XLIII.—Remarks on Libellula Brodiei (Buckman), a fossil insect from the upper Lias of dumbleton, gloucestershire

Buckman,

doi:10.1080/03745485709495070

Cited by 2 publications

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“…This study focuses on the early Toarcian succession of Alderton Hill, Gloucestershire, UK (SP006345) that yielded a rich and diverse insect fauna when it was exposed in the mid-19th century [60][61][62][63]. The succession is regarded as an important locality for Early Jurassic insect faunas [40] and has provided the type specimens of 30 Early Jurassic insect species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The fossil insect assemblage associated with the Toarcian (Lower Jurassic) oceanic anoxic event from Alderton Hill, Gloucestershire, UK

Swaby,

Coe,

Ansorge

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Extreme global warming and environmental changes associated with the Toarcian (Lower Jurassic) Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE, ~183 Mya) profoundly impacted marine organisms and terrestrial plants. Despite the exceptionally elevated abundances of fossil insects from strata of this age, only assemblages from Germany and Luxembourg have been studied in detail. Here, we focus on the insect assemblage found in strata recording the T-OAE at Alderton Hill, Gloucestershire, UK, where <15% of specimens have previously been described. We located all known fossil insects (n = 370) from Alderton Hill, and used these to create the first comprehensive taxonomic and taphonomic analysis of the entire assemblage. We show that a diverse palaeoentomofaunal assemblage is preserved, comprising 12 orders, 21 families, 23 genera and 21 species. Fossil disarticulation is consistent with insect decay studies. The number of orders is comparable with present-day assemblages from similar latitudes (30°–40°N), including the Azores, and suggests that the palaeoentomofauna reflects a life assemblage. At Alderton, Hemiptera, Coleoptera and Orthoptera are the commonest (56.1%) orders. The high abundance of Hemiptera (22.1%) and Orthoptera (13.4%) indicates well-vegetated islands, while floral changes related to the T-OAE may be responsible for hemipteran diversification. Predatory insects are relatively abundant (~10% of the total assemblage) and we hypothesise that the co-occurrence of fish and insects within the T-OAE represents a jubilee-like event. The marginally higher proportion of sclerotised taxa compared to present-day insect assemblages possibly indicates adaptation to environmental conditions or taphonomic bias. The coeval palaeoentomofauna from Strawberry Bank, Somerset is less diverse (9 orders, 12 families, 6 genera, 3 species) and is taphonomically biased. The Alderton Hill palaeoentomofauna is interpreted to be the best-preserved and most representative insect assemblage from Toarcian strata in the UK. This study provides an essential first step towards understanding the likely influence of the T-OAE on insects.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The fossil insect assemblage associated with the Toarcian (Lower Jurassic) oceanic anoxic event from Alderton Hill, Gloucestershire, UK

Swaby,

Coe,

Ansorge

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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A new cockroach (Blattodea, Rhipidoblattinidae) from the Toarcian (Lower Jurassic) of Alderton Hill, Gloucestershire, UK, and the earliest likely occurrence of aposematic colouration in cockroaches

Swaby,

Coe,

Ross

2024

Papers in Palaeontology

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We describe the seventh valid species of cockroach, Alderblattina simmsi gen. et sp. nov., from insect‐rich strata recording the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T‐OAE). The T‐OAE represents a period of extreme global warming and environmental change that drove palaeoecological pressures and evolutionary changes in marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Here, for the first time, we present evidence that this event may also be the driver for the evolution of aposematic colouration, a predator deterrent, in cockroaches. The specimen, an isolated compressed tegmen, was collected at Alderton Hill, Gloucestershire, UK, and is assigned to a new genus and species, based on the following unique combination of characteristics: small forewing; 15 branches of R and 11 branches of M + CuA; strong cross‐vein between R and M; intercalaries; and two well‐defined subspherical maculae (spots) and colouration at the wing tip. Alderblattina simmsi is assigned to the family Rhipidoblattinidae Rohdendorf, primarily based on its small size and the presence of branched anal veins in the clavus. The colouration present on A. simmsi represents the first recorded likely occurrence of aposematism in cockroaches, and provides evidence for the evolution of colour patterning in Blattodea.

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XLIII.—Remarks on Libellula Brodiei (Buckman), a fossil insect from the upper Lias of dumbleton, gloucestershire

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

The fossil insect assemblage associated with the Toarcian (Lower Jurassic) oceanic anoxic event from Alderton Hill, Gloucestershire, UK

The fossil insect assemblage associated with the Toarcian (Lower Jurassic) oceanic anoxic event from Alderton Hill, Gloucestershire, UK

A new cockroach (Blattodea, Rhipidoblattinidae) from the Toarcian (Lower Jurassic) of Alderton Hill, Gloucestershire, UK, and the earliest likely occurrence of aposematic colouration in cockroaches

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