Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

New flatbug (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Aradidae) records from the Middle Eocene Messel Maar, Germany

  • Short Communication
  • Published:
Paläontologische Zeitschrift Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Three new species of the flat bug family Aradidae from the Eocene Messel Maar are described and illustrated. Aneurus ? incertus n. sp. is a new species belonging to the extant subfamily Aneurinae. Mezira petrificata n. sp. and M. parapetrificata n. sp. are two new species belonging to the extant subfamily Mezirinae. They are compared with the specimens so far described from Messel, as well as with related extant taxa. Additionally, a male probably belonging to M. eocenica and a female of M. petrificata are reported. Even though the aradids represent less than 0.05 % in the taphocoenosis from Messel, and are one of the smallest groups among the recorded heteropterans, the presence of six species among eight preserved specimens indicates an unexpected high diversity among flat bugs from Messel. Especially well-represented are members of the subfamily Mezirinae that today occur in all major biogeographic regions but seem to be concentrated in the Southern Hemisphere.

Kurzfassung

Aus dem Mittel-Eozän der Grube Messel werden drei neue Rindenwanzen-Arten (Aradidae) beschrieben und illustriert. Aneurus ? incertus n. sp. ist der erste Vertreter der Unterfamilie Aneurinae. Mezira petrificata n. sp. und M. parapetrificata n. sp., repräsentieren zwei neue Arten der Unterfamilie Mezirinae. Damit erhöht sich die Anzahl der aus Messel dokumentierten Rindenwanzen auf sechs beschriebene Arten. Betrachtet man jedoch den Anteil der Aradiden an der gesamten Insekten-Taphozönose aus Messel, so repräsentieren sie mit nur 0.05 % eine der kleinsten Gruppen innerhalb der Heteropteren (Wanzen) und dokumentieren damit eine unerwartet hohe Diversität innerhalb dieser Gruppe. Besonders hervorzuheben ist die Dominanz der Unterfamilie Mezirinae, die vor allem in der südlichen Hemisphäre verbreitet ist.

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

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

References

  • Amyot, C.J.B., and J.G.A. Serville. 1843. Histoire Naturelle des insectes Hémiptères. Paris: Fain et Thunot.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brullé, A. 1836. Histoire naturelle des insects, traitant de leur organisation et de leurs moeurs en général, et comprenant leur classification et la description des espèces. Paris: Pillot.

  • Curtis, J. 1825. British Entomology 2: pl. 86.

  • Douglas, J.W., and J. Scott. 1865. The British-Hemiptera. Vol. 1. Hemiptera-Heteroptera. London: The Ray Society.

  • Felder, M., and F.-J. Harms. 2004. Lithologie und genetische Interpretation der vulkano-sedimentären Ablagerungen aus der Grube Messel anhand der Forschungsbohrung Messel 2001 und weiterer Bohrungen. Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg 252: 151–203.

    Google Scholar 

  • Franzen, J.L. 2005. Warum Geiseltalium? Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg 255: 77–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grein, M., T. Utescher, V. Wilde, and A. Roth-Nebelsick. 2011. Reconstruction of the middle Eocene climate of Messel using palaeobotanical data. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie Abhandlungen 260: 305–318.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gruber, G., and N. Micklich (Eds.). 2007. Messel—Treasures of the Eocene. Darmstadt: Hessisches Landesmuseum.

  • Harms, F.-J., T. Nix, and M. Felder. 2003. Neue Darstellungen zur Geologie des Ölschiefer-Vorkommens Grube Messel. Natur und Museum 132: 137–149.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heiss, E. 1997. Erstnachweis einer Aneurinae aus dem Baltische Bernstein: Aneurus ancestralis n. sp. (Heteroptera, Aradidae). Carolinea 55: 111–113.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heiss, E. 2000. First record of a Mezirinae flat bug from Dominican amber: Mezira scheveni n. sp. (Heteroptera, Aradidae). Entomologisches Nachrichtenblatt 7: 6–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heiss, E. 2001a. Superfamily Aradoidea. In: Catalogue of the Heteroptera of the Palaearctic Region, Vol. 4: 3–34, eds. Aukema, B. and Ch. Rieger. Amsterdam: Entomological Society.

  • Heiss, E. 2001b. Revision der Familie Aradidae des Baltischen Bernsteins III. Zwei neue Aneurus - Arten (Insecta, Heteroptera). Entomologisches Nachrichtenblatt 8: 12–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heiss, E. 2012. Revision der Aradidae des Baltischen Bernsteins VII. Eine neue Aneurus- Art (Hemiptera: Heteroptera). Entomologische Zeitschrift 122(3): 109–110.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heiss, E. 2013. Erstnachweis von Rindenwanzen (Aradidae) in Bitterfelder Bernstein (Insecta, Heteroptera). Linzer Biologische Beiträge 45: 741–753.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heiss, E., and D.A. Grimaldi. 2001. Archearadus burmensis gen. n., sp. n., a remarkable Mesozoic Aradidae in Burmese Amber (Heteroptera, Aradidae). Carolinea 59: 99–102.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heiss, E., and D.A. Grimaldi. 2002. The first known female of Archearadus burmmensis Heiss & Grimaldi, 2001, in Cretaceous Burmese Amber (Heteroptera: Aradidae). Zeitschrift Arbeitsgemeinschaft Österreichischer Entomologen 54: 55–59.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heiss, E., and J. Péricart. 2007. Hemiptères Aradidae, Piesmatidae et Dipsocoromorphes euro-mediterranéens. Faune de France 91; Paris: Fédération Française des Sociétés de Sciences Naturelles.

  • Heiss, E., and G. Poinar Jr. 2012. New Aradidae in Burmese Amber (Hemiptera, Heteroptera). Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, A 114: 307–316.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henry, T.J. 2009. Biodiversity of Heteroptera. In: Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society, eds. Foottit, R.G. and P.H. Adler, 223–263. Hoboken: Wiley.

  • Kaulfuss, U., T. Wappler, E. Heiss, and M.-C. Lariviere. 2011. Aneurus sp. from the Miocene Foulden Maar, New Zealand: first Southern Hemisphere record of fossil Aradidae. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 41: 279–285.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kormilev, N.A. 1955. A new myrmecophil family of Hemiptera from the delta of Rio Parana, Argentina. Revista Ecuatoriana de Entomologia y Parasitologia 2: 465–477.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kormilev, N.A. 1971. Mezirinae of the Oriental Region and South Pacific. Pacific Insects Monograph 26: 1–165.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kormilev, N.A., and R.C. Froeschner. 1987. Flat Bugs of the World. A Synonymic List (Heteroptera: Aradidae). Entomography 5: 1–246.

    Google Scholar 

  • Latreille, P.A. 1810. Ordre III, Hemiptera, section Heteroptera. In: Considerations generals Sur l’ordre naturel des animaux composant les classes des Crustaces, des Arachnides et des Insectes avec un tableau methodique de leurs genres disposes en famillies. Paris: Schoell.

  • Leston, D., J.G. Pendergast, and T.R.E. Southwood. 1954. Classification of terrestrial Heteroptera (Geocorisae). Nature 174: 91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema naturae. Regnum Animale, 10th edn. Lipsiae: W. Engelmann.

  • Mertz, D.F., and P.R. Renne. 2005. A numerical age for the Messel fossil deposit (UNESCO World Heritage Site) derived from 40Ar/39Ar dating on a basaltic rock fragment. Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg 255: 67–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oshanin, B.F. 1908. Verzeichnis der paläarktischen Hemipteren mit besonderer Berücksichti- gung ihrer Verteilung im Russischen Reiche. Buchdruck der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften 1(2): 395–586.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, R. 2012. Aradus cinnamomeus Panzer (Hem.: Aradidae) new to Oxfordshire. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History 25(2): 115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schaal, S., and W. Ziegler (Eds.) 1992. Messel. An insight into the history of life and of the Earth. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

  • Schuh, R.T., and J.A. Slater. 1995. True bugs of the world (Hemiptera: Heteroptera): classification and natural history. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

  • Usinger, R.L. 1941. Two new species of Aradidae from Baltic amber (Hemiptera). Psyche 48: 95–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Usinger, R.L., and R. Matsuda. 1959. Classification of the Aradidae. London: British Museum of Natural History.

  • Wappler, T., and E. Heiss. 2006a. Flatbugs from Paleogene limnic sediments. I. Messel maar (Heteroptera: Aradidae). Polish Journal of Entomology 75: 207–217.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wappler, T., and E. Heiss. 2006b. Flatbugs from Paleogene limnic sediments. II. Eckfeld maar (Heteroptera: Aradidae). Mainzer Naturwissenschaftliches Archiv 44: 53–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wappler, T., and E. Heiss. 2006c. Flatbugs from Paleogene limnic sediments. III. Enspel (Heteroptera: Aradidae). Zeitschrift der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Österreichischer Entomologen 58: 39–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wedmann, S. 2005. Annotated taxon-list of invertebrate animals from the Eocene fossil site Grube Messel near Darmstadt, Germany. Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg 255: 103–110.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilde, V. 2004. Aktuelle Übersicht zur Flora aus dem mitteleozänen “Ölschiefer” der Grube Messel bei Darmstadt (Hessen, Deutschland). Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg 252: 109–114.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, J.F, B. Song, and X.Y. Zhang. 1994. Miocene insects and spiders from Shanwang, Shandong. Beijing: Science press.

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank all Senckenberg digging team members for their efforts, and Uta Kiel (SMF) for the careful preparation of the Messel fossil. The authors also thank the reviewers Bo Wang, Nanjing, and Heiko Schmied, Bonn, for their critical reading of the manuscript and constructive suggestions. The present study was financially supported by grants of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, Grant no WE 2942/6-1 to S. W. and 6-2 to S. W. and T. W.) and by the research funding programme “LOEWE—Landes-Offensive zur Entwicklung Wissenschaftlich-ökonomischer Exzellenz” of Hesse’s Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and the Arts.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, Forschungsstation Grube Messel, Markstraße 35, 64409, Messel, Germany

    Torsten Wappler & Sonja Wedmann

  2. Biodiversität und Klima Forschungszentrum (BiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Torsten Wappler & Sonja Wedmann

  3. Steinmann-Institut für Geologie, Mineralogie, Paläontologie, Universität Bonn, Nussallee 8, 53115, Bonn, Germany

    Torsten Wappler

  4. Tiroler Landesmuseum, Josef-Schraffl-Strasse 2a, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria

    Ernst Heiss

Authors
  1. Torsten Wappler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ernst Heiss
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sonja Wedmann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Torsten Wappler.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wappler, T., Heiss, E. & Wedmann, S. New flatbug (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Aradidae) records from the Middle Eocene Messel Maar, Germany. Paläontol Z 89, 653–660 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12542-014-0237-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12542-014-0237-1

Keywords

Schlüsselwörter

Search

Navigation