Sb. Archibald et Rw. Mathewes, Early eocene insects from Quilchena, British Columbia, and their paleoclimatic implications, CAN J ZOOL, 78(8), 2000, pp. 1441-1462
Citations number
92
Categorie Soggetti
Animal Sciences
Journal title
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY-REVUE CANADIENNE DE ZOOLOGIE
Fossil insects were examined from the Early Eocene lacustrine shale at Quil
chena, British Columbia. Insects of 10 orders (Blattodea, Dermaptera, Ortho
ptera, Hemiptera, Neuroptera, Coleoptera, Mecoptera, Diptera, Trichoptera,
Hymenoptera) were identified, bringing the known number at this site to 11.
These were placed in 26 families, 22 of which are new occurrences for this
locality. Specimens include early occurrences of bees and ants. Three foss
ils of leaves with galls were examined. Thirteen of the families are new to
British Columbia, and 9 of these (Blaberidae, Haglidae, Cixiidae, Dinidori
dae, Cydnidae, Staphylinidae, Panorpidae, Pipunculidae, Halictidae) are new
to the region of the Okanagan Highlands. A number of taxa are earliest kno
wn occurrences. Several insects in this fauna are larger than their modern
relatives and some are larger than their relatives from other Eocene locale
s. The presence of insects including March flies, diplopterine cockroaches,
dinidorid bugs, and seed weevils confirm and perhaps exceed paleobotanical
indications that in the Eocene, British Columbia was much warmer than it i
s today.