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Issue: Vol. 5739 No. 1: 31 Dec. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-12-31
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5739.1.6
Page range: 21-35
Abstract views: 46
PDF downloaded: 30

New insect assemblage from the early Oligocene in Ningming Basin, Guangxi, China

State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy; Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment; Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Nanjing 210008; China; Nanjing College; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences; Nanjing 211135; China
Institut de Systématique; Évolution; Biodiversité (ISYEB) Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle; CNRS; Sorbonne Université; EPHE; Université des Antilles; CP50; 57 rue Cuvier 75005; Paris; France
State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy; Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment; Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Nanjing 210008; China
State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy; Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment; Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Nanjing 210008; China
Provincial Key Laboratory of Archaeometry; Conservation and Utilization of Cultural Relics; Hunan Museum. Changsha; Hunan; 410005; China
Nanning College for Vocational Technology. Nanning; Guangxi 530008; China
State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy; Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment; Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Nanjing 210008; China
State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy; Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment; Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Nanjing 210008; China
Insect fossils entomofauna Insect damage types Ningming Formation

Abstract

The Ningming Basin was characterized by a humid subtropical monsoon climate during the early Oligocene, which supported a rich assemblage of plant and fish fossils. However, the insect fauna from this period has remained poorly documented, with only a single damselfly species formally described. Recent investigations have yielded a distinct collection of insect fossils, comprising at least five orders and represented by 98 specimens, among which ants are the predominant group. In addition, we report four distinct types of herbivory traces and one pathogen‑related damage type on contemporaneous leaves, providing direct evidence of biological interactions. These findings significantly expand the known early Oligocene entomofauna from southern China and enhance our understanding of terrestrial ecosystems under a humid subtropical monsoon regime during this epoch.

 

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How to Cite

Wang, Y., Nel, A., Cai, C., Fu, Y., Liu, Q., Zeng, G., Lian, X. & Huang, D. (2025) New insect assemblage from the early Oligocene in Ningming Basin, Guangxi, China. Zootaxa, 5739 (1), 21–35. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5739.1.6