The mid-Miocene Zhangpu biota reveals an outstandingly rich rainforest biome in East Asia.

During the Mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum [MMCO, ~14 to 17 million years (Ma) ago], global temperatures were similar to predicted temperatures for the coming century. Limited megathermal paleoclimatic and fossil data are known from this period, despite its potential as an analog for future climate conditions. Here, we report a rich middle Miocene rainforest biome, the Zhangpu biota (~14.7 Ma ago), based on material preserved in amber and associated sedimentary rocks from southeastern China. The record shows that the mid-Miocene rainforest reached at least 24.2°N and was more widespread than previously estimated. Our results not only highlight the role of tropical rainforests acting as evolutionary museums for biodiversity at the generic level but also suggest that the MMCO probably strongly shaped the East Asian biota via the northern expansion of the megathermal rainforest biome. The Zhangpu biota provides an ideal snapshot for biodiversity redistribution during global warming.

The last batrachideine of Europe: A new genus and species of pygmy grasshopper (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae) from Eocene Baltic amber.

A new genus and species of pygmy grasshopper (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae) is described from Eocene Baltic amber. Danatettix hoffeinsorum gen. et sp. nov. is assigned to the subfamily Batrachideinae based on antennae with more than 19 antennomeres, sulcate mesofemora, and rectangular paranota. This species is readily distinguished from other batrachideines by a markedly produced vertex, pronotum with divergent internal and external lateral carinae, and highly setiferous female lateral basivalvular sclerite with scabrose integument. The morphology of Danatettix suggests placement within the here defined Tettigidea genus group (comprising Eutettigidea Hancock, 1914, Paurotarsus Hancock, 1900, and Tettigidea Scudder, 1862) and suggests that the latter had diverged from the new Scaria genus group (comprising Eotetrix Gorochov, 2012, Rehnidium Grant, 1956 and Scaria Bolívar, 1887) by the Early Eocene.

Comments on the neglected nymphs of mud crickets in the genus Mirhipipteryx (Caelifera: Tridactyloidea: Ripipterygidae).

Mud crickets (family Ripipterygidae) comprise a small family of orthopterans distributed throughout much of the Neotropics, but knowledge of this groups' biology, ecology and distribution remains poor in comparison to most orthopteran taxa. Here we review the state of knowledge of nymphs in the genus Mirhipipteryx Günther 1969 and report the genus from Belize for the second time in 86 years. Because information about nymphs in this family is so scarce and nymphs are often neglected in species descriptions, we include comments on the coloration of nymphs for Mirhipipteryx pulicaria (Saussure 1896). Caution is suggested for the use of adult characters for the identification of immatures stages in the group. Nymphs of Mirhipipteryx pulicaria pulicaria are similar in coloration patterns to the adults, but lighter. Mirhipipteryx lobata Günther 1977 is designated a nomen nudum.

On the status of Araripegryllus romualdoi (Insecta: Orthoptera: Grylloidea) from the Cretaceous Santana Formation of Brazil.

The fossil cricket Araripegryllus romualdoi was described by Freitas et al. (2016) based on a single, very poorly preserved specimen from the Romualdo Member of the Lower Cretaceous Santana Formation; a deposit famed for the exceptional preservation of vertebrates in carbonate concretions (Martill, 1996, 2007). While abundant and diverse in the underlying Crato Formation (Martill et al., 2007 and contributions therein), fossil insects had not been reported from the Santana Formation prior to Freitas et al.'s paper. The occurrence of an insect in the Santana Formation is certainly noteworthy, but the description of a new species and its placement in the genus Araripegryllus are problematic, primarily because of the very poor preservation of the specimen. Here, problems associated with the diagnosis and placement of A. romualdoi are outlined, and the species declared a nomen dubium.

A fossil caddisfly (Insecta: Trichoptera) from the Eocene of Colorado.

A new genus and species of fossil caddisfly (Insecta: Trichoptera) from the Lower Eocene (Ypresian) Green River Formation of Colorado is described. Litholimnephilops yinani gen. et sp. nov. is the first adult caddisfly to be described from the Green River Formation, and is characterized by large adult body size, presence of ocelli, dark leg spines, and a lack of terminal crossveins in the anterior anastomosis region of the forewings. Terminal genitalia are not visible in the preserved specimen. Familial placement is uncertain, though similarities with the families Limnephilidae and Phryganeidae are observed.

First records of Dentridactylinae (Orthoptera: Tridactylidae) from Colombia, with description of two new species of Dentridactylus Günther.

Two new species of Dentridactylus Günther (Orthoptera: Tridactylidae) are described and illustrated: Dentridactylus quadratus sp. nov. and Dentridactylus truncatus sp. nov. The new species represent the first record of the subfamily Dentridactylinae from Colombia and the second record for the Americas. Both come from the south of the country and are readily separated from congeners by their larger body size; D. quadratus sp. nov. is further delimited by the quadrate outline of the epiproct, and D. truncatus sp. nov. by the epiproct with lateral lobes and lateral margin of epiproct not indented. Keys for the identification of species in the Americas are provided.

A new genus and species of Elcanidae (Insecta: Orthoptera) from Cretaceous Burmese amber.

A new genus and species of Elcanidae (Insecta: Orthoptera) is described from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Elcanonympha diana gen. et sp. nov. is known from a single, complete nymph and is distinguished from other elcanids by the pronotum cut by a single transverse sulcus, the dorsal margin of the metafemoral genicula with a row of prominent apical denticles, and the distal third of the metabasitarsus bearing a row of apically directed scale-like spines on the ventral surface.

The oldest fossil mushroom.

A new fossil mushroom is described and illustrated from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation of northeast Brazil. Gondwanagaricites magnificus gen. et sp. nov. is remarkable for its exceptional preservation as a mineralized replacement in laminated limestone, as all other fossil mushrooms are known from amber inclusions. Gondwanagaricites represents the oldest fossil mushroom to date and the first fossil mushroom from Gondwana.

Nine true bugs (Heteroptera) newly-discovered in Illinois.

Six heteropteran species are reported for the first time from Illinois based on recently caught specimens from various bioinventories: the flat bug Neuroctenus pseudonymus Bergroth (Aradidae: Mezirinae), the stilt bug Metacanthus multispinus (Ashmead) (Berytidae: Metacanthinae), the leaf-footed bugs Anasa repetita Heidemann and Chelinidea vittiger Uhler (Coreidae: Coreinae), the ambush bug Phymata fasciata fasciata (Gray) (Reduviidae: Phymatinae), and the scentless plant bug Arhyssus nigristernum (Signoret) (Rhopalidae: Rhopalinae). Additionally, three more records for the flat bug Nannium pusio Heidemann (Aradidae) and the scentless plant bugs Aufeius impressicollis Stål and Niesthrea louisianica Sailer (Rhopalidae) are newly-reported for the state based on material in the Illinois Natural History Insect Collection (INHS). Supplementing these notes are dichotomous keys to the species of Mezirinae, Berytidae, Coreidae, Phymatinae, and Rhopalidae of Illinois.

The type specimen and generic placement of Tridactylus galla Saussure, 1895 (Orthoptera: Caelifera: Tridactylidae).

Tridactylus galla was described by Henri de Saussure (1895) on the basis of a single adult female collected during Vittorio Bottego's first expedition to the Horn of Africa in 1892 and 1893. The species appears in lists compiled by Fenizia (1896), Lucas (1898) and Kirby (1906), but aside from a brief mention by Günther (1995), is entirely overlooked by subsequent authors and is absent from Otte's (1997) catalogue. During the course of compiling an annotated catalogue of the Orthoptera described by Saussure (Hollier and Heads, 2012) we were able to relocate the type of Tridactylus galla in the collection of the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale "Giacomo Doria" in Genova, Italy. Our examination of the specimen confirmed Günther's (1995) assertion that its placement in Tridactylus Olivier, 1789 is erroneous, and the species is herein formally transferred to the genus Xya Latreille, 1809.

Fossil Megaloptera (Insecta: Neuropterida) from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation of Brazil.

Two new genera and species of Megaloptera are described from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation of Brazil. Cratocorydalopsis brasiliensis gen. et sp. nov. and Lithocorydalus fuscata gen. et sp. nov. are both placed within the family Corydalidae. The specimens represent the first Cretaceous examples of adult megalopteran body fossils not preserved in amber, and are the first megalopterans to be formally described from the Crato Formation.

Three new species of the genus Ripipteryx from Colombia (Orthoptera, Ripipterygidae).

Three new species of Ripipteryx Newman (Orthoptera: Tridactyloidea: Ripipterygidae) are described from Colombia; namely Ripipteryxdiegoi sp. n. (Forceps Group) and Ripipteryxguacharoensis sp. n. (Marginipennis Group) from Parque Nacional Natural Cueva de los Guacharos in Huila, and Ripipteryxgorgonaensis sp. n. (Crassicornis Group) from Parque Nacional Natural Gorgona in Cauca. Ripipteryxdiegoi sp. n. is characterized by the antennae black with white spots on flagellomeres 3-7, male subgenital plate with median ridge forming a bilobed setose process, epiproct produced laterally near its base and phallic complex with virga thickened distally and not reaching beyond the membrane. Ripipteryxguacharoensis sp. n. is characterized by the antennae thick with white spots present dorsally on flagellomeres 1-4 and 8, epiproct narrow and triangular, uncus reduced and lacking a distal hook, phallic complex with a concave ventral plate and a dorsal elevation in the middle extended to the virga, and the virga itself with two small projections basally. Ripipteryxgorgonaensis sp. n. is characterized by the epiproct with a lateral notch, antennae with a white dorsal spot on flagellomere 1 and flagellomeres 4-7 entirely white. The antennal color pattern of Ripipteryxgorgonaensis sp. n. strongly resembles that of Ripipteryxatra but differs from the latter in the absence of any significant morphological modification of the flagellomeres.

ResumenSe describen tres nuevas especies de Ripipteryx Newman (Orthoptera: Tridactyloidea: Ripipterygidae) provenientes de Colombia; son nombradas Ripipteryxdiegoisp. n. (Grupo Forceps) y Ripipteryxguacharoensissp. n. (Grupo Marginipennis) encontradas en el Parque Nacional Natural Cueva de los Guacharos en Huila y Ripipteryxgorgonaensissp. n. encontrada en el Parque Nacional Natural Gorgona en Cauca. Ripipteryxdiegoisp. n. se reconoce por presentar antenas negras con mancha blanca en flagelómeros 3­7, placa subgenital con proceso medial bilobulado con setas, epiprocto extendido lateralmente cerca a la base y complejo fálico con virga engrosada distalmente que no se extiende más allá de la membrana. Ripipteryxguacharoensissp. n. se reconoce por presentar antenas gruesas con mancha dorsal blanca en flagelómeros 1­4 y 8, epiprocto angosto y triangular, uncus reducido y sin gancho distal, y complejo fálico con placa ventral cóncava y con elevación dorsomedial extendida hasta la virga, virga basalmente con dos puntas cortas. Ripipteryxgorgonaensissp. n. se caracteriza por presentar epiprocto con muesca lateral, antenas con mancha dorsal blanca en flagelómero 1 y flagelómeros 4­7 completamente blancos. El patrón de coloración antenal en Ripipteryxgorgonaensissp. n. es similar al de Ripipteryxatra pero se diferencia de esta especie por la ausencia de modificaciones morfológicas en los flagelómeros.

300 million years of diversification: elucidating the patterns of orthopteran evolution based on comprehensive taxon and gene sampling.

Orthoptera is the most diverse order among the polyneopteran groups and includes familiar insects, such as grasshoppers, crickets, katydids, and their kin. Due to a long history of conflicting classification schemes based on different interpretations of morphological characters, the phylogenetic relationships within Orthoptera are poorly understood and its higher classification has remained unstable. In this study, we establish a robust phylogeny of Orthoptera including 36 of 40 families representing all 15 currently recognized superfamilies and based on complete mitochondrial genomes and four nuclear loci, in order to test previous phylogenetic hypotheses and to provide a framework for a natural classification and a reference for studying the pattern of divergence and diversification. We find strong support for monophyletic suborders (Ensifera and Caelifera) as well as major superfamilies. Our results corroborate most of the higher-level relationships previously proposed for Caelifera, but suggest some novel relationships for Ensifera. Using fossil calibrations, we provide divergence time estimates for major orthopteran lineages and show that the current diversity has been shaped by dynamic shifts of diversification rates at different geological times across different lineages. We also show that mitochondrial tRNA gene orders have been relatively stable throughout the evolutionary history of Orthoptera, but a major tRNA gene rearrangement occurred in the common ancestor of Tetrigoidea and Acridomorpha, thereby representing a robust molecular synapomorphy, which has persisted for 250 Myr.

A remarkable new pygmy grasshopper (Orthoptera, Tetrigidae) in Miocene amber from the Dominican Republic.

A NEW GENUS AND SPECIES OF PYGMY GRASSHOPPER (ORTHOPTERA: Tetrigidae) is described from Early Miocene (Burdigalian) Dominican amber. Electrotettix attenboroughi Heads & Thomas, gen. et sp. n. is assigned to the subfamily Cladonotinae based on the deeply forked frontal costa, but is remarkable for the presence of tegmina and hind wings, hitherto unknown in this subfamily.

A new fossil cricket of the genus Proanaxipha in Miocene amber from the Dominican Republic (Orthoptera, Gryllidae, Pentacentrinae).

A new species of the cricket genus Proanaxipha Vickery & Poinar (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Pentacentrinae) from Early Miocene Dominican amber is described and illustrated. Proanaxipha madgesuttonaesp. n. is distinguished from congeners by: (1) head capsule bearing a distinctive posteriorly bilobed colour spot on the vertex; (2) presence of crossveins in the proximal part of the mediocubital area; (3) apical field of tegmen entirely dark; and (4) median process of epiphallus short. The poorly known Proanaxipha bicolorata Vickery & Poinar, of questionable affinity and status, is herein regarded as a nomen inquirendum.

A new species of Ripipteryx from Belize with a key to the species of the Scrofulosa Group (Orthoptera, Ripipterygidae).

A new species of the genus Ripipteryx (Orthoptera: Tridactyloidea: Ripipterygidae) from the Toledo District of southern Belize is described and illustrated. Ripipteryx mopanasp. n. is placed in the Scrofulosa Group based on its elaborately ornamented frons and is readily distinguished from its congeners by the fusion of the superior and inferior frontal folds to form a nasiform median process, the epiproct with both anterior and posterior margins emarginate, the subgenital plate with distinct lateroapical depressions either side of the median line, the basal plate of the phallus strongly bilobed apically, and the development of well-demarcated denticular lobes in the dorsal endophallic valves. A preliminary key to the species of the Scrofulosa Group is provided.

On the placement of the Cretaceous orthopteran Brauckmannia groeningae from Brazil, with notes on the relationships of Schizodactylidae (Orthoptera, Ensifera).

The fossil orthopteran Brauckmannia groeningae Martins-Neto (Orthoptera, Ensifera) from the Early Cretaceous Crato Formation of Brazil, currently misplaced at both the genus and family level, is transferred to the family Schizodactylidae and assigned to the extant genus Schizodactylus Brullé; ergo, Brauckmannia enters synonymy under Schizodactylus and Brauckmanniidae enters synonymy under Schizodactylidae. Schizodactylus groeningae (Martins-Neto), comb. n. agrees in size and general habitus with extant members of the genus, but can be readily separated by the robust, subovoid form of the metatibiae and the distinctive morphology of the lateral metabasitarsal processes. This species represents the first fossil occurrence of Schizodactylidae and the only New World record of this ancient lineage. Phylogenetic relationships of the schizodactylids are reviewed and a sister-group relationship with Grylloidea advocated based on a reappraisal of morphological and molecular evidence.