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Dominican amber is the fossil resin famous for the best quality of inclusions, exploited in Dominican Republic from the deposits formed in the late Early Miocene, ca. 16 Ma. A new species, Polymera (Polymera) alexanderi sp. n. of the dipteran family Limoniidae is described from this amber. This new limonid belongs to the genus Polymera Wiedemann, 1820 with 63 extant species described mostly from South America. Only three fossil species are known so far from Dominican and Baltic amber.

Here we provide evidence for the presence of non-biting midges of the subfamily Chironominae in the Mesozoic, based on descriptions of exceptionally rare amber inclusions. The subfamily has already been reported, but based on a single and unspecified record from Late Cretaceous Taimyr amber (~84 Mya). That record is here revised and confirmed. Moreover, a new find in Burmese amber locates the temporal boundary of the subfamily back to the mid-Cretaceous (probably ~100 Mya). We describe two new genera assigned to the tribe Pseudochironomini: Mesoacentron gen. nov. with the species Mesoacentron kaluginae sp. nov. (Taimyr amber) and Palaeocentron gen. nov. with the species Palaeocentron krzeminskii sp. nov. (Burmese amber), the oldest known representative of the subfamily. The systematic position of the new taxa is discussed, and a key to the identification of adult males of extinct and extant Pseudochironomini genera is presented. Insights in the phylogeny and diversification tempo of the Chironominae and Pseudochironomini in the past are also provided.

Sexual conflict – opposite reproductive/genetic interests between sexes – can be a significant driver of insect evolution. Scorpionflies (Insecta: Mecoptera) are models in sexual conflict research due to their large variety of mating practices, including coercive behaviour and nuptial gift provisioning. However, the role of palaeontology in sexual conflict studies remains negligible, namely due to the paucity of well-preserved fossils. Here, we describe three male scorpionflies from Cretaceous and Eocene ambers. The structure of notal and postnotal organs is analysed in extant and extinct forms; a depression below the base of the notal organ in different panorpid species spatially matches the anterior fold of the female’s wing. Based on disparate abdominal configurations and correlations in extant relatives, we posit that each new fossil taxon had a different mating approach along a nuptial gifting-coercive spectrum. The Eocene specimen possesses extreme female clamping abdominal armature, suggesting a degree of sexual coercion greater than in any other known scorpionfly, extinct or extant. The fossil record of abdominal modifications in male scorpionflies documents a relatively late evolution (Eocene) of long notal organs indicating oppressive behaviour toward a female during mating. Our findings reveal a wider array of mating-related morphological specialisations among extinct Panorpoidea, likely reflecting more diversified past mating strategies and behaviours in this group, and represent first steps towards gaining a deep-time perspective on the evolution of sexual conflict over mating among insects.

In Siberia, there are numerous Jurassic and Cretaceous locations abundant in fossil insects. The Teete outcrop (renamed Kempendyay) located in the eastern Siberia (Russia) is an important site due to its age estimated to beginning of the Lower Cretaceous as well as its high taxa diversity and very good specimen preservation. However, it is poor in fossils of the Limoniidae. Study of the rare Tipulomorpha material from the Teete locality (= Kempendyay) is presented herein and two new species are described and illustrated. One of them belongs to the family Pediciidae, Prearchitipula ryszardi sp. nov., and the second to the family Limoniidae, Eotipula wieslawi sp. nov. Both species are dedicated to two well-known Polish specialists of fossil Diptera Nematocera.

Wiesław Krzemiński was born on 26 October 1948, in Oświęcim, south of Poland. In his youth he was an addicted book reader and developed his love for nature. After few years of playing in a big beat band he eventually focused on biology. Currently, he is a full time Professor and works in the Institute of Systematics and Evolution Polish Academy of Sciences in Kraków (ISEA PAS) and the Pedagogical University in Kraków.

The family Limoniidae is the most speciose family of the infraorder Tipulomorpha, as well as one of the largest families of nematoceran Diptera. The oldest known representative of Limoniidae is Architipula youngi Krzemiński, 1992 described from the Upper Triassic of North America (ca. 208 Ma) belonging to the subfamily Architipulinae (Krzemiński, 1992). The subfamily Limoniinae (Limoniidae) stratigraphic range extends from the Lower Cretaceous Lebanese amber (Kania et al., 2014) to the present day, and is divided into two tribes, namely Antochini and Limoniini Savchenko (1985). Antochini currently comprise of the following contemporary genera: Antocha Alexander, 1924 (represented by 160 species); Elliptera Schiner, 1863 (represented by 12 species); Orimarga Osten-Sacken, 1869 (represented by 150 species) and Thaumastoptera Mik, 1866 (represented by 11 species). Representatives of this tribe currently occur on all continents except Antarctica, but individual genera are not distributed uniformly throughout the world (Oosterbroek, 2021). Although the family Limoniidae has been known since the Upper Triassic (Krzemińska & Krzemiński, 2003), the oldest representative of the tribe Antochini is only known from the beginning of the Upper Cretaceous from the Burmese amber from Kachin (Podenas & Poinar, 2009) dated to ca. 99 Ma (Shi et al., 2012).

Examination of a diverse and abundant collection of Middle–Upper Jurassic scorpionflies from the Jiulongshan Formation of Daohugou village in Inner Mongolia, China, has enabled a further delimitati...

Simple Summary A new established subfamily (family Limoniidae) from Cretaceous Burmese amber shows a unique reduction of radial veins combined with complete set of medial veins. The discovery of this new subfamily contributes to a better understanding of the diversity and disparity of the family, and is important for further research on the evolution of this group of insects. Abstract A new subfamily Drinosinae (Diptera, Limoniidae) is established with two fossil genera, Drinosa and Decessia gen. nov. with one new species, Decessia podenasi gen. et sp. nov. from Cretaceous Burmese amber. Additional description of Drinosa prisca is based on new material. A new subfamily shows unique reduction of radial veins combined with complete set of medial veins.

We revise the genus Mesotipula Handlirsch, 1920 (Diptera, Limoniidae) described from the Lower Toarcian (Lower Jurassic) of Northeast Germany. Mesotipula was originally separated from other Architi...

This paper presents a further step in a revision of the fossil family Orthophlebiidae. A new fossil subfamily, Gigaphlebiinae subfam. nov., and two new genera, Gigaphlebia gen. nov. and Longiphlebia gen. nov., are established within Orthophlebiidae. The new subfamily comprises species characterized by a large size, ninebranched (exceptionally eight-branched) radial sector in both wings, and medial sector with six branches in the fore- and five in the hindwing. Four species, Gigaphlebia grandis comb. nov., G. palmaris comb. nov., G. riccardii comb. nov., and Longiphlebia stigmosa comb. nov. were transferred from genus Orthophlebia and Mesopanorpa. The diagnoses of newly established taxa are presented, all transferred species are redescribed and refigured. The significance of orthophlebiid taxonomy in the phylogeny of the Panorpoidea is discussed.

The family Meropidae is a small, strongly relict group of scorpionflies (Mecoptera), comprising six species: three fossil and three recent ones. A characteristic feature of the family is the forceps of the male genitalia which resemble the cerci of Dermaptera. A male of a recently described Cretaceous species Burmomerope clara Zhao and Wang, 2016 is herein described for the first time based on a well-preserved fossil from Burmese amber of mid-Cretaceous age. Another specimen, a well preserved female of. B. clara enables the description of additional characters of the body which allows an emended diagnosis of this species to be made. Based on the new specimens, a phylogenetic analysis of the family Meropeidae was made and the phylogenetic relationships within the family are discussed.

Following a mailbox of comments concerning a letter sent by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology to journal editors on “Fossils from conflict zones...” dated 21 April 2020 calling for a ban on publications on Burmese amber, it was felt necessary to air some concerns raised for further discussion.

Seven specimens of fossil scorpionflies (Mecoptera) not assignable to any known family were discovered in the Wealden Supergroup (Lower Cretaceous) of southern England. They were found at Rudgwick Brickworks, West Sussex and Smokejacks Brickworks, Surrey and came from the Upper Weald Clay Formation, dated as Barremian (∼129.4–125 Ma). A new family – Englathaumatidae fam. nov., new genus – Englathauma gen. nov. and two new species E. crabbi sp. nov. and E. mellishae sp. nov. are described. A discussion of systematic position of these new taxa within the order Mecoptera is given. Englathaumatidae fam. nov. has been a nomen nudum since the year 2002, due to the first author's untimely death.

The family Austropanorpidae (Mecoptera) was described by Willmann in 1977 from the Eocene of Australia, based on one genus and species, Austropanorpa australis Riek, 1952. During a restudy of the collection of the Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow, a second and much older representative of this family was found. This specimen, described as Orthophlebia martynovae Sukatsheva, 1985 from Siberia (Russia), was considered until now to be a member of family Orthophlebiidae. We transfer this species to the Austropanorpidae, extending the age of this family back to the Early Jurassic. An updated diagnoses of the family Austropanorpidae and genus Austropanorpa are presented here.

The Family Orthophlebiidae ranges from the Middle Triassic to the Early Cretaceous. The Wealden Mecoptera have added to our knowledge of the Mecoptera from the Early Cretaceous of southern England, but have been comparatively little studied. Here we present the description of the first orthophlebiid from the Wealden of England. Mesopanorpa brooksorum sp. nov. from England is the earliest Cretaceous representative of this genus.

A new family, Worcestobiidae fam. nov., is established for two Triassic fossil species of Mecoptera removed from the family Orthophlebiidae: Orthophlebia gigantea Tillyard, 1933 and O. haradai Ueda, 1991. A new genus, Worcestobia gen. nov., is erected and both species are transferred to this genus. The new taxa were established as a result of ongoing taxonomic work on Orthophlebiidae, one of the most problematic families within fossil Mecoptera, considered to be a paraphyletic group of species.

The family Eomeropidae is a peculiar relict family of Mecoptera with a single extant species and, until now, eight known fossil species ranging in age from Middle Jurassic to Palaeogene. The oldest representative of the family, Jurachorista bashkuevi gen. et sp. nov., was collected from a coastal outcrop in Dorset, southern England, and is described herein. It extends the fossil record of Eomeropidae back to the Sinemurian (Early Jurassic; c. 196 Ma) and sheds new light on the phylogenetic relationships and past distribution of the family. Analysis of the wing venation of all known Eomeropidae indicates that Notiothauma reedi, the only living representative, is characterized by the most polymerized wings, while the oldest species, the newly described Jurachorista bashkuevi, has the most reduced venation within the family. Phylogenetic analysis based on wing venation produces a tree with two clades, illustrating the different taxonomic lines within the family.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9CF...

Rapid radiation of the Bittacidae during the Jurassic resulted in high diversity within this family of Mecoptera. More than 40 species within 23 genera have been described from this period. However, around the end of the Jurassic the abundance and diversity of Bittacidae decreased and only seven species in five genera are known to date from the Cretaceous. A new specimen from the basal Cretaceous of England, Tytthobittacus jarzembowski sp. nov., described here, represents the eighth species and the second fossil representative of this family from the European Cretaceous. This hangingfly belongs to an extant and relictual genus previously known only from Australia. The paper also includes a review of all known Cretaceous bittacids and a re-examination of European species Antiquanabittacus nanus Petrulevicius and Jarzembowski, 2004.

A long-term study of adult non-biting midges (Chironomidae) active in winter on the snow in mountain areas and lowlands in Poland yielded 35 species. The lowland and mountain communities differed significantly in their specific composition. The mountain assemblage was found to be more diverse and abundant, with a substantial contribution from the subfamily Diamesinae, whereas Orthocladiinae predominated in the lowlands. Orthocladius wetterensis Brundin was the most characteristic and superdominant species in the winter-active chironomid communities in both areas. Only a few specimens and species of snow-active chironomids were recorded in late autumn and early winter. The abundance of chironomids peaked in late February in the mountain and lowland areas with an additional peak in the mountain areas in early April. However, this second peak of activity consisted mainly of Orthocladiinae, as Diamesinae emerged earliest in the season. Most snow-active species emerged in mid- and late winter, but their seasonal patterns differed between the 2 regions as a result of the different species composition and the duration of snow cover in these regions. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient tests yielded positive results between each season and the number of chironomid individuals recorded in the mountain area. A positive correlation between air temperature, rising to +3.5 °C, and the number of specimens recorded on the snow in the mountain community was statistically significant. The winter emergence and mate-searching strategies of chironomids are discussed in the light of global warming, and a brief compilation of most important published data on the phenomena studied is provided.

The study provides revision of three species of Mecoptera: Choristopanorpa drinnani Jell & Duncan, Cretacochorista parva Jell & Duncan, Prochoristella leongatha Jell & Duncan and one fossil specimen considered previously as Diptera (No. NMVP103336), described by Jell and Duncan (1986) from Koonwarra (Australia). Using fluorescence under UV light allowed the detailed studies of wings venations and led to reconsideration of taxonomical position of some specimens. New drawings, photographs and some description were made. Based on the unique early forking of M 1+2 , the species P. leongatha was transferred to the newly established genus Australochorista gen. nov. and the new family Australochoristidae fam. nov. The wing venation pattern of A. leongatha comb. nov. resembles that of Prochoristella Riek, but also shows characters not typical of Permochoristidae and possibly synapomorphic with some Panorpoidea (sensu Novokshonov, 2002), particularly of orthophlebiid and panorpoid grades. The phylogenetic relationships of Australochoristidae are not quite clear, but observed taxonomical characters do not support it as an ancestral group to any living group of Mecoptera including the Australian endemic Choristidae. This newly described family probably emerged in Australia and extinct without any recently living representatives.

Morphological variations in brachypterous and fully-winged forms of Diamesa starmachi KOWNACKI et KOWNACKA, 1970, including the first description of the female, are presented. Notes on the biology of this winter-active chironomid, based on new data from Poland, are also provided.

A new genus and species of fossil scorpionflies (Mecoptera) Baltipanorpa damzenigen. et sp.n. is described from two well-preserved male specimens in Baltic amber (middle Eocene: Lutetian). The most characteristic feature of the new taxon is an unusually developed postnotal organ on abdominal tergum IV. This is the most extremely developed example of this organ among Mecoptera and the only observation of notal and postnotal organs among fossil scorpionflies. The following combination of characters are provided to distinguish the new genus from other Panorpidae: Sc, short; R1 and R2 two-branched; A1 joins posterior margin of wing only at same level as fork of vein Rs; unusual shape of abdomen, abdominal segments I–IV strongly reduced, abdominal segment V elongate and widened, segments VII and VIII strongly elongate; notal and postnotal organs present, strongly developed process (postnotal organ) on tergum IV, unknown in all described extant and fossil scorpionflies. Different types of notal organs of Mecoptera are compared and their function and morphology are discussed. Morphological analysis of notal and postnotal organs in extant species permits us to conclude that B. damzenisp.n. is characterized by the most developed and complex notal organs in all Mecoptera.

Chelidurella guentheri Galvagni, 1994 (Dermaptera: Forficulidae) - an overlooked earwig species in Poland Chelidurella guentheri Galvagni, 1994 (Dermaptera) is reported from Poland for the first time. As a result the Polish checklist contains seven dermapteran species.

Chalcosyrphus eunotus is one of the most endangered saproxylic hoverflies in Poland. Almost 80 years since its first record in Pomerania, this fly has been found in a few new localities in Poland: Ojcow National Park, Bialowieza Primeval Forest, and in the vicinity of following cities: Torun, Gdansk, Lodź and Inowlodz. The actual map of its range in Poland is presented and the current state of knowledge of its phenology, ecology, behavior and conservation status is discussed. The authors advance the hypothesis that the increasing occurrence of Ch. eunotus is directly proportional to an increase in the number of beavers over the last 20 years

This paper summarizes the current knowledge on winter active Carabidae in Central and Northern Europe. In total 73 winter active species are listed, based on literature and own observations. Ground beetles are among the three most numerous Coleoptera families active during the autumn to spring period. The winter community of Carabidae is composed both of larvae (mainly autumn breeding species) and adults, as well as of epigeic species and those inhabiting tree trunks. Supranivean fauna is characterized by lower species diversity than the subnivean fauna. The activity of ground beetles decreases in late autumn, is lowest during mid-winter and increases in early spring. Carabidae are noted as an important food source in the diet of insectivorous mammals. They are also predators, hunting small winter active invertebrates.

The history of the species-poor family Panorpodidae is very interesting due to its uneven present distribution. The only fossils of the genus Panorpodes are two species known from Baltic amber, described in 1856 and 1954. A third species, Panorpodes weitschati sp. nov., is herein described. New diagnoses and descriptions as well as new drawings of all fossil species of Panorpodes are provided, including the first illustration of the wing of P. hageni. Fossil Panorpodes display three diametrically opposed patterns of wings markings, from the highly transparent wings of P. brevicauda, through transparent wings with dark bands and spots of P. weitschati sp. nov., to the dark wings with only narrow transparent bands of P. hageni. The fossil specimens are characterized by a great variability in wing venation, even in a single specimen, similar to that of living species.

Sixteen species of Lepidoptera, belonging to 10 families, were recorded on snow in Central Poland. Two episodes of mass occurrence on snow were observed: adults of Operophtera brumata and larvae of Euthrix potatoria. Twelve species were recorded from snow for the first time in general. Three ecological groups of snow active Lepidoptera were distinguished: 1) autumn and winter active moths, 2) overwintering species which could be periodically activated from diapause, and 3) early spring active species. The ecology of winter active Lepidoptera is discussed. All were classified as chionoxenes, while O. brumata was considered as the moth most regularly recorded on snow andmost likely to be met in winter.