of representative genera of Erotyloidea, Nitiduloidea and Cucujoidea is visualised using a phylomorphospace approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new morphologically distinct species of cowry (family Cypraeidae Rafinesque, 1815) is described from the Late Pliocene Roe Calcarenite of the Roe Plains, Western Australia. Previously assigned to Umbilia hesitata (Iredale, 1916), the new species differs morphometrically from related taxa and is differentiated from U. hesitata by a number of shell features including a prominent, projecting protoconch, less extended posterior and anterior terminals, coarser columellar teeth extending onto the base, and well-developed, thickened anterior flanges, supporting a rounded anterior extremity with blunt anterior tips. Umbilia tomdarraghi sp. nov. is the third Umbilia species to be described from the Pliocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise of research. Two permineralized inflorescences have been found in calcium carbonate concretions from the Eocene Appian Way locality on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, increasing sampling density and helping clarify the pattern of phylogeny for Alismatalean monocots. Methodology. Serial sections of specimens were prepared by the cellulose acetate peel technique and studied with light microscopy. Phylogenetic analyses using a morphological matrix of living and fossil Araceae and Acoraceae were performed using TNT version 1.5 to help establish relationships of the fossil inflorescences. Pivotal results. Inflorescences are cylindrical spikes, >37 mm long and 8.1 mm wide, with a peduncle at least 14.5 mm long, bearing numerous helically arranged, bisexual sessile flowers with hooded tepals. Fruits are trilocular, with basal axile placentation and one seed per locule. Remnants of probable stamens are present in most flowers. Conclusions. Flower structure was compared to those of other petalloid, spicate, bisexual flowers in the monocot families Acoraceae and Araceae (Alismatales). The number of carpels is similar to that in Acorus (Acoraceae) and Spathiphyllum (Araceae, Monsteroideae) and some Pothoideae. Single-seeded ovaries are common in Araceae, while the locules in Acorus contain several apically attached seeds. Phylogenetic analyses place Appianospadix in Proto-Araceae near the base of the aroid tree. This inflorescence with a unique combination of characters is described as Appianospadix bogneri , a new genus and species of Alismatales (family: Araceae). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first record of the tribe Paussini Latreille is reported based on a specimen from late Eocene Rovno amber. It is the first known close relative of the genus Eohomopterus (subtribe Carabidomemnina) in the Old World. The recent and Neogene distribution of Eohomopterus is Neotropical, with extant representatives in Ecuador, Brazil and the West Indies, and extinct species in Dominican and Mexican amber. The occurrence of the Neotropical Carabidomemnina in Rovno amber and the presence of the Oriental Protopaussini in Dominican amber are of significant interest as evidence of the probable transarctic migrations of their ant host in the early Eocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: We analyze the oldest fossil occurrences of wound‐response periderm to characterize the development of wound responses in early tracheophytes. The origin of periderm production by a cambium (phellogen), an innovation with key roles in protection of inner plant tissues, is poorly explored; understanding periderm development in early tracheophytes can illuminate key aspects of this process.Anatomy of wound‐response tissues is characterized in serial sections in a new Early Devonian (Emsian; c. 400 Ma) euphyllophyte from Quebec (Canada) – Nebuloxyla mikmaqiana sp. nov. – and compared to previously described euphyllophyte periderm from the same fossil locality to reconstruct periderm development.Characterizing development in these oldest periderm occurrences allows us to propose a model for the development of wound‐response periderm in early tracheophytes: by phellogen activity that is poorly coordinated laterally but bifacial, producing secondary tissues initially outwardly and subsequently inwardly.The earliest occurrences of wound periderm pre‐date the oldest known periderm produced systemically as a regular ontogenetic stage (canonical periderm), suggesting that periderm evolved initially as a wound‐response mechanism. We hypothesize that canonical periderm evolved by exaptation of this wound sealing mechanism, whose deployment was triggered by tangential tensional stresses induced in the superficial tissues by vascular cambial growth from within. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fossil record of stag beetles (Lucanidae), especially in Mesozoic amber, is sparse. Four additional fossil lucanids preserved in mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber from northern Myanmar are here reported. All of these species are included in the primitive subfamily Aesalinae, and have been identified as: Protonicagus mandibularis sp. nov. (tribe Nicagini); Cretognathus minutissimus gen. et sp. nov. (tribe Ceratognathini); Ceratognathini gen. et sp. indet. 1 (provisional assignment); and Ceratognathini gen. et sp. indet. 2 (provisional assignment). Except for Protonicagus mandibularis sp. nov., the stag beetles appear to be connected to the continent of Gondwana, as with the Kachin amber paleofauna. More interestingly, these species have significantly smaller bodies than the extant species, with three of them measuring less than 3 mm, which makes them the smallest known species of Lucanidae. This finding is congruent with a trend toward miniaturization in several unrelated lineages of Kachin amber beetles, and it shows hidden paleodiversity of stag beetles during the Cretaceous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]