Beaded lacewings (Neuroptera: Berothidae) in amber from the Lower Cretaceous of Spain. (March 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pérez-de la Fuente, Ricardo; Peñalver, Enrique; Engel, Michael S.
• Is Part Of: Cretaceous research. Volume 119(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-03
• Subjects: Insects -- Amber -- Neuroptera -- Spain -- Amber impression -- Phoresy; Geology, Stratigraphic -- Cretaceous -- Periodicals; 551.77
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104705
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0195-6671

Abstract

Abstract: Five new beaded lacewings (Neuroptera: Berothidae) are described from ca. 105 Ma Spanish amber. A new genus and species, Cantabroberotha soplaensis gen. et sp. nov., are erected based on a complete amber specimen from the El Soplao outcrop (Cantabria, northern Spain). Four indeterminate berothids based on incomplete specimens are described from Peñacerrada I amber (Burgos, northern Spain). One of these provides a rare instance of an amber fossil being partially preserved as an impression rather than as a complete inclusion. This was the result of the lacewing not fully penetrating into a resin flow, its wings getting caught on the resin surface and leaving an imprint. The preservation of this delicate impression fossil allows us to infer that a low grade transport likely occurred, at least partly, during the biostratinomic phase of the genesis of the Peñacerrada I amber deposit, similar to what was inferred for the El Soplao amber deposit. Moreover, one of the incomplete berothid inclusions has an indeterminate, likely immature mesostigmatan mite attached to the proximal part of its hind wing, most parsimoniously resulting from a symbiotic interaction, probably phoresy. Highlights: New beaded lacewing morphotypes, including a new genus and species, are described from Spanish amber. A fragmentary specimen is a partial inclusion, with wings preserved as a delicate amber impression. The latter implies that low transport took place during the genesis of the Peñacerrada I outcrop. A mite is associated to another specimen, possibly representing a case or phoresy.