Late Neogene Insect and Other Invertebrate Fossils from Alaska and Arctic/Subarctic Canada
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Invertebrate Zoology, 2019, 16(2): 126–153 © INVERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY, 2019 Late Neogene insect and other invertebrate fossils from Alaska and Arctic/Subarctic Canada J.V. Matthews, Jr.1, A. Telka2, S.A. Kuzmina3* 1 Terrain Sciences Branch, Geological Survey of Canada, 601 Booth Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0E8. Present address: 1 Red Maple Lane, Hubley, N.S., Canada B3Z 1A5. 2 PALEOTEC Services – Quaternary and late Tertiary plant macrofossil and insect fossil analyses, 1-574 Somerset St. West, Ottawa, Ontario K1R 5K2, Canada. 3 Laboratory of Arthropods, Borissiak Paleontological Institute, RAS, Profsoyuznaya 123, Moscow, 117868, Russia. E-mails: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] * corresponding author ABSTRACT: This report concerns macro-remains of arthropods from Neogene sites in Alaska and northern Canada. New data from known or recently investigated localities are presented and comparisons made with faunas from equivalent latitudes in Asia and Greenland. Many of the Canadian sites belong to the Beaufort Formation, a prime source of late Tertiary plant and insect fossils. But new sites are continually being discovered and studied and among the most informative of these are several from the high terrace gravel on Ellesmere Island. One Ellesmere Island locality, known informally as the “Beaver Peat” contains spectacularly well preserved plant and arthropod fossils, and is the only Pliocene site in Arctic North America to yield a variety of vertebrate fossils. Like some of the other “keystone” localities discussed here, it promises to be important for dating and correlation as well as for documenting high Arctic climatic and environmental conditions during the Pliocene. Arthropod fossils are becoming increasingly valuable for dating and correlation of Arctic Neogene sites. Such assemblages of fossils will ultimately prove valuable for dating and interpretation of deep scientific boreholes drilled in the Arctic. Furthermore, the Tertiary fossils discussed aid in dating Quaternary deposits in the North American Arctic, because they show how Tertiary faunas differ from those of Quaternary age. The faunas mentioned in this paper also aid in definition of former biotic gradients enhance our understanding of the history of the boreal and tundra biome. The earliest evidence for tundra is in the Pliocene at 80° N, not in the late Miocene as some have suggested. The boreal realm of the Pliocene was qualitatively different from that of the present and much more extensive latitudinally. How to cite this article: Matthews J.V., Jr., Telka A., Kuzmina S.A. 2019. Late Neogene insect and other invertebrate fossils from Alaska and Arctic/Subarctic Canada // Invert. Zool. Vol.16. No.2. P.126–153. doi: 10.15298/invertzool.16.2.03 KEY WORDS: Arctic, Neogene, Arthropods, Insects, fossils, tundra, boreal forest. Contributions to Quaternary Zoology. Issue dedicated to the 80th anniversary of A.V. Sher. Late Neogene invertebrate fossils from Alaska and Arctic/Subarctic Canada 127 Поздненеогеновые насекомые и прочие беспозвоночные Аляски и арктической/ субарктической Канады Дж.В. Мэттьюз1 мл., Э. Телка2, С.A. Кузьмина3 1 Terrain Sciences Branch, Geological Survey of Canada, 601 Booth Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0E8. Present address: 1 Red Maple Lane, Hubley, N.S., Canada B3Z 1A5. 2 PALEOTEC Services – Quaternary and late Tertiary plant macrofossil and insect fossil analyses, 1-574 Somerset St. West, Ottawa, Ontario K1R 5K2, Canada. 3 Лаборатория Артропод, Палеонтологический институт им. А.А. Борисяка, Профсоюзная ул., 123, 117868, Москва, Россия. E-mails: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] * автор для переписки РЕЗЮМЕ: Рассмотрены остатки членистоногих из неогеновых местонахождений Аляски и северной Канады, представлены новые данные по давно известным и недавно изученным разрезам, сделаны сравнения с одновозрастными фаунами Се- верной Азии и Гренландии. Большинство канадских местонахождений относится к формации Бофорт — важного источника сведений о позднетретичной флоре и фауне. В последние годы описываются новые местонахождения, и среди них наибо- лее информативными являются разрезы высокой гравийной террасы острова Эллес- мир. Один из этих разрезов, неформально известный как «Бобровый торф» содержит ископаемую флору и фауну членистоногих особо хорошей сохранности, это един- ственный плиоценовый разрез в арктической Северной Америке, где найдены раз- личные остатки позвоночных. Подобно другим описанным здесь разрезам, он может стать важным источником данных для датирования и корреляции слоев, так же источником данных для реконструкции климата и природной среды Арктики в плиоцене. Ископаемые членистоногие становятся все более значимыми для определения воз- раста и корреляции арктических неогеновых разрезов. Эти комплексы ископаемых будут обязательно использованы для корреляции и интерпретации данных глубокого бурения в Арктике. Более того, третичные ископаемые помогают в определении возраста четвертичных отложений; здесь показано, насколько третичные и четвер- тичные фауны отличаются друг от друга. Ископаемые фауны, рассмотренные здесь, помогают в определении природной зональности прошлого, что способствует наше- му пониманию истории развития северной тайги и тундры. Самые ранние признаки тундры появляются на широте 80° N в плиоцене, а не в позднем миоцене, как считалось ранее. Бореальное царство в плиоцене было распространено гораздо шире в широтном направлении, чем в настоящее время и было качественно другим сообществом, отличным от современного бореального леса. Как цитировать эту статью: Matthews J.V., Jr., Telka A., Kuzmina S.A. 2019. Late Neogene insect and other invertebrate fossils from Alaska and Arctic/Subarctic Canada // Invert. Zool. Vol.16. No.2. P.126–153. doi: 10.15298/invertzool.16.2.03 КЛЮЧЕВЫЕ СЛОВА: Арктика, неоген, членистоногие, насекомые, ископаемые, тундра, бореальный лес. 128 J.V. Matthews, Jr. et al. Fig. 1. Distribution of sites mentioned in the text. Shaded areas are shown in greater detail in Figs. 2 and 3. Рис. 1. Расположение местонахождений упомянутых в тексте. Серым закрашены области, изобра- женные подробнее на рис. 2 и 3. Introduction ican Arctic is now large enough to attempt regional generalizations and comparisons with In 1987 a workshop on late Tertiary envi- floras and faunas from equivalent latitudes in ronments and biostratigraphy in the North Amer- Russia, Greenland and Scandinavia. ican Arctic was held in Denver, Colorado. It was What is available to us now, but not in the the start of a long-term program of joint studies late 1980”s, are fossils from several indepen- by Canadian and American scientists. Subse- dently dated “keystone” sites. Based on the data quent workshops on the late Tertiary have in- from such sites, it is now possible to develop a volved Russian scientists and Russian, Canadi- new correlation scheme for the Neogene of an and United States scientists have engaged in Arctic/Subarctic North America and to formu- joint field-work on both continents. The ulti- late a list of plant and arthropod fossils that have mate goal of these meetings and the field-work potential value for dating and correlation. But is a biostratigraphic and paleoclimatic synthesis the fossils also provide new information on the for the Late Cenozoic in the entire circum- evolution of Neogene climates and the history Arctic region. One of the previous reports (Mat- of the boreal and tundra biomes. This report thews, Ovenden, 1990) reviewed knowledge of discussed the arthropod part. plant macro-remains (seeds, fruits etc.) from a number of late Tertiary sites in the Arctic/ Material and Methods Subarctic region of North America. Most of the research for that paper took place prior to 1988. List of fossils of insects and other arthro- Since then significant new fossil finds have pods is presented in the Appendix. Most speci- occurred, both at previously studied sites and at mens represent altered fragments of beetles new ones discovered. These new data alone (Coleoptera), which were identified using the warrant an update of Matthews & Ovenden synoptic reference collection at the Geological (1990). However, the aim in this report is to go Survey of Canada, by comparison to the exten- beyond the level of discussion in the previous sive collections in the Canadian National Col- paper. This is possible because the database of lection and by consultation with various spe- late Tertiary macrofossils from the North Amer- cialists. In addition to beetles, several other Late Neogene invertebrate fossils from Alaska and Arctic/Subarctic Canada 129 arthropod groups are represented, such as well um; Ptiliidae). Many of the fossils come from preserved oribatid mites. Although oribatids extinct species, a few of which have been for- occur in most samples of Pliocene age, only a mally described (Matthews, 1971, 1976; Leech, few of them have been studied in detail, explain- Matthews, 1971). ing the uneven representation of taxa which is Several types of weevil fossils (Curculion- evident in Appendix. The mites, chironomid idae) occur in the Lava Camp fauna. Two of (Diptera), hymenopteran and trichopteran fos- them are illustrated by the heads shown in Fig. sils in Appendix were identified by the special- 4I and K. Both are taxa often encountered in ists specified at the end of that list. Some of the Quaternary samples from northern Canada and arthropod fossils are too poorly preserved for a Alaska. The head of Lepidophorus thulius (Kiss., definite identification, even to the