Original paper

Cockroaches indicate post-Eocene/Oligocene age of Baltic amber and/or condensation of crown-taxa within subtropical forests and trees with high viscosity resin

Vršanský, Peter; Barna, Peter; Koubová, Ivana; Vidlička, Ľubomír; Procházka, Emanuel; Szabó, Márton; Chaninovič, Jaroslav; Hoffeins, Christel; Hoffeins, Hans Werner

Image of first page of:

Palaeontographica Abteilung A Band 328 Lieferung 1-6 (2024), p. 149 - 170

102 references

published: Aug 23, 2024
published online: Jul 5, 2024
manuscript accepted: Jun 27, 2024
manuscript received: Apr 26, 2024

DOI: 10.1127/pala/2024/0152

BibTeX file

Download preview PDF

Abstract

Living cockroach genera were tracked from Kimmeridgian and after K/Pg they vastly dominate. All Eocene genera Cariblattoides Allacta Blattella Ectobius and Diploptera (in Green River; observed also on Cenozoic Allacta Supella Neoblattella and Latiblattella) are advanced and homoplastically retained a single symplesiomorphy – a divided subgenital plate, which later reduced in multiple parallelisms of living ectobiids. Balta Tepper, 1893; Blattella Caudell, 1903 sp. 1, Ectobius amberscapeus sp. n., and particularly brachypterous female of Temnopteryx electrokosmi sp. n. (Ectobiidae) from Kaliningrad amber evidences origin of the advanced Eurasian genera around PETM and also rarely insights into a brachypterous cohort absent in sedimentary record. It contrasts with the early-derived Miocene Supella Latiblattella Anaplecta and the only later derived Gutierrezina and Cariblatta in ambers of Americas (Chiapas and Dominica). Baltic Stegoblatta Euthyrrhapha Balta germari (Shelford, 1910) comb. n; Blatta Blattella Periplaneta Ischnoptera Ceratinoptera Phyllodromica (Pro)Holocompsa Homopteroidea Paraeuthyrrhapha and Namablatta additionally represent 29 species with diverse palaeogeography – and suggest subtropical (not temperate warm) climate. Numerous sibling species additionally validate sibling-species occurrence patterns observed in other ambers and sediments. Big size of Baltic (and Ukraine) cockroaches suggests high viscosity of the source resin.

Keywords

Tertiary • Balta • Blattella • Temnopteryx Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1865 • Ectobius Stephens, 1835