Ichnoentomology Insect Traces in Soils and Paleosols Topics in Geobiology

Topics in Geobiology 37 Jorge Fernando Genise Ichnoentomology Insect Traces in Soils and Paleosols Topics in Geobiology Series Editors Neil Landman Peter J. Harries More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/6623 Jorge Fernando Genise Ichnoentomology Insect Traces in Soils and Paleosols Jorge Fernando Genise Principal Researcher National Research Council of Argentina Founder, National Ichnological Collection and Division Icnología of the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales President of the First International Congress on Ichnology (Ichnia 2004) ISSN 0275-0120 Topics in Geobiology ISBN 978-3-319-28208-4 ISBN 978-3-319-28210-7 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-28210-7 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016946484 © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG Switzerland Dedicated to (in order of appearance): Diego, Nahuel, Sofía, Federico, Ivan, and Santiago Foreword In 1993, a mere year after fi nishing our Ph.D. theses, we traveled from Northwest Argentina to the city of Santa Rosa in the central part of the country to attend the First Argentinean Meeting of Ichnology. During the conference, we met an entomologist from the Natural Sciences Museum in Buenos Aires by the name of Jorge Genise. This person seemed to be quite an interesting character; somebody told us that he had spent days inside a mammal-produced cave near the coastal city of Mar del Plata, looking at its scratch-ornamented walls. Jorge was essentially an entomologist by training, but his interests were clearly far and beyond insect systemat- ics. At that time, one of our research lines was freshwater ichnology with a focus on lake systems from a geologic perspective, and Jorge was working on terrestrial ich- nofaunas from a biologic standpoint. The two research lines were in perfect coordi- nation, but the interesting point is that it was by pure chance; neither Jorge knew about our existence, nor did any of us know about him. And, to make things even more curious, it happened in a remote area of the South American continent, a place away from the leading centers of ichnology in the Northern Hemisphere. Since then, the three of us have been lucky to be part of a group of researchers who started to revitalize the fi eld of continental ichnology. In fact, Jorge has been fundamental in “injecting some fresh blood” into research on insect trace fossils, and in reminding us that these structures are close relatives to modern ones; not just ancient objects but they provide real and reliable testimony of the activities of animals. During the last two decades, Jorge and his group of students accomplished a huge and highly signifi cant task, i.e., providing ichnologists, paleobiologists, sedi- mentologists, and stratigraphers with a conceptual and taxonomic framework to understand and classify continental trace fossils. Please note that for a scientist, it is critical to fi rst improve the understanding (i.e., the careful examination of data, detailed analysis, and fi nal synthesis based on solid observations) and only then focus on the classifi cation that is essential to provide tools of comparison and com- munication among scientists. vii viii Foreword Jorge and his team have carefully crafted a patchwork of pieces of information that ranges from a description of individual elements of trace fossils themselves as well as the larger scale ichnofacies model. Before Jorge started his ichnological research, general knowledge of paleosol ichnology was rather patchy and poorly articulated. A fair number of ichnotaxa had been defi ned, but there was limited understanding of their paleobiologic and paleoethologic meaning. The ichnofacies model was also heavily biased towards interpreting marine environments. Twenty years later, the picture of the whole fi eld is radically different. It is rather commend- able that a single working group has accomplished so much and been at the fore- front and center of such an impressive transformation. This book is the result of Jorge’s many years of intense and fruitful work. It is a book with personality, and discusses ichnological concepts in detail without losing sight of the big picture. The reader will discover details about the micromorphology of nest walls as well as the broader applications of ichnology to understand the evo- lution of insect behavior. Only seldom does one have the opportunity of reading a book that opens a whole new fi eld. This is one of those rare cases because the book represents the foundation of a novel area of research—ichnoentomology—connecting with blood the living to the fossil. Initiating such a fi eld requires the toolbox of an entomologist and the vision of a paleobiologist. Jorge has successfully combined these two facets. Readers will not only discover Jorge’s rigorous research practices, but also his unique sense of humor. We invite the readers to pay special attention to the epigraphs of each chapter which are delightful to explore, and help us connect science to other fi elds of intellectual endeavors. Who knows? While trying to understand how to classify enigmatic structures found during the last fi eld season, the reader may just end up discovering Borges or Cortazar—it is not just about science. Luis A. Buatois M. Gabriela Mángano Pref ace In a preface, an author generally briefl y explains what inspired him to write a book. I cannot do this without providing a brief history of discoveries and ideas that have fuelled the fi re of the South American tradition of research on insect fossils, and how I came across these traditions and some of its pioneering representatives. Whether or not it has been recognized, there is a South American school on continental ichnology, that is responsible for the development of pioneer work on paleosols and their trace fossils. The origins of this school can be traced back to the nineteenth century. Contemporary representatives include Eduardo Bellosi, Luis Buatois, Gabriela Mángano, Ricardo Melchor, Renata Netto, Mariano Verde, and myself among others, who organized the First International Congress on Ichnology (Ichnia 2004) in Trelew, Argentina. Surely, this book and my embracing of insect trace fossils research, either consciously or unconsciously, has something to do with that tradition. It is a tradition that in the past lacked any direct connection between masters and disciples. This fi eld has developed under a “pick up the gauntlet” style. We are not sure if the Uruguayan Lucas Roselli had read Serafi n Rivas’s fi rst men- tion of insect fossil nests in 1884 when he wrote his fi rst paper on insect paleoich- nology in 1939. Serafín Rivas (1838–1913) was a Spanish physician who lived in Uruguay and mentioned for the fi rst time (to my knowledge) insect (hymenopteran) nests, from paleosols worldwide. They were from the red sandstones of the Asencio Formation of Uruguay. His work had been signed on February 1881, but it was actu- ally published by 1884. It seems like a very simple discovery or interpretation today, but in the nineteenth century to even think that insect nests could be fossilized and found preserved in rocks was an impressive intellectual advance. Even when Asencio’s nests look very much as extant ones just transformed in rock, their com- plexity leaves few doubts on their origin. It is also unclear whether the Italian- Argentinian geologist and paleontologist Joaquin Frenguelli (1883–1958) knew of Rivas’s note when he described fossil bee cells from the limestone formations of Uruguay for the fi rst time in 1930 (Chap. 10 ). Frenguelli went on to publish pioneer works on insect fossil nests from hymenopterans, coleopterans, rhizoliths, and paleosols from Patagonia and other localities of Argentina (Chap. 20 ). While these works might seem simple, they were groundbreaking and inspirational achievements ix x Preface of their time. The phrases nidos de véspidos solitarios meaning solitary wasps nests, and nidos de escarabeidos meaning scarab nests or dung beetle nests have been used in the South American geological literature until now. We do know, however, that Frenguelli was aware of Roselli’s work because of an article published in 1946, in which the former argued against the use of naming trace fossils as Roselli did, and also criticized his interpretations of some insect nests. Francisco Lucas Roselli (1902–1987), a self-taught Uruguayan paleontologist, naturalist, blacksmith, and professor of natural sciences in Nueva Palmira fi rst described and named what is still the largest number of insect trace fossils from paleosols. In 1939, Roselli named four ichnogenera and fi ve ichnospecies of insect nests and pupation chambers from the Asencio Formation of Uruguay and almost half a century later described 13 ichnogenera and 15 ichnospecies of trace fossils attributed to bees, dung beetles, cicadas, and chafers right before he passed away.

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