Original paper
New fossil harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones) in the Hoffeins amber collection
Elsaka, Mohamed; Mitov, Plamen G.; Dunlop, Jason A.
Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen Band 292 Heft 2 (2019), p. 155 - 169
56 references
published: May 24, 2019
manuscript accepted: Jan 22, 2019
manuscript received: Dec 14, 2018
ArtNo. ESP155029202002, Price: 29.00 €
Abstract
Three new species of fossil harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones) from Eocene (ca. 44–49 Ma) Baltic amber are described from the Hoffeins collection. From the suborder Dyspnoi Paragilarovia hochae gen. et sp. nov. (Nemastomatidae) shares characters with several extant nemastomatid genera, but preserves a unique pattern of dorsal ornamentation. From the suborder Eupnoi Protolophus hoffeinsi sp. nov. (Protolophidae) and Eumesosoma abdelmawlai sp. nov. are of particular interest as genera from the Eocene of North-Central Europe which are restricted today to North America. P. hoffeinsi is also the first fossil record of the family Protolophidae. The Hoffeins collection also includes several taxa previously recorded from both Baltic and Bitterfeld amber. One example of Caddo dentipalpus ( Koch & Berendt, 1854) (Eupnoi: Caddidae) uniquely preserves an extruded ovipositor similar to that of living species in this genus. Also present in the Hoffeins material are the dyspnoids ?Histricostoma tuberculatum ( Koch & Berendt, 1854), Mitostoma gruberi Dunlop & Mitov, 2009 and Sabacon sp., and the eupnoids Amilenus deltshevi Dunlop & Mitov, 2009, Dicranopalpus ramiger ( Koch & Berendt, 1854), Stephanobunus mitovi Dunlop & Mammitzsch, 2010 and ?Leiobunum sp. These represent the first Baltic records of A. deltshevi and M. gruberi; both previously restricted to Bitterfeld amber.
Keywords
Harvestman • Opiliones • Eocene • Baltic Amber • biogeography • ovipositor