Skip to main content

Henrik Madsen's earwig (Apachyus madseni), 55 million year old fossil from Ypresian Fur Formation in Denmark

Dlium Henrik Madsen's earwig (Apachyus madseni), 55 million year old fossil from Ypresian Fur Formation in Denmark

NEWS - Henrik Madsen's earwig (Apachyus madseni Simonsen & Rasmussen sp. nov.) is reported based on a nearly complete 55 million year old fossil from the Ypresian Fur Formation in northwestern Denmark. The new fossil is not only a new addition to the mo-clay fauna, but also an extension of its historical biogeographic range.

The last few decades have seen an increasing focus on the richness of the insect fossil record found in the Ypresian Fur Formation in northwestern Denmark. One insect order that has to some extent been spared from this surge in taxonomic knowledge from the site is the Dermaptera commonly known as earwigs.

Now, Thomas Simonsen from the Natural History Museum Aarhus and Jan Rasmussen from the Mors Museum and colleagues report a new species of Dermaptera in Apachyus Serville as the first fossil record in the Apachyidae which currently consists of two species-poor genera and is distributed across the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Australia and Central Africa.

A. madseni has a total length (excluding cerci): 18.8 mm. Head subtriangular, prognathous with clearly preserved mandibles; antennae not preserved; eyes discernible; anterior cervical sclerite well preserved and small; posterior cervical sclerite poorly preserved but appearing larger than the anterior cervical sclerite. Pronotum well preserved, sub-circular with longitudinal groove, femur and tibia of foreleg poorly preserved.

Mesothorax preserved with femur and tibia of both midlegs poorly preserved, tegmen poorly preserved but discernible, subrectangular. Metathorax with femur of right hindleg poorly preserved. Hind wings preserved with squama clearly visible.

Abdomen well preserved with most segments discernible; segment 10 well preserved and broad, with broad, subrectangular and smooth terminal squamopygidium obscuring the pygidium; cerci well preserved, simple, arcuate/broad sickle-shaped, widely separated at base, strongly curved around the tip of the abdomen.

The eponymous name honors Henrik Madsen who has been collecting fossils in the Fur Formation of Denmark for more than three decades. A. madseni can be distinguished from all other Apachyus by its broad and short squamopygidium with a smooth and slightly convex distal margin.

A. madseni is the second species of Dermaptera described from the Fur Formation and the first fossil representative of Apachyidae to be described globally. The family currently consists of 15 current species in two genera (13 in Apachyus and 2 in Dendroiketes) and A. madseni.

The current species are distributed in Central Africa (3 species) and the remainder from India to the Philippines and Australia. The discovery of A. madseni represents an expansion of the range of Apachyidae, indicating that the distribution of a family does not necessarily reflect its past distribution or biogeographic origin.

Original research

Thomas J. Simonsen, René L. Sylvestersen, Kent Olsen & Jan A. Rasmussen (2024). Apachyus madseni (Dermaptera: Apachyidae) sp. nov. from the Ypresian Fur Formation of Denmark: the first fossil record of the enigmatic earwig family Apachyidae. Palaeoentomology 007 (5): 638–644, DOI:10.11646/palaeoentomology.7.5.7

Dlium theDlium
Labels:

Popular Posts

Purwaceng (Pimpinella pruatjan)

Purwaceng or purwoceng or antanan gunung or Viagra of Java ( Pimpinella pruatjan or Pimpinella priatjan ) are small termas growing horizontally in Apiaceae, growing in villages on Dieng Plateau, Central Java Province, Indonesia, at 1,500 to 2,000 meters above sea level, the roots have medicinal properties for aphrodisiacs and are usually processed in powder form for a mixture of coffee or milk. P. pruatjan grows flat on the ground but does not propagate, small leaves are reddish green for 1-3 cm in diameter. This plant is only found in Java and grows in high mountain areas. A low population where industrial demand is very high results in increasingly scarce. Another place that is likely to become a purwaceng habitat is the Iyang Mountains and the Tengger Mountains in East Java Province. Efforts to multiply and cultivate have a big problem where these plants have difficulty producing seeds. In vitro propagation research through tissue cultivation has been carried out to overcome ...
Read more

Six new species forming the Sumbana species group in genus Nemophora Hoffmannsegg 1798 from Indonesia

NEWS - Sumbawa longhorn ( Nemophora sumbana Kozlov, sp. nov.), Timor longhorn ( Nemophora timorella Kozlov, sp. nov.), shining shade longhorn ( Nemophora umbronitidella Kozlov, sp. nov.), Wegner longhorn ( Nemophora wegneri Kozlov, sp. nov.), long brush longhorn ( Nemophora longipeniculella Kozlov, sp. nov.), and short brush longhorn ( Nemophora brevipeniculella Kozlov, sp. nov.) from the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia. The Lesser Sunda Islands consist of two parallel, linear oceanic island chains, including Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba, Sawu, Timor, Alor, and Tanimbar. The oldest of these islands have been continuously occurring for 10–12 million years. This long period of isolation has allowed significant in situ diversification, making the Lesser Sundas home to many endemic species. This island chain may act as a two-way filter for organisms migrating between the world's two great biogeographic regions, Asia and Australia-Papua. The recognition of a striking cli...
Read more

New living fossil, Amethyst worm lizard (Amphisbaena amethysta), from Espinhaço Mountain Range, Brazil

NEWS - New species from the northern Espinhaço Mountains, Caetité municipality, Bahia state, Brazil. Amethyst worm lizard ( Amphisbaena amethysta ) is the 71st species of the genus with 4 precloacal pores and the 22nd species of Caatinga morphoclimatic domain. Identification of the new species shows the reptiles of the Mountains are far from complete and may contain greater diversity of endemic taxa. A. amethysta can be distinguished by its anteriorly convex snout, slightly compressed and unkeeled, pectoral scales arranged in regular annuli, four precloacal pores, distinct head shield, 185-199 dorsal and half annuli, 13-16 caudal annuli, a conspicuous autotomy spot between the 4th-6th caudal annuli, 16-21 dorsal and ventral segments in the middle of the body, 3/3 supralabials, 3/3 infralabials and a smooth and rounded tail tip. A. amethysta occurs in areas with an average elevation of 1000 meters in patches of deciduous and semi-deciduous forests associated with valleys, slopes, fore...
Read more