Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Type: Article
Published: 2024-08-30
Page range: 529-538
Abstract views: 185
PDF downloaded: 103

The first beetle species described from Oligocene New Zealand amber (Coleoptera: Scirtidae)

Department of Animal Evolution und Biodiversity, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00-818, Warszawa, Poland
Department of Geology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand
Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Taxonomy, University of Wrocław, Przybyszewskiego 65, 51–148 Wrocław, Poland
Coleoptera Scirtidae marsh beetle araucarian resin Oligocene Pomahaka Formation Zealandia

Abstract

Previously reported beetle inclusions from New Zealand amber have preserved insufficient morphological details for an identification beyond family-level. Here, we describe the first beetle species from New Zealand amber, Contacyphon pomahakaensis Ruta sp. nov., based on a newly discovered, well-preserved inclusion from the late Oligocene Pomahaka Formation in southern New Zealand. C. pomahakaensis Ruta sp. nov. is the first fossil record of marsh beetles (Scirtidae) described from New Zealand. The worldwide genus Contacyphon is well diversified with exclusively endemic species in New Zealand, suggesting a long presence and independent evolution in the region, which is confirmed by the new Oligocene amber fossil. A coastal swamp forest environment reconstructed for the formation of Pomahaka amber is in agreement with wet forest habitats of extant marsh beetles. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis of late Oligocene Pomahaka amber indicates that it originates from an Araucariaceae parent plant of Agathis affinity and has undergone comparatively little maturation.

References

  1. Craw, R.C. & Watt, J.C. (1987) An Upper Cretaceous beetle (Coleoptera) from Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 17 (4), 395–398. https://doi.org/10.1080/03036758.1987.10426480
  2. Gimmel, M.L., Leschen, R.A.B. & Ślipiński, A. (2009) Review of the New Zealand endemic family Cyclaxyridae, new family (Coleoptera: Polyphaga). Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae, 49 (2), 511–528.
  3. GNS Science & Geological Society of New Zealand. (2024) New Zealand Fossil Record File [G43/f8500, G45/f0107]. GNS Science. https://doi.org/10.21420/JQQB-NK89
  4. Grant-Mackie, J.A. (1958) The stratigraphy and paleontology of rocks of the Hokonui System, Awakino-Mahoenui area, Southwest Auckland. Unpublished MSc thesis, University of Auckland, New Zealand,186 pp. https://doi.org/10.1080/00288306.1959.10422769
  5. Jenkins Shaw, J., Solodovnikov, A., Bai, M. & Kaulfuss, U. (2020) An amblyopinine rove beetle (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Staphylininae, Amblyopinini) from the earliest Miocene Foulden Maar fossil-Lagerstätte, New Zealand. Journal of Paleontology, 94 (6), 1082–1088. https://doi.org/10.1017/jpa.2020.35
  6. Kaulfuss, U., Brown, S.D.J., Henderson, I.M., Szwedo, J. & Lee, D.E. (2018) First insects from the Manuherikia Group, early Miocene, New Zealand. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 49 (4), 494–507. https://doi.org/10.1080/03036758.2018.1477054
  7. Kaulfuss, U., Lee, D.E., Barratt, B.I.P., Leschen, R.A.B., Larivière, M.-C., Dlussky, G.M., Henderson, I.M. & Harris, A.C. (2015) A diverse fossil terrestrial arthropod fauna from New Zealand: evidence from the early Miocene Foulden Maar fossil Lagerstätte. Lethaia, 48, 299–308. https://doi.org/10.1111/let.12106
  8. Kiałka, A. & Ruta, R. (2017) An illustrated catalogue of the New Zealand marsh beetles (Coleoptera: Scirtidae). Zootaxa, 4366 (1), 1–76. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4366.1.1
  9. Kiałka, A. & Ruta, R. (2018) Meatopida gen. nov., a new genus to accommodate two species originally described in Atopida White, 1846 (Coleoptera: Scirtoidea: Scirtidae). Zootaxa, 4382 (2), 242–260. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4382.2.2
  10. Kiałka, A. & Ruta, R. (2022) Revision of Atopida White, 1846 (Coleoptera: Scirtoidea: Scirtidae). Zootaxa, 5174 (4), 401–443. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5174.4.6
  11. Klimaszewski, J. & Watt, J.C. (1997) Coleoptera: family-group review and keys to identification. Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand, 197 pp.
  12. Kulicka, R. & Ślipiński, S. (1996) A review of the Coleoptera inclusions in the Baltic amber. Prace Muzeum Ziemi, 44, 5–11.
  13. Lambert, J.B., Shawl, C.E., Poinar, G.O., Jr & Santiago-Blay, J.A. (1999) Classification of modern resins by solid nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Bioorganic Chemistry, 27, 409–433. https://doi.org/10.1006/bioo.1999.1147
  14. Lambert, J.B., Johnson, S.C., Poinar, G.O., Jr & Frye, J.S. (1993) Recent and fossil resins from New Zealand. Geoarchaeology, 8, 141–155. https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.3340080206
  15. Lee, D., Lindqvist, J., Mildenhall, D., Bannister, J. & Kaulfuss, U. (2009) Paleobotany, palynology and sedimentology of Late Cretaceous—Miocene sequences in Otago and Southland. In: Turnbull, I.M. (Ed.), Field trip guides, Geosciences 09 Conference, Oamaru, New Zealand. Geological Society of New Zealand Miscellaneous Publication, 128B, 39 pp.
  16. Leschen, R.A.B., Lawrence, J.F. & Ślipiński, A. (2005) Classification of basal Cucujoidea (Coleoptera: Polyphaga): cladistic analysis, keys and review of new families. Invertebrate Systematics, 19 (1), 17–73. https://doi.org/10.1071/IS04007
  17. Leschen, A.B., Lawrence, J.F., Kuschel, G., Thorpe, S. & Wang, Q. (2003) Coleoptera genera of New Zealand. New Zealand Entomologist, 26, 15–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/00779962.2003.9722105
  18. Li, Y.D., Ruta, R., Tihelka, E., Liu, Z.H., Huang, D.Y. & Cai, C.Y. (2022) A new marsh beetle from mid-Cretaceous amber of northern Myanmar (Coleoptera: Scirtidae). Scientific Reports, (2022) 12, 13403. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-16822-y
  19. Libonatti, M.L. & Ruta, R. (2018) Family Scirtidae. In: Hamada, N., Thorp, H. & Rogers, D.C. (Eds), Thorp and Covich’s Freshwater Invertebrates. 4th Edition. Vol. 3. Keys to Neotropical Hexapoda. Academic Press, Cambridge, pp. 599–603. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-804223-6.00028-7
  20. Lindqvist, J.K., Gard, H.J.L. & Lee, D.E. (2016) Geological setting, sedimentology and biota of the estuarine late Oligocene Pomahaka Formation, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, 59 (2), 352–365. https://doi.org/10.1080/00288306.2016.1150862
  21. Lyons, P.C., Mastalerz, M. & Orem, W.H. (2009) Organic geochemistry of resins from modern Agathis australis and Eocene resins from New Zealand: Diagnetic and taxonomic implications. International Journal of Coal Geology, 80, 51–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coal.2009.07.015
  22. Nyholm, T. (2000) New species, taxonomic notes, and genitalia of New Zealand Cyphon (Coleoptera, Scirtidae). New Zealand Entomologist, 22, 45–67. https://doi.org/10.1080/00779962.1999.9722054
  23. Pocknall, D.T. (1982) Palynology of late Oligocene Pomahaka Estuarine Bed sediments, Waikoikoi, Southland, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany, 20, 263–287. https://doi.org/10.1080/0028825X.1982.10428495
  24. Raine, J.I., Mildenhall, D.C. & Kennedy, E.M. (2011) New Zealand fossil spores and pollen: an illustrated catalogue. 4th edition. GNS Science miscellaneous series no. 4. Available from: http://data.gns.cri.nz/sporepollen/index.htm (accessed 6 May 2024).
  25. Schmidt, A.R., Kaulfuss, U., Bannister, J.M., Baranov, V., Beimforde, C., Bleile, N., Borkent, A., Busch, A., Conran, J.G., Engel, M.S., Harvey, M., Kennedy, E.M., Kerr, P.H., Kettunen, E., Kiecksee, A.P., Lengeling, F., Lindqvist, J.K., Maraun, M., Mildenhall, D.C., Perrichot, V., Rikkinen, J., Sadowski, E.-M., Seyfullah, L.J., Stebner, F., Szwedo, J., Ulbrich, P. & Lee, D.E. (2018) Amber inclusions from New Zealand. Gondwana Research, 56, 135–146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2017.12.003
  26. Seyfullah, L.J., Sadowski, E.-M. & Schmidt, A.R. (2015) Species-level determination of closely related araucarian resins using FTIR spectroscopy and its implications for the provenance of New Zealand amber. PeerJ, 3, e1067. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1067
  27. Stilwell, J.D., Vitacca, J. & Mays, C. (2016) South Polar greenhouse insects (Arthropoda: Insecta: Coleoptera) from the mid-Cretaceous Tupuangi Formation, Chatham Islands, eastern Zealandia). Alcheringa, 40, 502–508. https://doi.org/10.1080/03115518.2016.1144385
  28. Tappert, R., Wolfe, A.P., McKellar, R.C., Tappert, M.C. & Muehlenbachs, K. (2011) Characterizing modern and fossil gymnosperm exudates using micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. International Journal of Plant Sciences, 172 (1), 120–138. https://doi.org/10.1086/657277
  29. Watts, C.H.S. & Hamon, H. (2023) Fossil marsh beetle larvae (Scirtidae: Coleoptera) from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian) Koonwarra Fossil Bed of Victoria, Australia. Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology, 47 (1), 122–126. https://doi.org/10.1080/03115518.2023.2184493
  30. Wolfe, A.P., Tappert, R., Muehlenbachs, K., Boudreau, M., McKellar, R.C., Basinger, J.F. & Garrett, A. (2009) A new proposal concerning the botanical origin of Baltic amber. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 276, 3403–3412. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2009.0806
  31. Zwick, P., Klausnitzer, B. & Ruta, R. (2013) Contacyphon Gozis, 1886 removed from synonymy (Coleoptera: Scirtidae) to accommodate species so far combined with the invalid name, Cyphon Paykull, 1799. Entomologische Blätter und Coleoptera, 109, 337–353.