Miocene Ethiopian amber: A new source of fossil cryptogams

Abstract

Amber is renowned for the exceptional preservation state of its inclusions, allowing detailed morphological analysis and providing relevant environmental,

The termite genus Glyptotermes (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae) in Miocene amber from Ethiopia

“…Extant Glyptotermes spp., however, are very tolerant to environmental conditions and can live in swamp forests or mangroves (Johnson et al, 1980; Tho, 1992). According to Scheffrahn (2021, p. 24), extant Neotropical “ Glyptotermes species have a rather high wood moisture requirement and, therefore, are not found in arid parts of the Neotropics.” The same was likely true for the Miocene species newly described here, because this accords with indications of a generally humid, tropical, forest environment with freshwater suggested by the palynomorphs associated with Ethiopian amber as well as by other organismal inclusions in the amber (Bouju and Perrichot, 2020; Bouju et al, 2021).…”

“…The studied specimen is preserved in a piece of amber originating from a deposit located in the North Shewa Zone of Ethiopia. The exact locality is unknown but is undoubtedly among the four localities reported by Bouju et al (2021, fig. 2), because the material was accessed through an amber trader from Addis Ababa who obtains amber exclusively from those four localities.…”

“…2). However, the geological data, combined with studies of the amber chemistry, organismic inclusions, and palynomorphs of the amber-bearing sediment, support an early Miocene age for the amber (Bouju and Perrichot, 2020; Bouju et al, 2021).…”

“…The amber bed corresponds to a siltstone situated within a series of pre-Oligocene to Miocene basalts and ignimbrite (Coulié et al, 2003; Kieffer et al, 2004; Belay et al, 2009) that are exposed down the gorges of the Jamma and Wenchit rivers or their tributaries (Bouju and Perrichot, 2020). Unfortunately, no radiometric age could be obtained from the adjacent basaltic rocks sampled by two of us in 2019 from the locality of Woll (see Bouju et al, 2021, fig. 2).…”

“…Unfortunately, no radiometric age could be obtained from the adjacent basaltic rocks sampled by two of us in 2019 from the locality of Woll (see Bouju et al, 2021, fig. 2). However, the geological data, combined with studies of the amber chemistry, organismic inclusions, and palynomorphs of the amber-bearing sediment, support an early Miocene age for the amber (Bouju and Perrichot, 2020;Bouju et al, 2021).…”