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Diplura are an ancient group of basal (apterygote) hexapods that thrive in various cryptic terrestrial habitats. Despite an ancient origin that extends at least to the Devonian period, the dipluran fossil record is exceedingly sparse. Here, we document five very rare fossil specimens of the family Campodeidae in amber from the Miocene of the Dominican Republic and the Eocene of the Baltic region. Microscopic preservation in amber provides unique detail for taxonomic placement of small, delicate, soil- and leaf litter-dwelling organisms like these. New taxa include the following: in Lepidocampinae, Lepidocampa glaesi sp. nov. (in Dominican amber); and in Campodeinae, Litocampa eobaltica sp. nov. (in Baltic amber) and Rostricampa engeli gen. et sp. nov. (in Dominican amber). Rostricampa has an extraordinary rostrum formed by sclerotized extensions of the clypeus and, probably, the labium, unique among diplurans. These new taxa provide rare additional data on the fossil record of the earliest diverging lineages of the hexapods and shed light on their evolution and ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diplurans are among the earliest hexapods in the geological record. These primitively wingless relatives of insects are infrequently encountered despite being pervasive in soil habitats. Two groups have disparate adaptations for hunting, one mechanical and the other chemical, in Japygoidea and Projapygoidea, respectively. Here, we report three genera (two new) and four species of fossil Projapygidae preserved in Mesozoic and Cenozoic ambers: Electroprojapyx alchemicus gen. et sp. nov. in mid-Cretaceous Myanmar amber, and Symphylurinopsis punctatus gen. et sp. nov. and two species (unnamed) of Symphylurinus in Miocene Dominican amber. The exceptionally preserved specimens possess cerci that are morphologically specialized for expelling a glandular substance on prey. The new Cretaceous E. alchemicus is a stem group to all living species of the family and provides conclusive Mesozoic evidence for a rare type of predation involving offensive (vs. defensive) secretions. The specimen was fossilized in a preying-and-spraying position with its presumptive meal, a Symphypleona springtail (Collembola), reflecting the behavioural predatory repertoire of modern relatives. Apart from one Cenozoic species, these rare specimens represent the only fossil record of the family Projapygidae. Our findings demonstrate that these basal hexapods were predators of small arthropods of ancient forest soils and enrich our understanding of palaeoecological associations and behavioural strategies paramount for the survival of species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the success of the first two editions of the Palaeontological Virtual Congress in 2019 (first PVC) and 2021 (second PVC; Crespo & Manzanares 2019; Crespo & Citton 2021), we have decided to try to replicate the success with a third meeting of the PVC (Fig. 1). The appearance of new applications and technological advances has played a crucial role in paving the way for enhanced avenues of effective scientific communication. This became even more pronounced from more than two years of challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to this crisis, online platforms gained more relevance and proved key to keeping up the drive for science communication and the dissemination of scientific results (Barral 2020). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new genus of Plusiocampinae (Diplura, Campodeidae), Anatoliacampa diclensis Sendra, Tusun & Satar gen. et sp. nov., is described from specimens found in the Southeastern Anatolian Peninsula in Dicle cave (Bozaba village, Dicle district, Diyarbakır province, Turkey). Based on its morphological characteristics and molecular analysis, the new taxon undoubtedly belongs to the well-established subfamily Plusiocampinae and occupies, like most species of the subfamily, cave habitats. Anatoliacampa diclensis has two important features: its unique pretarsus and the abundant distribution of urosternal macrosetae. The finding of this new taxon is of high palaeogeographic interest, as it provides new evidence for establishing Anatolia as a land bridge for the colonization of the Euro-Mediterranean lands by cave-adapted Plusiocampinae and their few soil-dwelling relatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jumping bristletails (order Archaeognatha), the basalmost order of extant insects, include some of the earliest fossil records among hexapods, yet their overall geological occurrence remains sparse and has provided little insight into their evolution. The earliest representatives of crown‐group bristletails are those in Lebanese amber (Cretaceous), hitherto known only from a single species. Here we significantly expand the known fossil record of Archaeognatha, and from the prolific Lower Cretaceous (Barremian) deposits of Lebanon. One new genus and species, Glaesimeinertellus intermedius gen. et sp. nov., and one new species, Macropsontus bachae sp. nov., are described and figured from Hammana amber, whereas one additional Macropsontus species, M. azari sp. nov., and one meinertellid morphotype are described and figured from Al‐Rihan amber. The new taxa are compared with their modern and fossil relatives. Collectively, the new taxa render the Archaeognatha fauna from Lebanese amber the earliest with sufficient preservation to provide character data comparable to modern forms, highlighting the considerable morphological conservatism within the order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the many challenges in paleobiology is the inference and reconstruction of behaviors that rarely, if ever, leave a physical trace on the environment that is suitable for fossilization. Of particular significance are those behaviors tied to mating and courtship, individual interactions critical for species integrity and continuance, as well as those for dispersal, permitting the taxon to expand its distribution as well as access new habitats in the face of local or long-term environmental change. In this context, two recently discovered fossils from the Early Cretaceous amber of Spain (ca. 105 mya) give a detailed view of otherwise fleeting ethologies in Collembola. These occurrences are phylogenetically spaced across the class, and from species representing the two major clades of springtails—Symphypleona and Entomobryomorpha. Specifically, we report unique evidence from a symphypleonan male (Pseudosminthurides stoechus Sánchez-García & Engel, 2016) with modified antennae that may have functioned as a clasping organ for securing females during mating on water’s surface, and from an aggregation of entomobryomorphan individuals (Proisotoma communis Sánchez-García & Engel, 2016) purportedly representing a swarming episode on the forest floor. We demonstrate that the mating behavioral repertoire in P. stoechus, which is associated with considerable morphological adaptations, likely implied elaborate courtship and maneuvering for guarantee sperm transfer in an epineustic species. These discoveries reveal significant behaviors consistent with modern counterparts and a generalized stasis for some ancient hexapod ethologies associated with complex mating and courtship and social or pre-social aggregations, so critical to specific constancy and dispersal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Springtails (Hexapoda: Entognatha: Collembola) extend into at least the Early Devonian, but have a meagre record as fossils until the latter part of the Mesozoic. Here, we document a diverse fauna of springtails in the order Symphypleona from amber recovered at the Peñacerrada I locality, Moraza, northern Spain, and from the Late Albian Utrillas Group in the Basque-Cantabrian Basin. The fauna includes representatives of all of the principal suborders and infraorders, and most superfamilies, of the Symphypleona. This revision of the fauna includes the discovery and description of five new genera and species scattered across the phylogenetic diversity of the clade:Pseudosminthurides stoechusgen. et sp. nov. (Sminthurididae),Cretokatianna bucculentagen. et sp. nov. (Katiannidae),Sphyrotheciscus senectusgen. et sp. nov. (Sminthuridae: Sphyrothecinae),Archeallacma dolichopodagen. et sp. nov. (Sminthuridae: Sminthurinae?) and the enigmaticKatiannasminthurus xenopygusgen. et sp. nov. (Sminthuridae?incertae sedis). This is the earliest amber fauna of springtails yet described, and highlights the remarkably modern character of the group even during the early stages of the Cretaceous. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:BFF73D0D-31A0-4AE1-9CA4-C62424177C7D [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Diverse assemblages of tanaidacean peracarid crustaceans from western Tethyan continental deposits suggest that the group was relatively common in or around ancient resin-producing forests. Here we report the results of an examination of 13 tanaidacean specimens from three Cretaceous (Albian to Turonian) French amber deposits. Two new species of the fossil family Alavatanaidae are placed in the previously described Early Cretaceous genus Eurotanais: Eurotanais pyrenaensis sp. nov. from Cenomanian Pyrenean amber (Fourtou, Aude) and Eurotanais seilacheri sp. nov. from Turonian Vendean amber (La Garnache, Vendée). The remaining specimens are placed in three newly erected genera and species (but family incertae sedis): Arcantitanais turpis gen. et sp. nov. from Albian-Cenomanian Charentese amber (Archingeay, Charente-Maritime), and Tytthotanais tenvis gen. et sp. nov. and Armadillopsis rara gen. et sp. nov. from Pyrenean amber. These are the first formally described fossils that might be related to the paratanaoidean families Nototanaidae and Paratanaidae, sharing with these some putatively derived features and providing possible evidence for the antiquity and morphological stability of these families and the suborder Tanaidomorpha. The distinctive features and character combinations of these fossil taxa are discussed in connection with possible relationships to the living lineages of tanaidaceans. Propagation phase-contrast X-ray synchrotron microtomography was used to obtain high-quality 3D images for some fossils. A discussion is provided on the putative palaeobiology of tanaidaceans and the French resiniferous forest ecosystem. The discovery of these new tanaidaceans extends the palaeogeographical distribution and stratigraphical range of the family Alavatanaidae and sheds new light on the palaeoecology and diversity of tanaidaceans in pre-angiospermous woodlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extinct tanaidomorphan diversity from Early Cretaceous Spanish amber, currently comprising 26 specimens, is reassessed. The fossil family Alavatanaidae Vonk & Schram, 2007, described from Spanish amber, is revised on account of new preparation of type specimens and the discovery of new material. The described tanaidomorphan taxa are classified within the superfamily Paratanaoidea. An emended diagnosis for Alavatanaidae is provided, as well as for the generaAlavatanaisVonk & Schram, 2007 andProleptocheliaVonk & Schram, 2007, and their respective speciesAlavatanais carabeVonk & Schram, 2007 andProleptochelia tenuissimaVonk & Schram, 2007. Three new species, two of them classified in a new genus each, are described:Alavatanais margulisaeSánchez-García, Peñalver & Delclòs sp. nov.,Eurotanais terminatorSánchez-García, Peñalver & Delclòs gen. et sp. nov. andElectrotanais monolithusSánchez-García, Peñalver & Delclòs gen. et sp. nov.Proleptochelia euskadiensisVonk & Schram, 2007 is considered a junior synonym ofA. carabe, and the genusProleptochelia, together with its type and only speciesP. tenuissima, is left without familial placement within Paratanaoidea. Within this superfamily, Alavatanaidae is closely related to Leptocheliidae. Also, morphological variability due to sexual dimorphism in the studied paratanaoids has been determined. Multiple lines of taphonomic and palaeobiological evidence indicate that the Spanish amber tanaids were most likely inhabitants of wet or moist forest floors. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:DC943B18-A01C-412C-8378-C644FEFDA716 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elmadulescens rugosus Peris, Maier et Sánchez-García n. gen. n. sp. is described based on a single specimen from Spanish amber (El Soplao outcrop, Early Albian, Early Cretaceous). The discovery of this specimen in amber is very interesting, since aquatic beetles are not common in fossil tree resin. This fossil pushes back the oldest known specimen of Elmidae from the Eocene (∼ 40 Ma) to at least the Early Cretaceous (∼ 110 Ma). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pondweed bugs (Hemiptera: Mesoveliidae), considered a sister group to all other Gerromorpha, are exceedingly rare as fossils. Therefore, each new discovery of a fossil mesoveliid is of high interest, giving new insight into their early evolutionary history and diversity and enabling the testing of their proposed relationships. Here, we report the discovery of new mesoveliid material from Spanish Lower Cretaceous (Albian) amber, which is the first such find in Spanish amber. To date, fossil records of this family only include one species from French Kimmeridgian as compression fossils, two species in French amber (Albian-Cenomanian boundary), and one in Dominican amber (Miocene). The discovery of two males and one female described and figured as Glaesivelia pulcherrima Sánchez-García & Solórzano Kraemer gen. et sp. n., and a single female described and figured as Iberovelia quisquilia Sánchez-García & Nel, gen. et sp. n., reveals novel combinations of traits related to some genera currently in the subfamily Mesoveliinae. Brief comments about challenges facing the study of fossil mesoveliids are provided, showing the necessity for a revision of the existing phylogenetic hypotheses. Some of the specimens were studied using infrared microscopy, a promising alternative to the systematic study of organisms preserved in amber that cannot be clearly visualised. The new taxa significantly expand the fossil record of the family and shed new light on its palaeoecology. The fossils indicate that Mesoveliidae were certainly diverse by the Cretaceous and that numerous tiny cryptic species living in humid terrestrial to marginal aquatic habitats remain to be discovered. Furthermore, the finding of several specimens as syninclusions suggests aggregative behaviour, thereby representing the earliest documented evidence of such ethology., Competing Interests: The authors declare there are no competing interests.

Parental care in animal evolution has long fascinated biologists, but tracing this complex of behavioural repertoires is challenging, as these transitory states often leave no corporeal traces as fossils. Among modern invertebrates, the tanaidaceans (Malacostraca: Peracarida), a lineage of marsupial crustaceans, show an interesting variety of brooding strategies. Here we report on fossil tanaidaceans from the Cretaceous of Spain and France that provide conclusive evidence for marsupial care of brood-offspring. Two exceptionally preserved female specimens of Alavatanais carabe and A. margulisae from Late Albian Peñacerrada I amber (Spain) possess four pairs of rudimentary oostegites, indicating formation of a marsupium. From Recent data, given the taxonomic distribution of a marsupium of four pairs of oostegites, we hypothesize that this may be plesiomorphic for the Tanaidomorpha. We also report on a peculiar tanaidacean specimen referable to the fossil family Alavatanaidae, Daenerytanais maieuticus gen. et sp. nov., from Early Cenomanian La Buzinie amber (France), preserved with its marsupial pouch and content. Our discoveries provide early evidence of the peracarid reproductive strategy, as seen in modern Tanaidacea, and argue that this form of parental care may have played a role in the diversification of the lineage during this period.