INSECT FOSSILS IN MIDDLE EOCENE DEPOSITS FROM BRITISH-COLUMBIA AND WASHINGTON-STATE - FAUNAL DIVERSITY AND GEOLOGICAL RANGE EXTENSIONS

Fossil insects in the orders Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Diptera, and Lep idoptera were examined from nine middle Eocene localities in British C olumbia, Canada, and Washington State, U.S.A. Twenty-five taxa are des cribed, with the majority classified into families. Specimens belongin g to Bibionidae and Ichneumonidae were the most common. Almost half of the coleopteran specimens were isolated elytra and identification was not possible. Three of the insect families (Cantharidae, Arctiidae, N octuidae) represent the earliest known occurrence of the taxa in the w orld geological record and seven families (Lucanidae, Cantharidae, Sco liidae, Pompilidae, Rhagionidae, Arctiidae, Noctuidae) are the earlies t records in North America. Eleven of the families identified are new records for the middle Eocene of British Columbia - Washington State, bringing the diversity of fossil insects in the region to 28 families. Significant for the study of anthecology are new records for lepidopt erans.