A TRIASSIC LAGERSTATTE FROM EASTERN NORTH-AMERICA

The end of the Triassic period is pivotal in the evolution of modern e cosystems'. Despite this, the Triassic remains one of the poorest know n periods in the evolutionary history of the terrestrial arthropods. H ere we report on fossiliferous shales preserving a nearly complete mar ginal lacustrine community from the Virginia-North Carolina border tha t sheds considerable light on this critical interval. Three species of insect were previously described from this locality, but the full ext ent and significance of its diversity have only now been discovered: w e report here the oldest definitive records for three orders of insect and numerous families and superfamilies. Furthermore, in addition to new taxa, the flora is shown to contain an unusual diversity of forms, some of which have only been previously reported either from Europe o r the Southern Hemisphere. The abundance of complete insects and the p reservation of soft-part anatomy on some of the vertebrates elevates t he site to one of the most significant Lagerstatte in the world.