Amber and Amber Inclusions of Planthoppers
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
ZOBODAT - www.zobodat.at Zoologisch-Botanische Datenbank/Zoological-Botanical Database Digitale Literatur/Digital Literature Zeitschrift/Journal: Denisia Jahr/Year: 2002 Band/Volume: 0004 Autor(en)/Author(s): Szwedo Jacek Artikel/Article: Amber and amber inclusions of planthoppers, leafhoppers and their relatives (Hemiptera, Archaeorrhyncha et Clypaeorrhyncha) 37-56 © Biologiezentrum Linz/Austria; download unter www.biologiezentrum.at Amber and amber inclusions of planthoppers, leafhoppers and their relatives (Hemiptera, Archaeorrhyncha et Clypaeorrhyncha) J. SZWEDO Abstract Amber, its origin, deposits and strati- graphic position in the World is presented. The process of amberization and fossiliza- tion of an insect in resin is briefly outli- ned. Data about inclusions of planthop- pers, froghoppers, treehoppers and leaf- hoppers (Hemiptera: Archaeorrhyncha et Clypaeorrhyncha) are given. The fossil record of the relevant families is presen- ted. Families and species described from fossil resins up to the present are listed and some of them additionally commented. Key words: amber, amber deposits, inclusions, fossils, Fulgoromorpha, Cica- domorpha. Denisia 04, zugleich Kataloge des OÖ. Landesmuseums, Neue Folge Nr. 176 (2002), 37-56 37 © Biologiezentrum Linz/Austria; download unter www.biologiezentrum.at Introduction 1970; ZHERIKHIN 1978), although similar amber occurs in Israel and Jordan (NlSSEN- What is amber? BAUM & HOROWITZ 1992). They are dated on the Neocomian, Early Cretaceous, which "... When the warm kingdom of the amber pine and its seas set, means that they are 130 million years old. The cooled and froze beneath a thick glacial mass, only amber itself survived; Cretaceous (140 Ma to 65 Ma) is one of the the living sap of a dead tree" most interesting chapters in the history of the Earth. It was in the Cretaceous that an explo- Stefan ZEROMSKI The Sea Breeze (1922) sive radiation of flowering plants, angios- perms, occurred, together with many modern Amber is fossilized tree-derived resin that families of insects. Several kinds of amber, fre- is found in the geological record from the quently including a variety of "amberized" ins- Devonian through the present day (GRIMALDI ects, are known from the Cretaceous: Lower 1996, KRUMBIEGEL & KRUMBIEGEL 1996a, Cretaceous amber from Alava (Basque Coun- PoiNAR 1992). Frequently, resins found in try, Spain), Lower Cretaceous amber found geologically old strata are named amber, while near Vienna and Salzburg, and Lower Creta- more recent and semi-fossilized resins are not ceous amber found in Chöshi (Honshu, considered proper amber and are known under Japan). Many localities of Upper Cretaceous the name of copal. On the other hand, some amber are known from North America authors regard copals as resin of angiosperm (DAHLSTRÖM & BROST 1996; GRIMALDI 1996, plants of the families: Mimosaceae, Caesalpi- RICE 1987). These are Cedar Lake, Manitoba, niaceae, Fabaceae (Fabales) and Dipterocar- and Medicine Hat and Grassy Lake, Alberta paceae (Theales = Hypericales), and amber as in Canada. Amber — 'omalik' as called by fossilized resin of gymnosperm trees of the Inuits — is also found in Alaska Peninsula, in families Pinaceae and Araucariaceae. Radical the Yukon delta and on the Fox Islands (part "purists" understand amber as referring specifi- of the Aleutian Archipelago), and in Green- cally to the resins of the Baltic amber group, land (KOSMOWSKA-CERANOWICZ 1983; DAHL- i.e. Baltic amber - also called succinite, Bit- STRÖM & BROST 1996). The most famous is terfeld amber (named also Saxonian amber), New Jersey amber, containing many insect Danish amber, amber of Oise in France, and inclusions. Other amber sites in the United Ukrainian amber. Others use copal only of the States are located in New Mexico, Tennessee, resin of Caesalpiniaceae, of Hymenaea trees, Mississippi, Arizona, Nebraska and North i.e. Mexican amber, Dominican amber and Carolina, along the Atlantic coast in East African copal, copal from Madagascar Maryland, on Cape Cod, Long Island and Sta- and Colombian copal (GE1NAERT 1998). ten Island. Another famous Cretaceous resin is the amber from Taimyr Peninsula in nor- Fossil resins (ambers and copals) are to be thern Russia (Fig. 1), of Lower Cretaceous found throughout the world (GRIMALDI 1996; Begichev Formation and Upper Cretaceous KRUMBIEGEL & KRUMBIEGEL 1996a; POINAR Kheta, Khatanga and Dolgan Formations 1992, 1999; Ross 1999; Figs 1 & 2). The total (ZHERIKHIN & SUKACHEVA 1973, ZHERIKHIN number of amber sites is around 200 (DAHL- 1978, ZHERIKHIN 6k ESKOV 1999). Upper STRÖM & BROST 1996). Cretaceous amber of Asia is amber of Adzha- Mesozoic amber is to be found in various kent in Azerbeijan, Shawarshawan in parts of the world (Figs 1 & 2). The oldest Armenia, Timmerdiak-Kaja on the Viliuj inclusions in amber (bacteria, protozoa, fungal River in Yakutia (ZHERIKHIN 1978), and Kuji spores and unidentified plant spores) are kno- and Iwaki on Honshu, Japan (SCHLEE 1990). wn from the Triassic amber of Raibler Sand- A very interesting Asian amber is Burmese stone Formation in Schliersee, Bavaria, Ger- amber, which is estimated by different authors many (DAHLSTRÖM & BROST 1995; GRIMALDI to be of Miocene, Oligocene, Paleogene, post- 1996). The oldest amber deposits containing Eocene, Eocene, or even Late Cretaceous age insects come from the Middle East and are (ZHERIKHIN 1978, BOTOSANEANU 1981). The commonly known as Lebanese amber (SCHLEE last estimation seems to be correct according 38 © Biologiezentrum Linz/Austria; download unter www.biologiezentrum.at to the latest data (ZHERIKH1N & Ross 2000). geneity, which raises the question of whether Late Cretaceous amber of the Paris and Aqui- a single tree species was the amber-producing tan Basin in northwestern France, very inte- tree (POINAR 1992). Baltic amber lacks abietic resting and rich in inclusions, was reported by acid, which chemically distinguishes pine SCHLÜTER (1978). Cretaceous amber origina- resin, and araucarian resin does not have the ted from the resins of the gymnosperm plants succinic acid, which is distinctive of most Bal- of the families Araucariaceae, Taxodiaceae, tic amber. On the other hand, recent pine spe- Cupressaceae and Pinaceae, and angiosperm cies, the north-western American sugar pine plants of the family Hamamelidaceae (GRI- Pinus lambertiana DOUGLAS, is marked by a MALDI 1996). characteristic IR spectrum, with "Baltic amber shoulder" typical of Baltic amber. Some living Most of the known deposits of Tertiary trees in the pine tree family of the genera amber are known from Europe (KRZEMINSKA Ketekeria CARRIERE and Pseudolarix GORDON et al. 1993; POINAR 1999). The most famous do indeed produce resin rich in succinic acid Eocene amber from the Baltic area (Fig. 2) (GRIMALDI 1996). Pseudolarix is of particular probably represents one of the largest accumu- interest, since resin in 40 Ma old cones from lations of amber in the world. It comes from Axel Heiburg Island in Canadian Arctic also the Tertiary deposits in the Sambian Peninsu- contains succinic acid. Pseudolarix today is la and from accumulations in Quaternary found in Asia. The sole species, Pseudolarix deposits. The amber in Sambia is located in amabilis NELSON (REHDER), is closely restricted layers of the 'blaue Erde' — the "blue earth"; to some mountains in south-eastern China. blue earth is actually grayish with traces of This may suggest that Pseudolarix might have green when dry or black when wet, and com- been connected with the North, with Scandi- posed mainly of clay, not blue clay, but rather navia during the Eocene. The Pseudolarix glauconite-rich clay. During the Pleistocene, hypothesis is also bolstered by the fact that amber from Tertiary deposits was transported many other plants and insect species fossilized by glacial, fluvial or fluvoglacial action. This in Baltic amber are closely related to species resulted in distribution of the Eocene Baltic now living in Asia, Australia and even Chile amber across Latvia, Lithuania, Belorussia, (GRIMALDI 1996). The "amber tree" could Poland and Germany, up to the east coast of then be considered a rather primitive type, an the British Isles and even as far as Jutland early stage of developmental history of the (Denmark) and the southern coast of Scandi- Pinaceae, which still retained archaic charac- navian Peninsula (DAHLSTRÖM & BROST teristics in common with the Araucariaceae 1996, KOSMOWSKA-CERANOWICZ 1998). (LARSON 1978; MILLS, WHITE & GOUGH 1984; BECK 1999). The Pinaceae appeared in The tree that produced resin which beca- the Cretaceous, although certain pine-like me Baltic amber is the still mysterious "Pinus ancestral plants have been recorded from the succinifera" (POINAR 1992, GRIMALDI 1996, Mid Jurassic; recently the family is restricted ROSS 1999) — probably a collective name for to the Northern Hemisphere, with a sole resin (amber) producing tree (or trees). exception. The Araucariaceae date back to Modern methods of analysis of amber have the Mesozoic, when the family was abundant raised some annoying questions. It is surpri- both in Northern and Southern Hemispheres. sing, that the infrared spectra (infrared spec- There are few araucarian fossils in the troscopy is a successful technique in compa- Northern Hemisphere, and apparently none ring fossil and recent resins) of Baltic amber in Baltic amber. are not similar to those of any modern Pinaceae, but more similar to resin of the Another famous Tertiary fossil resin is Araucariaceae tree Agathis australis (LAMB.)