Revision of the damsel-dragonfly family Campterophlebiidae (Odonata) from the Early Jurassic of England reveals a new genus and species

Kelly, R.S. & Nel, A., October 2017. Revision of the damsel-dragonfly family Campterophlebiidae (Odonata) from the Early Jurassic of England reveals a new genus and species. Alcheringa 42, 87–93. ISSN 0311-5518.

Historical fossil insect collections from England were re-examined and the taxa revised. Lateophlebia gen. nov. is erected for Liassophlebia anglicanopsis (Zeuner) in Campterophlebiidae. Petrophlebia anglicana Tillyard is confirmed in this family and Archithemis liassina (Strickland) is transferred to this family. Lastly, Archithemis brodiei (Geinitz), Archithemis Handlirsch, and Architemistidae Tillyard (reduced to this sole species) are transferred to the Heterophlebioidea.

Richard Kelly [richard.kelly@bristol.ac.uk], School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK; Department of Natural Sciences, National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF, UK. André Nel [anel@mnhn.fr], Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité, ISYEB—UMR 7205—CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 50, Entomologie, F-75005, Paris, France.     

New fossil damsel–dragonfly clarifies the phylogenetic position of the small Jurassic family Juraheterophlebiidae (Odonata: Epiproctophora)

HUANG D. & NEL A., June 2017. New fossil damsel -dragonfly clarifies the phylogenetic position of the small Jurassic family Juraheterophlebiidae (Odonata: Epiproctophora). Alcheringa, 41, 536–542.

A nearly complete specimen of Juraheterophlebia cancellosa sp. nov., the third species of the family Juraheterophlebiidae, is described from the Middle–Late Jurassic of China and shows the exact structure of its forewing discoidal space. As a consequence, this family is restored, separated from Erichschmidtiidae, and its diagnosis amended. It is transferred from Heterophlebioptera to Stenophlebioptera, the first clade being now only known from the Early Jurassic. Erichschmidtiidae includes the sole species Erichschmidtia nigrimontana, and this family is now considered of uncertain systematic position.

Diying Huang [dyhuang@nigpas.ac.cn] State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210,008, PR China; André Nel [anel@mnhn.fr] Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité, ISYEB-UMR 7205-CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 50, Entomologie F-75005, Paris, France.     

A forewing of the Jurassic dragonfly Austroprotolindenia jurassica Beattie & Nel (Odonata: Anisoptera) from the Talbragar Fish Bed,New South Wales,Australia

Nel, A., Frese, M., McLean, G. & Beattie R., May 2017. A forewing of the Jurassic dragonfly Austroprotolindenia jurassica from the Talbragar Fish Bed, New South Wales, Australia. Alcheringa 41, 532–535. ISSN 0311-5518.

The discovery of a well-preserved dragonfly forewing in the Upper Jurassic Talbragar Fish Bed near Gulgong and attributed to Austroprotolindenia jurassica Beattie & Nel allows this taxon to be placed in Protolindeniidae. It extends the palaeogeographical distribution of this family, previously known only from the Jurassic of Europe, to Australia.

André Nel [anel@mnhn.fr], CNRS UMR 7205, CP 50, Entomologie, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, 45 rue Buffon, F-75005, Paris, France; Michael Frese [michael.frese@canberra.edu.au], University of Canberra, Institute for Applied Ecology and Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Mathematics, Bruce, ACT 2601, Australia; Graham McLean [mcleangg@bigpond.com], The Australian Museum, 1 William St., Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia; Robert Beattie [rgbeattie@bigpond.com], The Australian Museum, 1 William St., Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia.     

A new Early Jurassic damselfly from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (Odonata: Campterophlebiidae)

Nel, A. & Weis, R. March 2017. A new Early Jurassic damselfly from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (Odonata: Campterophlebiidae). Alcheringa 00, 000–000. ISSN 0311-5518.

André Nel [anel@mnhn.fr], Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité, ISYEB-UMR 7205—CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 50, Entomologie, F-75,005, Paris, France; Robert Weis [rweis@mnhn.lu], Musée national d’histoire naturelle, Luxembourg, Section Paléontologie, 25, rue Münster L-2160 Luxembourg, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg.

Gallodorsettia kronzi gen. et sp. nov., the first representative of the damselfly family Campterophlebiidae from the Toarcian of Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is described herein. Its closest relative is the genus Dorsettia, known from the early Lower Jurassic of UK and China. The Campterophlebiidae seem to be rare in the Early Jurassic of Western Europe, despite being one of the most diverse odonatan families at that time, especially in Asia.     

A new damsel-dragonfly (Odonata: Anisozygoptera: Campterophlebiidae) from the earliest Jurassic of the Junggar Basin,northwestern China

Zheng, D., Wang, H., Nel, A., Dou, L., Dai, Z., Wang, B. & Zhang, H. 27 June 2019. A new damsel-dragonfly (Odonata: Anisozygoptera: Campterophlebiidae) from the earliest Jurassic of the Junggar Basin, northwestern China. Alcheringa XX, X–X. ISSN 0311-5518.

A new genus and species of campterophlebiid damsel-dragonfly, Jurassophlebia xinjiangensis gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Lower Jurassic Badaowan Formation in the Junggar Basin, northwestern China. Jurassophlebia differs from all other campterophlebiid genera in having PsA in the same orientation as the distal branch of AA, and in its uniquely open subdiscoidal cell with very acute apical angle in the hind wing. The new discovery adds to the Asian diversity of damsel-dragonflies in the earliest Jurassic.

Daran Zheng* [dranzheng@gmail.com], He Wang [hwang@nigpas.ac.cn], Bo Wang [bowang@nigpas.ac.cn], and Haichun Zhang [hczhang@nigpas.ac.cn], State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, PR China; André Nel [anel@mnhn.fr], Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité, ISYEB-UMR 7205-CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 50, Entomologie, F-75005, Paris, France; Longhui Dou [345317122@qq.com], Comprehensive Geology Exploration Team, Xinjiang Coalfield Geology Bureau, West Mountain Road, Ürümqi 830000, PR China; Zhenlong Dai [286321388@qq.com], No.9 Geological Team, Xinjiang Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Ürümqi 830011, PR China; Daran Zheng also affiliated with Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, PR China.     

A new family of ‘libelluloid’ dragonflies from the Middle Jurassic of Daohugou,northeastern China (Odonata: Anisoptera: Cavilabiata)

Nel, A. & Huang, D.Y., 8.5.2015. A new family of ‘libelluloid’ dragonflies from the Middle Jurassic of Daohugou, northeastern China (Odonata: Anisoptera: Cavilabiata). Alcheringa 39, 525–529. ISSN 0311-5518

A new well-preserved Middle Jurassic fossil of Cavilabiata is described and attributed to a new family (Daohugoulibellulidae), genus and species (Daohugoulibellula lini), from the Daohugou beds of China. Together with examples of Juralibellulidae from the same outcrop, they represent the oldest records of the Cavilabiata. The potential closest relative of the new family could be the Late Jurassic Nannogomphidae, suggesting a significant diversity of Cavilabiata during the Middle Jurassic.

André Nel [anel@mnhn.fr], Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité, ISYEB—UMR 7205—CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 50, Entomologie, F-75005, Paris, France; Diying Huang [dyhuang@nigpas.ac.cn], State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, PR China.     

Exceptionally well-preserved dragonflies (Insecta: Odonata) in Mexican amber

Zheng, D., Nel, A., Jarzembowski, E.A., Chang, S.-C., Zhang, H. & Wang, B., May 2018. Exceptionally well-preserved dragonflies (Insecta: Odonata) in Mexican amber. Alcheringa xxx, xxx–xxx.

Dragonflies (odonatans) are comparatively rare as amber inclusions, and most are not well preserved on account of their size. Here, we report a single piece of Mexican amber with one complete dragonfly and two damselflies. The dragonfly is attributed to the extant gomphid Erpetogomphus Selys Longchamps, and the damselflies belong to the extant coenagrionid Argia Rambur. Both genera are nowadays distributed widely in Mexico. The new discovery dates the origins of these two genera to the Miocene at least.

Daran Zheng [dranzheng@gmail.com], Edmund A. Jarzembowski* [jarzembowski2@live.co.uk] Haichun Zhang [hczhang@nigpas.ac.cn] and Bo Wang? [bowang@nigpas.ac.cn] State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, PR China; André Nel [anel@mnhn.fr] Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité, ISYEB-UMR 7205-CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 50, Entomologie, F-75005, Paris, France; Daran Zheng, Su-Chin Chang [suchin@hku.hk] Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, PR China. *Also affiliated with Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK. ?Also affiliated with Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China. Received 23.1.2018; revised 6.3.2018; accepted 20.3.2018.     

The first Chinese representative of the Jurassic damsel-dragonfly genus Hypsothemis (Odonata: Isophlebioidea: Campterophlebiidae)

HUANG, D., FU, Y. & NEL, A. 4 October 2019. The first Chinese representative of the Jurassic damseldragonfly genus Hypsothemis (Odonata: Isophlebioidea: Campterophlebiidae). Alcheringa 44, 99–103. ISSN 0311–5518

A new campterophlebiid damsel-dragonfly, Hypsothemis sinensis sp. nov., is described from the lowermost Upper Jurassic Haifanggou Formation at the Daohugou locality in the Ningcheng Basin, China. This is the first Chinese representative of this genus, previously known only from the coeval upper Karabastau Formation in Kazakhstan, reflecting strong palaeobiogeographic links between these two entomofaunas.

Diying Huang [dyhuang@nigpas.ac.cn] and Yanzhe Fu [yzfu@nigpas.ac.cn], State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, PR China; André Nel [anel@mnhn.fr], Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité, ISYEB, UMR 7205, CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, Université des Antilles, 57, rue Cuvier, CP 50, Entomologie 75005 Paris, France.