A5068685060- Fossil Insects in Amber
- Plant and animal studies
- Hymenoptera taxonomy and phylogeny
- Coleoptera Taxonomy and Distribution
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy
- Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Geological formations and processes
- Diptera species taxonomy and behavior
- Collembola Taxonomy and Ecology Studies
- Spider Taxonomy and Behavior Studies
- Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology
- Scarabaeidae Beetle Taxonomy and Biogeography
- Botany and Geology in Latin America and Caribbean
- Plant Parasitism and Resistance
- Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Studies
- Horticultural and Viticultural Research
- Geological Studies and Exploration
- Evolution and Paleontology Studies
- Study of Mite Species
- Cephalopods and Marine Biology
- Mediterranean and Iberian flora and fauna
- Plant Diversity and Evolution
- Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
University of Oxford
2017-2025
Museo de Historia Natural
2021-2023
Natural History Museum
2020
Harvard University
2014-2017
Universitat de Barcelona
2010-2013
Ticks are currently among the most prevalent blood-feeding ectoparasites, but their feeding habits and hosts in deep time have long remained speculative. Here, we report direct indirect evidence 99 million-year-old Cretaceous amber showing that hard ticks of extinct new family Deinocrotonidae fed on blood from feathered dinosaurs, non-avialan or avialan excluding crown-group birds. A †Cornupalpatum burmanicum tick is entangled a pennaceous feather. Two deinocrotonids described as...
Taxa within diverse lineages select and transport exogenous materials for the purposes of camouflage. This adaptive behavior also occurs in insects, most famously green lacewing larvae who nestle trash among setigerous cuticular processes, known as trash-carrying, rendering them nearly undetectable to predators prey, well forming a defensive shield. We report an exceptional discovery larva Early Cretaceous amber from Spain with specialized processes dorsal basket that carry dense packet. The...
Amber is fossilized resin that preserves biological remains in exceptional detail, study of which has revolutionized understanding past terrestrial organisms and habitats from the Early Cretaceous to present day. amber outcrops are more abundant Northern Hemisphere during an interval about 54 million years, Barremian Campanian. The extensive production generated this remarkable record may be attributed biology coniferous producers, growth resiniferous forests proximity transitional...
The El Soplao site is a recently-discovered Early Albian locality of the Basque-Cantabrian Basin (northern Spain) that has yielded number amber pieces with abundant bioinclusions. amber-bearing deposit occurs in non-marine to transitional marine siliciclastic unit (Las Penosas Formation) interleaved within regressive-transgressive, carbonate-dominated Lower Aptian-Upper sequence. Las Formation corresponds regressive stage this sequence and its turn it splits into two smaller...
Abstract: El Soplao outcrop, an Early Cretaceous amber deposit recently discovered in northern Spain (Cantabria), has been shown to be the largest site of with arthropod inclusions that found so far. Relevant data provided herein for biogeochemistry amber, palynology, taphonomy and bioinclusions complement those previously published. This set suggests at least two botanical sources deposit. The ñrst (type A amber) strongly supports a source related Cheirolepidiaceae, second B shows...
Plant pollination by insects represents one of the most transformative and iconic ecological relationships in natural world. Despite tens thousands papers, as well numerous books, on biology published over past 200 years, studies focused fossil record pollinating have only been last few decades, this field is still undergoing major developments. Current palaeontological evidence indicates that were diverse participated reproduction different gymnosperm lineages long before their association...
Diverse organisms protect and camouflage themselves using varied materials from their environment. This adaptation associated behaviours (debris-carrying) are well known in modern green lacewing larvae (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), mostly due to the widespread use of these immature insects pest control. However, evolutionary history this successful strategy related morphological adaptations lineage still far being understood. Here we describe a novel larva, Tyruschrysa melqart gen. et sp. nov.,...
Abstract Hatching is a pivotal moment in the life of most animals. Diverse chemical, behavioural and mechanical methods have evolved metazoans to break egg membranes. Among them, many arthropod vertebrate embryos hatch using ephemeral, frequently convergent structures known as bursters. However, evolutionary processes by which hatching mechanisms related embryonic became established deep time are poorly understood due nearly complete absence from fossil record. Herein we describe an...
The extinct tanaidomorphan diversity from Early Cretaceous Spanish amber, currently comprising 26 specimens, is reassessed. fossil family Alavatanaidae Vonk & Schram, 2007, described revised on account of new preparation type specimens and the discovery material. taxa are classified within superfamily Paratanaoidea. An emended diagnosis for provided, as well genera Alavatanais 2007 Proleptochelia their respective species carabe tenuissima 2007. Three species, two them in a genus each,...
Abstract The monophyletic family Z hangsolvidae comprises stout‐bodied brachyceran flies with a long proboscis and occurring only in the C retaceous, originally known shale from E arly retaceous L aiyang F ormation ( m.) hina Zhangsolva N agatomi & Y ang), subsequently limestones of rato m. B razil. Cratomyoides W ilkommen is synonymized Cratomyia M azzarolo A morim, both m.; ratomyiidae hangsolvidae. Two genera three species are described: Buccinatormyia magnifica rillo, P eñalver...
Significance We report a geometrical drawing method enabling to reproduce the complex wing-folding pattern of earwigs. Although earwig wing has unique properties with an outstanding potential for engineering, such as extreme compactness when fully creased or self-folding behavior, its design process had not been resolved, which limited practical applications. provide means reconfiguring modeled satisfy flexible designing needs, including dedicated software. The new can also reconstruct...
Abstract Enicocephalomorpha, also known as unique‐headed bugs, are a seldom‐collected infraorder of heteropteran insects whose evolutionary relationships have puzzled entomologists for more than century. Unique‐headed bugs exceptionally rare in the fossil record, which hinders our understanding morphological transformations lineage across time and affects calibration molecular clock estimates used to date origins infraorder. Here, we report discovery Enicocephalinus ibericus sp. nov. from...
The Albian amber from Spain presently harbors the greatest number and diversity of adult fossil snakeflies (Raphidioptera). Within Baissopteridae, Baissoptera? cretaceoelectra sp. n., Peñacerrada I outcrop (Moraza, Burgos), is first inclusion belonging to family described western Eurasia, thus substantially expanding paleogeographical range formerly known Cretaceous Brazil eastern Asia. Mesoraphidiidae, Necroraphidia arcuata gen. et n. Amarantoraphidia ventolina are El Soplao...
Abstract: Two new species of Orchestina (Araneae: Oonopidae) are described as O. gappi sp. nov. and rabagensis from the Cretaceous France Spain, respectively. additional specimens Spain placed within but not assigned to species. These formal descriptions oldest for genus family Oonopidae. The discovery these older is surprising, considered a basal member Oonopidae one most diverse long‐lived spider lineages. spiders were imaged at European Synchrotron Radiation Facility using propagation...
Multiple predatory insect lineages have developed a raptorial lifestyle by which they strike and hold prey using modified forelegs armed with spine-like structures other integumentary specialisations. However, how enabling the function evolved in insects remains largely hypothetical or inferred through phylogeny due to rarity of meaningful fossils. This is particularly true for mantidflies (Neuroptera: Mantispidae), scarce fossil record mostly based on rock compressions, namely isolated...
Abstract Fossilized remains preserved in amber provide abundant data on the paleobiota surrounding resin-producing plants, but relatively scarcer information about resinous sources themselves. Here, dark pseudoinclusions kidney-shaped pieces from Early Cretaceous (Albian) Spain are studied. This type of fossilized remain, ambers, was first interpreted as vacuole-bearing microorganisms, later regarded artifactual and probably secreted by trees, although their origin remained unclear. Using...
Sexual conflict - opposite reproductive/genetic interests between sexes can be a significant driver of insect evolution. Scorpionflies (Insecta: Mecoptera) are models in sexual research due to their large variety mating practices, including coercive behaviour and nuptial gift provisioning. However, the role palaeontology studies remains negligible, namely paucity well-preserved fossils. Here, we describe three male scorpionflies from Cretaceous Eocene ambers. The structure notal postnotal...
Extant terrestrial vertebrates, including birds, have a panoply of symbiotic relationships with many insects and arachnids, such as parasitism or mutualism. Yet, identifying arthropod-vertebrate symbioses in the fossil record has been based largely on indirect evidence; findings direct association between arthropod guests dinosaur host remains are exceedingly scarce. Here, we present evidence demonstrating that beetle larvae fed feathers from an undetermined theropod (avian nonavian) 105...
Mantis lacewings (Neuroptera: Mantispidae) are prominent and charismatic predatory representatives of Insecta. Nevertheless, the group surprisingly scarce in Paleogene deposits after a relative abundance specimens known from Cretaceous. Here we present Mantispa? damzenogedanica sp. nov., representing first adult Mantispidae described Baltic amber only Eocene mantispid hitherto preserved amber. The new fossil species is also among earliest Mantispinae, certainly oldest this Additionally,...