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New Anomopterella Rasnitsyn, 1975, wasps from the Jiulongshan Formation (Bathonian/Callovian) at Daohugou (Inner Mongolia of China), with well-preserved wings, body, antennae and tarsi, document relationship among species and enhance our understanding of the morphology of the extinct family Anomopterellidae Rasnitsyn, 1975. Based on eight well-preserved specimens, we describe, A. pygmea sp. n. and A. brevis sp. n., describe new materials of A. ovalis Li, Rasnitsyn, Shih & Ren, 2013, and A. ampla Li, Rasnitsyn, Shih & Ren, 2013, emend the genus in Anomopterellidae (A. pygmea sp. n. with toruli and eyes), and provide a determination key to species of the genus, including four specimens outside the formal classification.

Simple Summary: Osmylopsychopidae, an extinct family of Neuroptera, is closely related to the extant Psychopsidae. The sporadic records of this family and limited preservation of fossil specimens have hindered the understanding of the evolution of Osmylopsychopidae. In this paper, one new genus with four new species of Osmylopsychopidae are described from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of northeastern China. These newly discovered osmylopsychopids with a forewing length of ca. 10 mm (implying small body size), clearly distinguished from the traditional sense of Osmylopsychopidae, suggest that Osmylopsychopidae possibly underwent a significant diversification during the Mesozoic. One new genus with four new species sharing the similar character of a forewing length of ca. 10 mm, namely, Minipsychops spasulus gen. et sp. nov., Minipsychops polychotomus sp. nov., Minipsychops densus sp. nov., and Minipsychops unicus sp. nov., are described from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Daohugou, Inner Mongolia in China. These new insects can be attributed to Osmylopsychopidae for their distinctive configuration of costal space and the venations of RP1 and Cu. Compared with the typically medium to large body sizes of known osmylopsychopids, these new Middle Jurassic taxa of a particularly miniaturized lineage not only enrich the species diversity of Osmylopsychopidae, but also enhance our understanding of the historical evolution of these poorly known lacewings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we report the earliest known fossil belid, Sinoeuglypheus daohugouensis gen. et sp. nov., from the latest Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of north-eastern China. Extant belids are specialist herbivores feeding on gymnosperms or angiosperms, but it is likely that this new belid fed on coexisting conifers or other gymnosperms. Extant members of Belidae are predominantly distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, this new find in the north-eastern China deposit is significant for understanding the early stages of the radiation of this group during the mid-Mesozoic, and the early evolution of Curculionoidea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise of research. Even though the fossil record of oviposition provides a rich archive of plant resource use, it is deficient for a fundamental reason. Very few analyzable oviposition data have been collected, particularly from the preangiospermous Mesozoic. Methodology. From northeastern China, we investigated 1817 plant specimens of the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota (125 Ma), of which 60 specimens exhibited ovipositional damage; 3886 specimens of the Middle Jurassic Yanliao Biota (165 Ma) revealed 296 specimens with ovipositional damage; and 408 specimens from the Late Triassic Beipiao Biota (205 Ma) yielded 19 specimens with ovipositional damage. First, we analyzed herbivore ovipositor structure of 68 Jehol and Yanliao insect species, resulting in nine ovipositor morphotypes. Second, we analyzed oviposition lesions of plant specimens from all three biotas, yielding 15 oviposition damage types (DTs). Third, we linked ovipositor morphotype to oviposition DTs. Pivotal results. The most heavily oviposited Jehol plant group was conifers, particularly Liaoningocladus boii ; Equisetites (horsetails) were subordinately attacked. For the Yanliao Biota, the most intensely oviposited plant group was bennettitaleans, particularly Anomozamites , responsible for 46.6% of all ovipositor associations in the total Jehol-Yanliao-Beipiao data set. The conifer Yanliaoa and the ginkgophyte Ginkgoites had subordinate levels of oviposition. The Beipiao Biota revealed a more balanced distribution of oviposition, with cycads and ferns having the greatest ovipositional damage. Conclusions. These three time slices, separated by two 40-million-year intervals, indicate major shifts in oviposition preferences. An examination is warranted into the factors promoting the pronounced oviposition levels on Yanliao Anomozamites , a bennettitalean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A distinctive pattern of oviposition lesions occurs on a ginkgoalean seed, Yimaia capituliformis, which likely was inflicted by a kalligrammatid lacewing with a long, sword‐like, plant‐piercing ovipositor. This newly recorded oviposition type, DT272, occurs in the 165 million‐year‐old Jiulongshan Formation, of Middle Jurassic age, in Northeastern China. DT272 consists from three to seven, approximately equally spaced lesions with surrounding callus tissue, the fabricator of which targeted fleshy outer and inner tissues of a ginkgophyte fruit. This distinctive damage also is known from the fleshy attachment pad surfaces of basal bennettitalean bracts. Examination of the life history of this probable ginkgoalean–kalligrammatid oviposition interaction indicates that the spacing of the eggs in substrate tissues disfavored inter‐larval contact, but little can be said of defense and counterdefense strategies between the plant host and the newly hatched immatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palaeoboganium jurassicumgen. et sp. nov. is described from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou formation in northern China.Palaeoboganium jurassicumis the first fossil representative of the enigmatic family Boganiidae, currently known from Gondwanan localities in South Africa, Australia and New Caledonia. Based on a phylogenetic analysis of adult external characters,Palaeoboganiumis recovered as the sister group ofParacucujusSen Gupta & Crowson andMetacucujusEndrödy-Younga & Crowson (Paracucujinae), whose adults pollinate cycads in Australia and South Africa. Based on phylogenetic evidence this taxon is suggested to be a potential pollinator of Jurassic cycads. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7EDB8295-5EF3-40ED-9A84-479AD23611AF [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Eighteen new species within nine genera, six of which are new, of the Mesozoic hymenopteran family Mesoserphidae are described from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation at Huangbanjigou, Liaoning, and from the latest Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation at Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, China:Mesoserphus venustussp. nov.,Sinoserphus grossussp. nov.,S. flexilissp. nov.,S. petilussp. nov.,Novserphus ningchengensisgen. et sp. nov.,Apiciserphus augustusgen. et sp. nov.,Amboserphus tumidusgen. et sp. nov.,A. beipiaoensissp. nov.,A. dimidiussp. nov.,Choriserphus bellusgen. et sp. nov.,C. gigantussp. nov.,Basiserphus loculatusgen. et sp. nov.,B. longussp. nov.,Ozososerphus lepidusgen. et sp. nov.,O. ovatussp. nov.,O. cuboidussp. nov.,Karataoserphus adaequatussp. nov. andK. gracilentussp. nov. Two taxonomic changes are proposed,Karataoserphus sinicus(Ping) comb. nov. andBeipiaoserphus meridionalis(Rasnitsyn) comb. nov. In addition,TurgoserphusRasnitsyn, 1990,OtliaJ. F. Zhang, 1992,OxyuroserphusRasnitsyn, 1994 andCodoserphusShiet al. 2013 should be considered family incertae sedis due to their hind wings lacking clear diagnostic venation and ovipositor possibly internalized. A key to the genera of Mesoserphidae is provided and morphological classification characters are summarized. Phylogenetic analysis using 22 morphological characters, 18 mesoserphid ingroups and two outgroups indicate that the subfamilies Mesoserphinae and Karataoserphinae should be abandoned. Basal mesoserphids originated in north-eastern China and subsequently spread to other regions. Species of Mesoserphidae with forewing venational pattern of ‘type aa’ existed from the Middle Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2F8A0A38-910B-4855-8E43-454603FD4060 [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Since Holcorpa maculosa was first described in 1878, it has attracted lots of attention due to its extremely elongate abdominal segments from the sixth to the eighth. Fossil records of family Holcorpidae are very rare, comprising two species in one genus represented by three fossil specimens, resulting in limited knowledge on the structure and function of holcorpid's unique male organ, as well as its evolutionary relationship with other scorpionflies. Herein we describe a new genus with a new species, Conicholcorpa stigmosa gen. et sp. nov., of the Holcorpidae from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation near Daohugou Village, Inner Mongolia, China. This is the first holcorpid documented from the Daohugou locality, albeit two previously reported species with extremely elongate male organs but deemed as Family Incertae sedis. C. stigmosa gen. et sp. nov. is the earliest holcorpid hitherto, extending its existence from the Early Eocene to the Middle Jurassic by 114 million years and providing one more early case of presenting exaggerated male body parts for sexual display and/or selection. Our analysis supports the sister relationship between Holcorpidae and Orthophlebiidae. Our results not only enhance our knowledge of the morphology of Holcorpidae but also elucidate the relationship of known species of this family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes a new spider with the most numerous specimens (c. two-thirds) known from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Daohugou, China, asZhizhu daohugouensisgen. et sp. nov, together with a related form from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Huangbanjigou,Zhizhu jeholensissp. nov., and another, unnamed, specimen known only from an immature female from Daohugou. These spiders are all placed in the stem-Deinopoidea. Two recent studies of the phylogeny of spiders using phylogenomics have shown that deinopoids may be closer to non-orb-weaving cribellates than to ecribellate orbicularians, and that if the evolution of the orb web is a unique event, then it occurred deeper in time, perhaps among early Mesozoic cribellates such as these. The new spiders described here contribute to knowledge of the biodiversity and palaeoecology of the forested lake margins of the North China Block in mid-Mesozoic times. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:53C1BDD0-C9A9-4E9D-8515-A57BE437581F [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Mesosciophilidae is one of the extinct families of the suborder Nematocera in Diptera. Six genera and 17 species of mesosciophilids have so far been described from the Holarctic Region, including China, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Russia and Transbaikalia. Herein, a new genus with two new species,Similsciophila singularisgen. et sp. nov. andSimilsciophilasinuatasp. nov. from the late Middle Jurassic, Jiulongshan Formation of Daohugou Village, Inner Mongolia, China, are described based on their venation and body characters. A new key to genera of mesosciophilid gnats is provided. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:8A772D35-29A8-49AA-9B7F-D9994992EE71 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Apocrita has a special structure that its first abdominal segment has been incorporated into the thorax as the propodeum. The remaining abdomen, metasoma, is connected to this hybrid region via a narrow propodeal-metasomal articulation forming a "wasp waist", which serves an important function of providing maneuverability, flexibility and posture for oviposition. However, the origin and transformation of the propodeal-metasomal articulation are still vague. Ephialtitidae, as the basal group of Apocrita from the Early Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous, have shown various types of propodeal-metasomal articulations. Results: This study describes and illustrates two new genera with three new species, Acephialtitia colossa gen. et sp. nov., Proephialtitia acanthi gen. et sp. nov. and P. tenuata sp. nov., collected respectively from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation at Liutiaogou and the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation at Daohugou, both in Inner Mongolia, China. These genera are assigned to the Ephialtitidae based on their complete wing venation, e.g. 2r-rs, 2r-m, 3r-m and 2 m-cu always present in the forewings and Rs, M and Cu in the hind wings. These new fossil ephialtitids have well-preserved propodeal-metasomal articulations indicating metasoma is broadly attached to propodeum. Conclusion: The broad articulation between the propodeum and metasoma in basal Ephialtitidae, likely passed on from a still more basal family Karatavitidae, suggests three separate pathways of the transformation of the "wasp waist" in three different derived lineages leading from Ephialtitidae to: (i) Kuafuidae and further to the remaining Apocrita, (ii) Stephanidae, and (iii) Evanioidea. In addition, the demise of ephialtitid wasps lagging behind the flourishing of angiosperms suggests that ephialtitid extinction might have been mainly driven by competition with numerous new taxa (eg. the abundant Cretaceous xylophilous Baissinae and Ichneumonoidea) appeared just before or/and soon after the J/K boundary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new species of wasps belonging to the family Ephialtitidae, Praeproapocritus flexus sp. nov. and Proapocritus parallelus sp. nov., from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of southeastern Inner Mongolia, China, are described and illustrated. Praeproapocritus vulgates Rasnitsyn & Zhang, 2010 and six species of Proapocritus, P. densipediculus, P. sculptus, P. longantennatus, P. formosus, P. atropus, and P. elegans, all described by Rasnitsyn and Zhang in 2010, are first record from the Middle Jurassic of China. These two new findings supplement the morphological understanding of ephialtitids in the Middle Jurassic of China and broaden the diversity of ephialtitids in their by-gone ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One new genus with a new fossil species, Declinimodus setulosus gen. et sp. nov. which was found in the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, China, are described and illustrated. The new species is assigned to the Rhyacophilidae according to button-shaped of the 2nd segment of maxillary palp, and the forked R1 (in the forewing, located near apex). These new discovery are the earliest fossil records of Rhyacophilidae, which providing important evident for the study of the origin and early evolution of Trichoptera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new genera with six new species of hangingflies (Mecoptera: Raptipedia: Cimbrophlebiidae) are described. They were collected from the Middle Jurassic nonmarine sedimentary strata of the Jiulongshan Formation in Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, north-eastern China. This report of Cimbrophlebiidae from the Yanliao Biota provides detailed morphological information and evidence of a broad diversity of Cimbrophlebiidae during the Middle Jurassic. A key to the known species of Cimbrophlebiidae is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scarabaeoidea are known from the Lower Jurassic and may have originated in the Triassic based on fossil evidence and phylogenetic research. However, the early diversification of Scarabaeoidea remains unclear due to the lack of high-quality fossil evidence. Here we describe an exceptionally well-preserved new fossil of Scarabaeoidea, Alloioscarabaeus cheni gen. et sp. nov from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Inner Mongolia, China. Based on a morphometric analysis using 17 landmarks of the hind wing of Alloioscarabaeus and 10 scarabaeoid families, we found that Alloioscarabaeus cheni gen. et sp. nov clearly does not belong to any of the known scarabaeoid families and, consequently, is a new family, Alloioscarabaeidae fam. nov., was erected. The discovery of Alloioscarabaeus brought further evidence for the early diversification of major scarab lineages which could allow more detail in the palaeobiogeography of the Scarabaeoidea and Northeast of China which might be one of the originating places or an important radiation place during the evolution of Scarabaeoidea. Alloioscarabaeidae were very likely not good diggers and might have fed on decaying organic materials. Based on the evidence we have now, we tend to believe that most families and some subfamilies of Scarabaeoidea were present in the Jurassic period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A new genus within the family Mesosciophilidae, Jurasciophila gen. nov., with two new species, J. curvula gen. et sp. nov. and J. lepida gen. et sp. nov., are described and illustrated. They are established based on fossil specimens with bodies and complete wings. All of them were collected from the late Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Daohugou in southeastern Inner Mongolia, China. Comparing with two known genera, Mesosciophilina (Kovalev, 1985) and Mesosciophilopsis (Blagoderov, 1994), the new genus has transitional characters. The distribution pattern of Mesosciophilidae is briefly discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Three new genera and four new species of the extinct mantidfly subfamily Mesomantispinae (Insecta: Neuroptera: Mantispidae) are described from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Liaoning and the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Inner Mongolia: Archaeodrepanicus nuddsi gen. et sp. nov., A. acutus gen. et sp. nov., Sinomesomantispa microdentata gen. et sp. nov., (Yixian Formation) and Clavifemora rotundata gen. et sp. nov. (Jiulongshan Formation). The specimens described herein represent the first Mesozoic mantidfly compression fossils to have body parts preserved, including the specialized raptorial forelegs articulated to the prothorax anteriorly, an autapomorphy of the family. These new taxa further confirm the placement of the subfamily Mesomantispinae within the family Mantispidae; however, the monophyly of Mesomantispinae has not been confirmed, and it is likely that it will prove to be paraphyletic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Material belonging to a new fossil genus and species of caddisfly, Pulchercylindratus punctatus n. gen., n. sp., was collected from the Daohugou locality (Middle Jurassic, Jiulongshan Formation; Inner Mongolia, China). The new species is assigned to the Hydrobiosidae according to subcylindrical shape of the 2nd segment of maxillary palp, the forked R1 (in the forewing, located near apex), and long anal cells (in the forewing). In addition, we propose to transfer the genus Juraphilopotamus Wang, Zhao & Ren 2009, known from the same locality, to the family Hydrobiosidae, based on the 1st and 2nd segments of the maxillary palp being cylindrical, shorter than the 3rd segment. A Middle Jurassic origination of family Hydrobiosidae can be established based on the new discovery. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A new genus with a new species of fossil elaterid, Paraprotagrypnus superbus gen. et sp. nov., from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation in Daohugou Village (N41°18.979′, E119°14.318′), Shantou Township, Ningcheng County, Inner Mongolia, China is described and illustrated. The genus Paraprotagrypnus belongs to the family of Elateridae, subfamily of Protagrypninae and tribe of Protagrypnini. Some primitive characters of the new genus and new species shed light on the ages between the Jiulongshan Formation in Inner Mongolia and the Yixian Formation in the western Liaoning Province of China. The habitat of the new species is briefly discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]