Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Low diversity cockroach assemblage from Chernovskie Kopi in Russia confirms wing deformities in insects at the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary

  • Section Zoology
  • Published:
Biologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The Jurassic/Cretaceous (J/K) boundary is of great importance for the evolution of cockroaches as 6 (of the total of 27) families and orders of termites and mantodeans evolved from them during this interval. The Jurassic affinities of most taxa and a complete lack of any characteristic Cretaceous cockroach taxa combined with the presence of two termites indicate a position close to the J/K stratigraphic boundary for the locality Chernovskie Kopi in Transbaikalian Siberia. Among 41 specimens the dominant species was Blattula discors sp. n. (n = 14 (15?)) closely related to Blattula vidlickai Vršanský, 2004 from the roughly coeval locality Shar-Teg in Mongolia. Rhipidoblattina lacunata sp. n. (Caloblattinidae; n = 10) and Archimesoblatta kopi sp. n. were common, while Mongolblatta sanguinea sp. n. (Mesoblattinidae; n = 6, 1) and Rhipidoblatta grandis sp. n. (Caloblattinidae; n = 2) were rare. Six specimens, all possibly representing an unknown genus of the family Liberiblattinidae remain indetermined. Such composition of an assemblage with a low diversity, resulting from a destabilized ecosystem resembles Early Jurassic assemblages from Mintaja, Australia and diverse Toarcian localities in Germany and England rather than Middle or Late Jurassic assemblages. The present samples also contain plant remains. The almost complete lack of bodies, pronota and hind wings suggest a significant transport prior to deposition. Twenty deformities distributed on nine wings amounting to 22.5% of wings support the occurrence of mass mutations near the J/K boundary.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Beccaloni G.W. & Eggleton P. 2013. Order Blattodea. Zootaxa 3703(1): 46–48. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3703.1.10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bohn H., Picker M. & Klass K.D. 2010. A jumping cockroach from South Africa, Saltoblattella montistabularis, gen. nov., sp. nov (Blattodea: Blattellidae). Arthropod Systematic & Phylogeny 68(1): 53–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brongniart C. 1885. Les Insectes fossiles des terrains primaires. Coup d’oeil rapide sur la faune entomologique des terrains paléozoďques avec 5 planches en héliogravure. Bull. Soc. Amis Sci. Nat. Rouen ser. 3, 21e: 50–68. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.36372

    Google Scholar 

  • Cifuentes-Ruiz P., Vršanský P., Vega F.J., Cevallos-Ferriz S.R.S., González-Soriano E. & Delgado de Jesús C.R. 2006. Campanian terrestrial arthropods from the Cerro del Pueblo Formation, Difunta Group in northeastern Mexico. Geologica Carpathica 57(5): 347–354.

    Google Scholar 

  • Comstock J.H & Needham J.G. 1898. The Wings of Insects. Chapter III. The Specialization of Wings by Reduction. Amer. Nat. 32(376): 231–257.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ding D.H., Zhang L.D., Guo S.Z., Zhang C.J., Peng Y.D., Jia B., Chen S.W. & Xing D.H. 2001. The stratigraphic sequence and fossil bearing horizon of the Yixian Formation in western Liaoning, China. Geol. Resour. 10(4): 193–198.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grandcolas P., Legendre F., Park Y.C., Belles X., Murienne J. & Pellens R. 2005. The genus Cryptocercus in East Asia: distribution and new species (Insecta, Dictyoptera, Blattaria, Polyphagidae). Zoosystema 27(4): 725–732.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gubin Yu.M. & Sinitza S.M. 1996. Shar Teg: A unique Mesozoic locality of Asia, pp. 311–318. In: Morales M. (ed.), The Continental Jurassic, Bull. Mus. N. Arizona, 60, Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guo Y. & Ren D. 2011. A new cockroach genus of the family Fuziidae from Northeastern China (Insecta: Blattida). Acta Geol. Sin. 85(2): 501–506. DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-6724.2011.00418.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Handlirsch A. 1906–1908. Die fossilen Insekten und die Phylogenie der rezenten Formen. Ein Handbuch fur Palaontologen und Zoologen. Leipzig, Engelmann, 800 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hou L.H., Martin L.D. & Zhou Z.H. 1999. A diapsid skull in a new species of the primitive bird Confuciusornis. Nature 399(6737): 679–682. DOI: 10.1038/21411

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huber P., McDonald N.G. & Olsen P.E. 2003. Early Jurassic Insects from the Newark Supergroup, Northeastern United States, pp. 206–223. In: LeTourneau P.M. & Olsen P.E. (eds), The Great Rift Valleys of Pangea in Eastern North America, Volume 2: Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, and Paleontology, Columbia University Press, New York, 248 pp. ISBN: 023112676X, 9780231126762

    Google Scholar 

  • Kukalová-Peck J. 2008. Phylogeny of higher taxa in Insecta: Finding synapomorphies in the extant fauna and separating them from homoplasies. Evol. Biol. 35(1): 4–51. DOI: 10.1007/s11692-007-9013-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liang J.H., Vršanský P., Ren D. 2012. Variability and symmetry of a Jurassic nocturnal predatory cockroach (Blattida: Raphidiomimidae). Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geológicas 29(2): 411–421.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liang J.H., Vršanský P., Ren D. & Shih C.K. 2009. A new Jurassic carnivorous cockroach (Insecta, Blattaria, Raphidiomimidae) from the Inner Mongolia in China. Zootaxa 1974: 17–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin S.K. 2010. Early Jurassic cockroaches (Blattodea) from the Mintaja insect locality, Western Australia. Alavesia 3: 55–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nagamitsu T. & Inoue T. 1997. Cockroach pollination and breeding system of Uvaria elmeri (Annonaceae) in a lowland mixed-dipterocarp forest in Sarawak. Am. J. Bot. 84(2): 208–213. PMID: 21712200

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nalepa C.A. 2003. Evolution in the genus Cryptocercus (Dictyoptera: Cryptocercidae): no evidence of differential adaptation to hosts or elevation. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 80(2): 223–233. DOI: 10.1046/j.1095-8312.2003.00225.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Picker M., Colville J.F. & Burrows M. 2012. A cockroach that jumps. Biol. Lett. 8(3): 390–392. DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2011.1022

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ponomarenko A.G. 1998. Paleoentomology of Mongolia, p. 36. In: First Paleoentomological Conference, 30. Aug. — 4. Sept. 1998, Moscow, Russia, Abstracts, Paleontological Inst., Russian Acad. Sci., Moscow.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ren D., Shih C.K., Gao T.P., Yao Y.Z. & Zhao Y.Y. 2010. Silent Stories-Insect Fossil Treasures from Dinosaur Era of the Northeastern China. Science Press, Beijing, 322 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roth L.M. 2003. Systematics and phylogeny of cockroaches (Dictyoptera: Blattaria). Oriental Insects 37(1): 1–186. DOI: 10.1080/00305316.2003.10417344

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shelford R. 1909. Note on some amphibious cockroaches. Record of the Indian Museum 3: 125–127.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sinitshenkova N.D. 1991. New Mesosoic mayflies from Transbaikal and Mongolia. Paleont. Zh. 25(1): 116–119.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sinitshenkova N.D. 1998. New Upper Mesozoic stoneflies from Central Transbaikalia (Insecta: Perlida = Plecoptera). Paleont. Zh. 32(2): 167–173.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sinitshenkova N.D. 2000. New mayflies from the Upper Mesozoic Transbaikalian locality Chernovskie Kopi (Insecta: Ephemerida = Ephemeroptera. Paleont. J. 34: 68–74. (Translated from Paleont. Zh. 1: 63–69)

    Google Scholar 

  • Sinitza S.M. 1995. Chernovskii Paleontological Reserve, pp. 70–84. In: Jubilee Edition of the Bulletin of the Chita Polytechnic Institute, Moskovskij Gosudarstvennij Universitet, Moskva.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steinmiller B., Kambhampati S. & Brock B.L. 2001. Geographic distribution of, and genetic variation, in the wood roach, Cryptocercus (Dictyoptera: Cryptocercidae). Ann. Entomol. Soc. Amer. 94(5): 732–742. DOI: 10.1603/0013-8746(2001)094[0732:GDOAGV]2.0.CO;2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sukatsheva I.D. & Vassilenko D.I. 2011. Caddisflies from Chernovskie Kopi (Jurassic/Cretaceous of Transbaikalia). Zoosymposia 5: 434–438.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sun G.D., Dilcher L., Zheng S.L. & Zhou Z.K. 1998. In search of the first flowers: a Jurassic angiosperm, Archaefructus, from Northeast China. Science 282(5394): 1692–1695. DOI: 10.1126/science.282.5394.1692

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vasilenko D.V. 2005a. Damages on Mesozoic plants from the Transbaikalian locality Chernovskie Kopi. Paleont. J. 39(6): 628–633. (Translated from Paleont. Zh. 6: 54–59)

    Google Scholar 

  • Vasilenko D.V. 2005b. New damselflies (Odonata: Synlestidae, Hemiphlebiidae) from Mesozoic Transbaikalian locality of Chernovskie Kopi. Paleont. J. 39(3): 280–283. (Translated from Paleont. Zh. 3: 55–58)

    Google Scholar 

  • Vidlička L., Vršansk troglobitic cockroach species of the genus Speleoblatta (Blattaria: Nocticollidae) from North Thailand. J. Nat. Hist. 37: 107–114.

  • Vishniakova V.N. 1968. Mezozojskie tarakani s naruzhnim jajcekladom i osobennosti ikh razmnozheniya (Blattodea) [Mesozoic cockroaches with an external ovipositors and peculiarities of their reproduction (Blattodea)], pp. 55–86. In: Rodendorf B.B. (ed.), Jurskie nasekomie Karatau [Jurassic Insects of Karatau], Nauka, Moskva, 252 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vishniakova V.N. 1973. New cockroaches (Insecta: Blattodea) from the Upper Jurassic sediments of Karatau, pp. 64–77. In: Narchuk E.P. (ed.), Voprosy paleontologii nasekomykh, Doklady na 24-m Ezhegodnom chtenii pamyati N.A.Kholodkovskogo, 1971 [Problems of the Insect Palaeontology, Lectures on the XXIV Annual Readings in Memory of N.A. Kholodkovsky, 1971], Nauka, Leningrad.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vishniakova V.N. 1983. Jurassic cockroaches of the Mesoblattinidae family from Siberia. Paleoentomol. J. 17(1): 76–90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vršanský P. 2002. Origin and Early Evolution of Mantises. AMBA Projekty 6(1): 16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vršanský P. 2003a. Umenocoleoidea — an Amazing Lineage of Aberrant Insects (Insecta, Blattaria). AMBA Projekty 7: 1–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vršanský P. 2003b. Unique assemblage of Dictyoptera (Insecta-Blattaria, Mantodea, Isoptera, Mantodea) from the Lower Cretaceous of Bon Tsagaan Nuur in Mongolia. Entomol. Probl. 33(1–2): 119–151.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vršanský P. 2004. Transitional Jurassic/Cretaceous cockroach assemblage (Insecta, Blattaria) from the Shar-Teg in Mongolia. Geologica Carpathica 55(6): 457–468.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vršanský P. 2007. Jumping cockroaches (Blattaria, Skokidae fam.n.) from the Late Jurassic of Karatau in Kazakhstan. Biologia 62(5): 588–592. DOI: 10.2478/s11756-007-0116-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vršanský P. 2008a. New blattarians and a review of dictyopteran assemblages from the Lower Cretaceous of Mongolia. Acta Palaeont. Polon. 53(1): 129–136. DOI: 10.4202/app.2008.0109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vršanský P. 2008b. Central ocellus of extinct cockroaches (Blattica: Caloblattinidae). Zootaxa 1958: 41–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vršanský P. 2009. Advanced morphology and behaviour of extinct earwig-like cockroaches (Blattida: Fuziidae fam. nov.). Geologica Carpathica 60(6): 449–462. DOI: 10.2478/v10096-009-0033-0

    Google Scholar 

  • Vršanský P. 2010. Cockroach as the earliest eusocial animal. Acta Geologica Sinica (English Edition) 84(4): 793–808. DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-6724.2010.00261.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vršanský P. & Ansorge J. 2007. Lower Jurassic cockroaches (Insecta: Blattaria) from Germany and England. African Invertebrates 48(1): 103–126.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vršanský P. & Aristov D. 2014. Termites (Isoptera) from the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary: Evidence for the longevity of their earliest genera. Eur. J. Entomol. 111(1): 137–141. DOI: 10.14411/eje.2014.014

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vršanský P. & Chorvát D. 2013. Luminescent system of Lucihormetica luckae supported by fluorescence lifetime imaging. Naturwissenschaften 100: 1099–1101. DOI: 10.1007/s00114-013-1100-z

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vršanský P., Chorvát D., Fritzsche I., Hain M. & Ševčík R. 2012. Light-mimicking cockroaches indicate Tertiary origin of recent terrestrial luminescence. Naturwissenschaften 99(9): 739–749. DOI: 10.1007/s00114-012-0956-7

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vršanský P. & Makhoul E. 2013. Mieroblattina pacis gen. et sp. n. — Upper Cretaceous cockroach (Blattida: Mesoblattinidae) from Nammoura limestone of Lebanon, pp. 165–172. In: Azar D., Engel M., Jarzembowski E., Krogmann L. & Santiago-Blay J. (eds), Insect Evolution in an Amberiferous and Stone Alphabet, Proceedings of the 6th International Congress on Fossil Insects, Arthropods and Amber, 210 pp. ISBN-13: 9789004210707

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Vršanský P., Rasnitsyn A.P. & Vishniakova V.N. 2002. Blattida, pp. 263–270. In: Rasnitsyn A.P. & Quicke D.L.J. (eds), History of Insects, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dodrecht, 517 pp. ISBN: 1-4020-0026-X

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang C. & Ren D. 2013. Nuurcula obesa sp. n. (Blattida, Caloblattinidae) from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian formation in Liaoning province, China. Zookeys 318: 35–46. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.318.5514

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wang T.T., Liang J.H. & Ren D. 2007a. Variability of Habroblattula drepanoides gen. et. sp. nov. (Insecta: Blattaria: Blattulidae) from the Yixian formation in Liaoning, China. Zootaxa 1443: 17–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang T.T., Liang J.H., Ren D. & Shi C., 2007b. New Mesozoic cockroaches (Blattaria: Blattulidae) from Jehol Biota of western Liaoning in China. Ann. Zool. 57(3): 483–495.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang W.L. 1987. Early Mesozoic insect fossils from Western Liaoning, pp. 202–222. In: Yu X., Wang W.L., Liu X. & Zhang W. (eds), Mesozoic Stratigraphy and Paleontology of Western Liaoning, Vol. 3, Geological Publishing House, Beijing, China, 386 pp. [In Chinese, English summary]

    Google Scholar 

  • Wei D., Liang J. & Ren D. 2012. A new species of Fuziidae (Insecta, Blattida) from the Inner Mongolia, China. Zookeys 217: 53–61. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.217.3508

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wei D., Liang J. & Ren D. 2013. A new genus of Fuziidae (Insecta, Blattida) from the Middle Jurassic of Jiulongshan Formation, China. Geodiversitas 35(2): 335–343. DOI: 10.5252/g2013n2a3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wei D. & Ren D. 2013. Completely preserved cockroaches of the family Mesoblattinidae from the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous Yixian formation (Liaoning Province, NE China). Geologica Carpathica 64(4): 291–304. DOI: 10.2478/geoca-2013-0021

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wei D., Shih Ch. & Ren D. 2012. Arcofuzia cana gen. et sp n. (Insecta, Blattaria, Fuziidae) from the Middle Jurassic sediments of Inner Mongolia, China. Zootaxa 3597: 25–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xing D.H., Sun C.L., Sun Y.W., Zhang, L.D., Peng, Y.D. & Chen S.W. 2005. New knowledge on Yixian Formation. Acta Geosci. Sin. 26(1): 25–30. [In Chinese with English abstract]

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang L.D., Jin C.Z., Guo S.Z., Zhang C.J., Peng Y.D., Chen S.W., Xing D.H., Ding Q.H. & Zheng Y.J. 2004. The precious fossil-bearing beds of Yixian Formation in Beipiao-Yixian area: their ages and correlation. Geol. Resour. 13(4): 193–201. [In Chinese with English abstract]

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Z.J., Schneider J.W. & Hong Y.Q. 2012. The most ancient roach (Blattida): A new genus and species from the earliest Late Carboniferous (Namurian) of China, with discussion on the phylomorphogeny of early blattids. J. Syst. Palaeont. 11(1): 27–40. DOI: 10.1080/14772019.2011.634443

    Google Scholar 

  • Zherikhin V.V. 1978. Razvitie i smena melovikh i kajnozojskikh faunisticheskikh kompleksov (trakhejnie i khelicerovie) [Development and Changes of the Cretaceous and Cenozoic Faunal Assemblages (Tracheata and Chelicerata)]. Trudy Paleontologicheskogo Instituta Akademii Nauk SSSR [Transactions of the Paleontological Institute, Academy of Sciences USSR] 165: 1–198. Moskva

    Google Scholar 

  • Zherikhin V.V. 1993. Istoria bioma dozhdevikh tropicheskikh lesov [History of the rainforest biom]. Zh. Obshch. Biol. 54(6): 659–666.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zompro O. & Fritzsche I. 1999. Lucihormetica n. gen. sp. n., the first record of luminescence in an orthopteroid insect (Dictyoptera: Blaberidae: Blaberinae: Brachycolini). Amazoniana 15(3/4): 211–219.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geological Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, P.O. BOX 106, S-84005, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Peter Barna

Authors
  1. Peter Barna
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peter Barna.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Barna, P. Low diversity cockroach assemblage from Chernovskie Kopi in Russia confirms wing deformities in insects at the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary. Biologia 69, 651–675 (2014). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-014-0349-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-014-0349-9

Key words

Search

Navigation