Cretaceous Research (1983) 4, 265-269

A Fossiliferous Resin frotn the Cenotnanian of the Paris and Aquitanian Basins of Northwestern France*

Th. Schliitert Paliiontologisches Institut FU-Berlin, Schwendener Stra}3e 8, D-1000 Berlin 33, West Germany

Received 7 July 1982 and in revised form 2 August 1982

Th. Schluter. A Fossiliferous Resin from the of the Paris and Aquitanian Basins of Northwestern France. Research (1983) 4, 265-269. The discovery of a Ceno­ manian fossiliferous resin at different localities in the Paris and Aquitanian basins of northwestern France is described. The abiotic peculiarities and methodological difficulties are mentioned and evidence for the following arachnid and orders given: Phalangiida, Araneae; Blattariae, Isoptera, Psocoptera (?), Heteroptera, Planipennia, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera and Diptera. Biostratonomic and palaeoecological implications are discussed.

PaHiontologisches Institut FU-Berlin, Schwendener StraBe 8, D-1000 Berlin 33, West Germany.

KEY WORDS: Fossil terrestrial ; Cenomanian; Fossiliferous resin; Palaeoecology and biostratonomy.

1. Introduction From Cenomanian clay- and silt-layers of the Paris and Aquitanian basins, fossili­ ferous resins ("amber") have been obtained (Lacroix, 1910; Delaunay, 1934; Chauffin, 1963; Kuhne et al., 1973; Schluter, 1975) and their abiotic and biotic peculiarities described (Schluter, 1978). Some of the localities are given in Figure l. The arthropods presented in Schluter (1975, 1978) are the first recorded from stratigraphically well established Cenomanian resins and the first Cenomanian terrestrial arthropods from France. The allochthonous or parallochthonous resin is found in clay or silt deposits, which have yielded pollen and spores of Early Cenomanian age, according to Azerna et al. (1972) and Laing (1975).

2. Abiotic peculiarities The resin from the Cenomanian is similar to other fossil resins in respect to specific gravity and hardness. Almost all the French resin is cloudy, due to microscopic bubbles. Contrary to the well known Baltic amber, arthropods are found in the cloudy material as well as in the rare, transparent and clear particles. The French resin is rich in pyrites which may mineralize the -cuticulae thus allowing X-ray examination (SchlUter & Sturmer, 1982, 1983). The French resin probably derives from Araucariaceae (Gymnospermae), as shown by infrared investigations.

,. Paper presented at the "Kreide-SYIllposiuIll", Munich, 1-3 June 1982. t Present address: DepartIllent of Geology, University of Dar-es-SalaaIll, P.O. Box 35052, Tanzania. 0195-6671/83/030265 +05 $03.0010 © 1983 AcadeIllic Press Inc. (London) LiIllited 266 Th. Schluter

10 km

--~~-- Figure 1. Different localities (black circles) of fossiliferous resins froITl the CenoITlanian of the Paris basin between Angers and Le Mans. Horizontal hatching: forrrtations ; angled hatching: CenoITlanian ForITlations; white: deposits of other ages.

3. Inclusions 3.1. Preparation of the material Most of the described arthropods have been found at the locality Bezonnais, a few at Durtal. Evidence of arthropods is also documented from Fouras. The French resin deteriorates immediately on contact with air. Whether dessication or oxidation, or both, are responsible is unknown. The preservation under water is imperative for a long stability of resin samples with a potential of inclusions. To overcome the unfavourable physical properties of the resin, the following technique for developing the arthropods was persued: inspection under water with a binocular microscope; wet grinding; embedding in a polyester resin; grinding and polishing of the arthropod-containing. resin fragment in its polyester mantle to obtain an oriented surface; polishing; repetition of these processes until optimal visibility had achieved. The specimens in the very cloudy resin are difficult to measure and to draw, especially at high magnification. It was therefore necessary to grind the resin samples as close as possible to the inclusions.

3.2. Systematic scope Arachnida and Insecta have been proved to occur in the samples collected by Schluter. The following orders are in evidence. The numbers in parentheses give the number of specimens. Arachnida Phalangiida (1) Araneae (2) Cenomanian Fossiliferous Resin 267

Insecta Blattariae (1) Isoptera (7) Psocoptera (?) (1) Heteroptera (1) Planipennia (1) Coleoptera (2) Hymenoptera (14) Lepidoptera (1) Diptera (9) Other arthropod-remains inc. sed. (33)

The following genera and species have been established and discussed 1ll SchHiter (1978) and Matile (1981).

Retinoberotha stuermeri Schluter 1978 (Planipennia: Berothidae or Mantispidae: Rhachiberothinae) Stenus inexpectatus Schluter 1978 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Steninae) Galloromma bezonnaisensis Schluter 1978 (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae: Mymarom- minae) Cenomanoscelio pulcher Schluter 1978 (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae: Scelioninae) Gallosphex cretaceus Schluter 1978 (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae: Ampulicinae) Schlueterimyia cenomanica Matile 1981 (Diptera: Keroplatidae: Macrocerinae) Ecommocydromia difficilis Schluter 1978 (Diptera: : Tachydrominae (?)- Microphorinae (?)-Hybotinae (?»

Evolutionary aspects of the higher phylogenetic groups of these taxa can be elucidated on the basis of the fossil record.

4. Biostratonomic and palaeoecological implications for the terrestrial paleobiocenosis From approximately 2000 g of the fossil resin, 72 arthropod remains in 36 fragments have been collected. That means that the specimens rarely occur singly. Once the search has yielded at least one arthropod, the same fragment is likely to provide further specimens. The -remains range from 1 to 3 mm on the average. From a comparison with other faunas in fossiliferous resins [Lebanese amber­ Lower Cretaceous: Schlee & Dietrich (1970) and Schlee (1970); Taimyr amber, northern Sibiria-Upper Cretaceous: Zherichin & Sukatscheva (1973); Canadian amber-Uppermost Cretaceous: McAlpine & l\1artin (1969); Baltic amber­ Eocene: Larsson (1978); Dominican amber-l\1iocene: Schlee & Glockner (1978)] it transpires that the French resin has been formed in a moderate-to-subtropical climate. Open water must have existed near to where the resin was exuded. Many predators, parasites and hyperparasites have been found, thus indicating a much larger differentiation of the fauna than can be deduced from the small sample. A reconstruction of the original biocenosis is given in Figure 2. IV 0\ ~ 00 7 <:>.fd~~ " ~ ~'17. ~' ~~

~'iC,(}~~ .,'~* (~ ~'. [. ¢~'t? ~.' J[i~7~) ~-- '- c~

----'; •. -,J'-'~

'1 -4, r1'\~- .~'cv.. ".. ~- \ t r:n e::t'l ~-.. C: c' _..;,' rt '"1

Figure 2. Reconstruction of a terrestrial palaeo biocenosis in the Cenomanian of northwestern France, near Ecommoy. 1, Retinoberotha stuermeri; 2, Stenus inexpectatus; 3, Galloromma bezonnaisensis; 4, Cenomanoscelio pulcher; 5, Gallosphex cretaceus; 6, Sclzlueterimyia cenomanica' 7 Ecommo- 1''\.'l'front"'io ~h"tfh·ili.. -, , Cenomanian Fossiliferous Resin 269

References Azema, C., Durand, S. & Medus, J. 1972. Des Miospores du Cenomanien moyen. Paliobiologie Continentale 3 (4), 1-54. Chauffin, J. 1963. Resins of the Cenomanian period from Ecommoy (Dept. Sarthe). Bulletin mensuelle de la Societe Linneenne 32, 103-105. Delaunay, P. 1934. Le Sol Sarthois 4, Les Zones Cretaces, 545-762. Kiihne, '\T. G., Kubig, L. & Schliiter, Th. 1973. Eine Micropterygide (Lepidoptera, Homoneura) aus mittelcretazischem Harz Nordwestfrankreichs. Mitteilungen der Deutschen entomologischen Gesellschaft 32 (3/4), 61-64. Lacroix, A. 1910. Resines fossiles. Mineralogie de La France 4. 627-632. Laing, J. F. 1975. Mid-Cretaceous. angiosperm pollen from southern England and northern France. Palaeontology 18 (4), 775-808. Larsson, Sv. G. 1978. Baltic Amber-a palaeobiological study. Entomonograph 1, 1-192. Matile, L. 1981. Description d'un Keroplatidae du Cretace moyen et donnees morphologiques et taxinomiques sur les Mycetophiloidea (Diptera). Annales de La Societe entomologique de France (N. S.) 17 (1),99-123. McAlpine, J. F. & Martin,J. E. H. 1969. Canadian amber: A paleontological treasure chest. Canadian Entomologist 101, 819-838. Schlee, D. 1970. Insektenfossilien aus der unteren Kreide. I. Verwandtschaftsforschung an fossil en und rezenten Aleyrodina (Insecta: Hemiptera). Stuttgarter Beitriige zur Naturkunde 213, 1-72. Schlee, D. & Dietrich, H. G. 1970. Insektenfiihrender Bernstein aus der Unterkreide des Libanon. Neues Jahrbuch fur Geologie und Paliiontologie Mitteilungshefte 1970, 40-50. Schlee, D. & Glockner, W. 1978. Bernstein. Bernsteine und Bernsteinfossilien. Stuttgarter Beitriige zur Naturkunde, Serie C 8, 1-72. Schluter, Th. 1975. Nachweis verschiedener Insecta-Ordines in einem mittelkretazischem Harz Nordwestfrankreichs. Entomologica Germanica 1 (3/4), 151-161. Schliiter, Th. 1978. Zur Systematik und Palokologie harzkonservierter Arthropoda einer Taphozo­ nose aus dem Cenomanium von NW-Frankreich. Berliner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungen, Reihe A 9, 1-150. SchlUter, Th. & Sturmer, W. 1982. X-ray examination of fossil in Cretaceous amber of NW-France. Annales de la Societe Entomologique de France (N. S.) 18 (3) (in press). Schluter, Th. & Sturmer, W. 1983. Die Identifikation einer fossilen Rhachiberothinae-Art (Plani­ pennia: Berothidae oder Mantispidae) aus mittelkretazischem Bernstein N'V-Frankreichs mit Hilfe rontgenographischer IVIethoden. Proceedings of the First International Symposium of Neuropterology, Graz, Austria (in press). Zherichin, V. V. & Sukatscheva, J. D. 1973. 0 Melovych Nassekomonossych "Jantardach" (Retini­ tach) severa Sibiri. Doklady na dvadtzat tschetvertom eschtschegodnom tschtenii pamjati N. A. Cholodkovskogo. Izdatel'stvo "Nauka" Leningradskoje Otdelenie (1971), 3-48. Bibliography of the Neuropterida

Bibliography of the Neuropterida Reference number (r#): 5555

Reference Citation: Schlüter, T. 1983 [1983.??.??]. A fossiliferous resin from the Cenomanian of the Paris and Aquitanian Basins of Northwestern France. Cretaceous Research 4:265-269.

Copyrights: Any/all applicable copyrights reside with, and are reserved by, the publisher(s), the author(s) and/or other entities as allowed by law. No copyrights belong to the Bibliography of the Neuropterida.

Notes:

File: File produced for the Bibliography of the Neuropterida (BotN) component of the Lacewing Digital Library (LDL) Project, 2014.