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Journal article
The organics revolution: new narratives and how we can achieve them
Organic remains from excavated sites include a wide range of materials, from distinct organisms (‘ecofacts’) to biomolecules. Biomolecules provide a variety of new research avenues, while ecofacts with longer histories of study are now being re-harnessed in unexpected ways. These resources are unlocking research potential, transcending what was previously imagined...Johnston, P ; Booth, T ; Carlin, N ; Cramp, L ; Edwards, B …
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Presentation
People and Plants: an introduction
This workshop will be run in partnership with the Department of Cultures and Languages, Birkbeck, University of London and Museu Goeldi, Brazil. Discussions will be centred around the ecological value of ethnobotanical collections, including a focus on the interaction of western botanical nomenclature and traditional knowledge which forms the basis...Clark, Alison
research network, ethnographic artefacts, display, museum collections, ethnobotany, people and plants, and decolonization
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Journal article
The aspen hoverfly Hammerschmidtia ferruginea (Fallén)(Diptera, Syrphidae) in Deeside
After a gap of some 30 years the presence of the aspen hoverfly Hammerschmidtia ferruginea (Fallén, 1817), is confirmed in Deeside, Aberdeenshire. The methods used to re-establish the population are discussed.MacGowan, Iain
Hammerschmidtia ferruginea , population, aspen hoverfly , Diptera, cambium, and Syrphidae
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Journal article
Molecular fingerprints resolve affinities of Rhynie chert organic fossils
The affinities of extinct organisms are often difficult to resolve using morphological data alone. Chemical analysis of carbonaceous specimens can complement traditional approaches, but the search for taxon-specific signals in ancient, thermally altered organic matter is challenging and controversial, partly because suitable positive controls are lacking. Here, we show that...Loron , C C ; Rodriguez Dzul, E ; Orr, P J ; Gromov, A V ; Fraser, Nicholas C …
Eukaryote , Biogeochemistry, Palaeontology , and Prokaryote
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Book
The earth: a biography of life: the story of life on our planet through 47 incredible organisms
It is difficult to conceive of the vast scale of the history of life on Earth, from the very first living organisms sparking into life in hydrothermal deep-sea vents to the dizzying diversity of life today. The evolution of life is a sweeping epic of a tale, with twists and...Pancorili, Elsa
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Journal article
A new genus and species of gall midges the tribe Winnertziini (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae, Porricondylinae) from lower Eocene Fushun amber from China
The new taxon, Fushuniola mai Fedotova & Perkovsky, gen. et sp. nov., is described from a single female from the lower Eocene (Ypresian) Fushun amber from China. This is the second record of Cecidomyiidae known from Fushun amber. The first record is Cecidomyia bujunensis Naora. The new species is characterized... -
Journal article
Noninvasive characterization and quantification of anthraquinones in dyed woolen threads by visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy
The anthraquinone components of the roots of various species of madder (like Rubia tinctorum L. and Rubia peregrina L.) have been used for millennia as red colorants in textiles, carpets, tapestries, and other objects. To understand the selection and preparation of dyestuffs in various cultures and historical periods, these dyes...Chavanne, Clarisse ; Troalen, Lore G ; Fronty, Isabelle Bardies ; Buléon, Pascal ; Walter, Philippe
Dyes and pigments, Optical properties, Extraction, Color, and Liquid chromatography
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Blog post
GeoCASe 2.0 and the evolution of data from physical specimen to the digital
As Principal Curator of the National Museums Scotland’s (NMS) 200 year old ‘Earth System collection, a collection of 70000 minerals, rocks and meteorites, one of my responsibilities is to ensure the collection puts its best foot forward into the Digital Era. So for the past few years, I have lead...Walcott, Rachel
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Book
Hugh Miller: stonemason, geologist, writer
Hugh Miller was born in 1802 in Cromarty, Ross-shire. He started his working life as a stonemason’s apprentice; he later became a social commentator and crusader. He also inspired in others an interest in fossils. His was a household name in his lifetime, not only in Scotland but across the...Taylor, Michael A
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Book chapter
Harnessing the power of natural science collections: a blueprint for the UK
Between September 2021 and March 2022, a consortium across the twelve major regions of the UK, led by the Natural History Museum, London (NHM), participated in a study to develop the business case and plan to support a national programme of natural science collections digitisation. This work, funded by the... -
Journal article
A new species of Earomyia Zetterstedt, 1842 (Diptera; Lonchaeidae) from Montana, U.S.A., associated with the toxic plant Toxicoscordion venenosum (S. Watson) Rydb. (Melanthiaceae)
A new species of Earomyia Zetterstedt, 1842, namely E. melnickae sp. nov., is described from Montana, U.S.A. The new species is compared with other Nearctic Earomyia species, and its association with a highly toxic plant Toxicoscordion venenosum (S. Watson) Rydb. (Melanthiaceae) is discussed.MacGowan, Iain ; Astle, Tom
pollinator, Nearctic region , and lance-flies
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Journal article
Silba septuosa Mcalpine, 1964 (Diptera: Lonchaeidae) Breeding in papaya fruit in Eastern Australia, with a Revised checklist of the Australian Silba species
A total of 222 lonchaeid flies were reared from four samples of ripe papaya collected at Yamba (-29.442° 153.364°) in eastern Australia during October and November 2021, during work on a tephritid fruit fly. The lonchaeids were identified as Silba septuosa McAlpine, a little-known species represented by just a few...Fay, H A C ; MacGowan, Iain
ecology and distribution of Lonchaeidae world-wide and Taxonomy
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Journal article
A curated DNA barcode reference library for parasitoids of northern European cyclically outbreaking geometrid moths
Large areas of forests are annually damaged or destroyed by outbreaking insect pests. Understanding the factors that trigger and terminate such population eruptions has become crucially important, as plants, plant-feeding insects, and their natural enemies may respond differentially to the ongoing changes in the global climate. In northernmost Europe, climate-driven...Nyman, Tommi ; Wutke, Saskia ; Koivisto, Elina ; Klemola, Tero ; Shaw, Mark R …
population regulation, parasitoid , molecular identification, barcoding , insect outbreaks, and metabarcoding
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Journal article
Improved blattoid insect and conchostracan zonation for the Late Carboniferous, Pennsylvanian, of Euramerica
For the biostratigraphy of mixed continental-marine and purely continental sections in the palaeotropical belt of Euramerica, 9 insect and 8 conchostracan zones are newly defined or improved. These zones encompass the time interval from the Early Pennsylvanian (middle Bashkirian) up into the early Permian (early Asselian) of the Euramercian biotic...Schneider, Joerg W ; Scholze, Frank ; Ross, Andrew J ; Blake, Bascombe M ; Lucas, Spencer G
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Journal article
Please let’s use the term host repertoire in place of host range for parasitoids
In the context of reviewing possible effects of environmental change on insect–plant interactions, Braga and Janz (2021) suggested the use of “host repertoire” in place of “host range”. This resonated so strongly with me for host–parasitoid interactions that I am quite annoyed that I hadn’t proposed it in any of...Shaw, Mark R
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Journal article
The Ordovician diversification of sea urchins: systematics of the Bothriocidaroida (Echinodermata: Echinoidea)
The echinoids of the order Bothriocidaroida represent the initial burst of sea urchin diversification. They were the first echinoids to achieve widespread biogeographical dispersal and achieved high levels of species richness compared to other clades of stem group echinoids. Following long-standing controversy regarding their phylogenetic affinities within the phylum Echinodermata,...Thompson, Jeffrey R ; Cotton, Laura J ; Candela, Yves ; Kutscher, Manfred ; Reich, Mike …
extinction, phylogeny, Bothriocidaris, sea urchin, Bayesian, and Neobothriocidaris
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Journal article
Identification of the Afrotropical lance fly Silba laevis (Bezzi, 1920) (Diptera: Lonchaeidae) imported into the United Kingdom
The lonchaeid or lance fly Silba laevis (Bezzi, 1920) is recorded for the first time on aubergine (Solanum melongena L.) having been successfully reared from aubergines imported into the United Kingdom (U.K.). The following manuscript provides detailed photographs and drawings of S. laevis, reviews recent interception data and briefly comments...Solanum, Lonchaeidae, aubergine, plant-health, Silba, and Kenya
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Journal article
Fossil Insects, Arthropods and Amber: Preface
This volume comprises 28 papers resulting from the 7th International Conference on Fossil Insects, Anthropods and Amber which took place at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, from 26 April to 1 May 2016.Ross, Andrew
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Journal article
Histopathology of Dryas octopetala leaves co-infected by Subanguina radicicola and Aphelenchoides sp. and molecular caracterization of the nematodes
During a survey, in the Perthshire hills, Scotland, altitude 800–900 m a.s.l., samples of Dryas octopetala leaves showing concomitantly symptoms of galls and discolored spots, were collected. Several nematodes, juveniles and adults, were isolated by dissecting foliar tissues. Two species of nematodes, recovered and identified at morphological and molecular level...Bland, K P ; Fanelli, Elena ; Troccoli, Alberto ; Vovlas, Nicola
D2-D3, New host, Its, Leaf galls, Mountain avens, Histopathology, Concomitant infection, and Phylogeny
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Journal article
Country Reports. United Kingdom. INHIGEO.
Taylor, Michael A
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Journal article
The Janitor and his museum: John Wilson (1775–1832) and the teaching of ‘practical zoology’ in early nineteenth-century Edinburgh
A description by William Jardine of Applegirth of the state of taxidermy in early nineteenth-century Edinburgh draws attention to the agency of the University of Edinburgh’s Janitor, John Wilson, in contributing to the University’s Natural History Museum, in the building of his own private museum collection, and in the teaching...Swinney, Geoffrey N ; McGowan, R Y
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Journal article
Molecular confirmation of Hymenolepis hibernia in field mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) from St Kilda has potential to resolve a host-parasite relationship
Insular wildlife populations provide opportunities to examine biological questions in systems that are relatively closed and potentially tractable, striking examples being the long-term studies of ecology and evolution in the red deer and feral sheep populations on the Hebridean islands of Rum and St Kilda. In the case of parasitology,... -
Journal article
Checklist of British and Irish Hymenoptera - Braconidae
The checklist of British and Irish Braconidae is revised, based in large part on the collections of the National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh, and the Natural History Museum, London. Distribution records are provided at the country level together with extensive synonymy and bibliography.Broad, Gavin R ; Shaw, Mark R ; Godfray, H C
Ichneumonoidea, Britain, fauna, and Ireland
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Journal article
Evolution of Laurentian brachiopod faunas during the Ordovician Phanerozoic sea level maximum
The distribution of brachiopod faunas around Laurentia during the Ordovician period was influenced by the dynamicity of the surrounding palaeo-continents. Laurentia seemed to have been somewhat static, straddling the palaeo-equator, whereas the late Ordovician was characterised by the later stages of the closure of the Iapetus Ocean, with Baltica, eastern...Candela, Yves
Laurentia, Brachiopoda, Biodiversification, Ordovician, Distribution, and Palaeobiogeography
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Journal article
Country Reports. United Kingdom. INHIGEO.
Taylor, Michael A
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Journal article
Country Reports. United Kingdom. INHIGEO.
Taylor, Michael A
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Journal article
The fauna and flora of the Insect Limestone (late Eocene), Isle of Wight, UK Volume I: introduction, history and geology
The Insect Limestone has long been known as a source of exquisitely preserved insects and other arthropods. It occurs on the north side of the Isle of Wight and is latest Eocene in age. A summary of the history of the study of the Insect Limestone is given, along with...Ross, Andrew ; Self, Anglea
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Journal article
Historical textile dyeing with Genista tinctoria L.: a comprehensive study by UPLC-MS/MS analysis
Polyphenolic components from Genista species have been well characterised because of their potential as antioxidants and as therapeutic leads; however, the identification of dyer's greenweed (Genista tinctoria L.) in historical textiles has been the subject of only limited studies. This paper presents a comprehensive UPLC-PDA MS/MS study of reference and...Troalen, Lore ; Phillips, Ashely S ; Peggie, David A ; Barran, Perdita E ; Hulme, Alison N
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Journal article
Drilling half a kilometre through Romer's gap
The TW:eed project borehole near Berwick-upon-Tweed is exploring the flora and fauna of the distant past, explain Dave Millward and Nick Fraser, British Geological Survey and National Museums Scotland.Millward, Dave ; Fraser, Nicholas C
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Book chapter
Collecting nature within nature – animal inclusings in Amber in Early Modern Collections, or “Miniture marvels of nature”
When the French diplomat Charles Ogier saw frogs and lizards embedded in amber for sale during his visit to Danzig in November 1635 he called them “miniature miracles of nature.” With rare exceptions, few of these objects—copiously documented in inventories of the time—have actually survived. Instead, we must depend on...King, Rachel
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Book
Amazing amber
Used for centuries as a decorative artefact, amber was treasured, too, for its perceived magical powers, crafted into charms and amulets to heal and ward off evil spirits. Amber also has the unique capacity to preserve fragile life that is millions of years old, opening a special window into the...Ross, Andrew ; Sheridan, J A
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Journal article
Climate and refugial origin influence the mitochondrial lineage distribution of weasels (Mustela nivalis) in a phylogeographic suture zone
Overarching trends can be seen in European mammalian phylogeography, yet it is clear that species responded differently depending on adaptations to past environments. We built upon previous work on the phylogeography of weasels (Mustela nivalis) in Europe by using well-preserved museum specimens from a proposed phylogeographic suture zone. The complete...McDevitt, A D ; Zub, K ; Kawalko, Agato ; Oliver, M K ; Herman, Jeremy S …
adaptation, phylogeography, cytochrome b, museum specimens, and Carpathian refugium
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Journal article
Pleistocene forest on Tenerife's southern coast, a case study of Montaña Negra
Montaña Negra is a 121 m cinder cone in the Bandas del Sur region of southern Tenerife. Formed in the Middle Pleistocene, it comprises alternating phonolitic pumice deposits and scoria layers; the latter are extremely fossiliferous with good taphonomical fidelity. 40Ar/39Ar age determination provides new dates of 302 ± 7.6 ka and 299.9 ± 11.4...Pannell, Claire L ; Gray, A ; Zalasiewicz, J A ; Branney, M J ; Curry, J B
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Journal article
The beginning of the 'Age of Dinosaurs': a brief overview of terrestrial biotic changes during the Triassic
The first appearance of dinosaurs during the early Late Triassic coincided with marked faunal changes in terrestrial ecosystems. Most of the major groups of extant tetrapods (or their proximate sister-taxa), including mammaliaforms, crocodyliform archosaurs, lepidosaurs and turtles, also first appeared in the fossil record during the Late Triassic. On the...Fraser, Nicholas C ; Sues, H D
plants, tetrapods, extinctions, insects, and Pangaea
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Journal article
First non-calcified dasycladalean alga from the Carboniferous.
A non-calcified dasycladalean alga is described from the Mississippian of Scotland. This occurrence constitutes the first Carboniferous record of non-calcified dasyclads. The fossils are preserved as carbonaceous remains within siderite nodules. Preservation of their delicate structure suggests that the algae were preserved in situ or experienced minimal transport from life...Anderson, Lyall I
Alga , Mississippian, Kingsbarns , Scotland, Uncatoella, Ageleodus, and Dasycladales
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Journal article
Hymenoptera and Diptera as natural enemies of British spiders
Pointers are given to the biological information available for the various groups of predators and parasitoids. There is a sumrnary of more recent sources through which earlier literature can be traced.Shaw, Mark R
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Journal article
Polygonia egea (Cramer) (Lep.:Nymphalidae) in Corsica
Shaw, Mark R
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Journal article
The biology and early stages of Acampsis alternipes (Nees), with comments on the relationships of the Sigalphinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)
Details of the biology of the braconid subfamily Sigalphinae, based on rearings of Acampsis alternipes (Nees), are provided for the first time. A. alternipes is a solitary, koinobiont larval endoparasitoid of the geometrid moth Alsophila Hübner, though there is an external feeding phase prior to spinning a cocoon and pupation....Shaw, Mark R ; Quicke, D L J
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Journal article
The Blattodea (cockroaches), Mantodea (praying mantises) and Dermaptera (earwigs) of the Insect Limestone (late Eocene), Isle of Wight, including the first record of Mantodea from the UK
The fossil cockroaches (Blattodea), praying mantises (Mantodea) and earwigs (Demaptera) are described from the Insect Limestone (Priabonian) of the Isle of Wight, southern England. Three new species of cockroach are described in the family Ectobiidae – Phyllodromica protosardea sp. nov., Balta protosimilis sp. nov. and Malaccina? wightensis sp. nov. –...Ross, Andrew
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Journal article
Characterisation of ‘bog butter’ using a combination of molecular and isotopic techniques
The chemical analyses of ‘bog butters’ recovered from peat bogs of Scotland were performed with the aim of determining their origins. Detailed compositional information was obtained from ‘bog butter’ lipids using high temperature gas chromatography (HTGC) and GC-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results indicate the degree to which ‘bog butters’ have...Berstan, Robert ; Dudd, Stephanie N ; Copley, Mark S ; Morgan, E David ; Quye, Anita …
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Journal article
Burmese (Myanmar) amber checklist and bibliography 2018
A list of all known taxa described or recorded from Burmese amber from the published literature up to the end of 2018 is given, along with a comprehensive bibliography. The history of the study of inclusions is summarised, and demonstrates that the number of species has risen exponentially over the...Ross, Andrew
invertebrates, fungi, plants, Myanmar, Cretaceous, vertebrates, protists, arachnids, Arthropoda, insects, and Burmese amber
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Journal article
A new hexactinellid sponge from the Silurian of the Pentland Hills (Scotland) with similarities to extant rossellids
The Pentland Hills sponge fauna (Llandovery, Telychian) consists of an unusual, aberrant assemblage, but of low diversity. A new specimen of a unique sponge, Eoghanospongia carlinslowpensis gen. et sp. nov., is described from the classic locality of R82. The mushroom-shaped, probably stalked body (peduncle attachment to body not exposed) resembles...Botting, Joseph P ; Candela, Yves ; Carrió, Vicen ; Crighton, William R B
Rossellidae, fossil, prostalia, Porifera, and North Esk Inlier
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Journal article
Synoptic revision of the Silurian fauna from the Pentland Hills, Scotland described by Lamont (1978)
Archibald Lamont (1907-1985) sampled the North Esk Inlier Silurian fauna for almost 30 years. He had amassed a substantial fauna that has been, in part, bequeathed to the National Museums Scotland after his death. Unfortunately, the descriptions of the faunas in his last opus were careless and the illustrations were...Candela, Yves ; Crighton, William R B
systematics, Scotland, museum collections, North Esk Inlier, and palaeontology
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Journal article
True flies (Insecta: Diptera) from the late Eocene insect limestone (Bembridge Marls) of the Isle of Wight, England, UK
The Diptera fauna from the late Eocene of the Isle of Wight (Bembridge Marls) is studied including redescriptions of formerly described material. The fauna includes the following taxa: Anisopodidae – one species; Bibionidae – 11 species; Ceratopogonidae – one described and two unidentified species; Chironomidae – undetermined species of three...Krzeminski, Wieslaw ; Blagoderov, Vladimir ; Azar, Dany ; Lukashevich, Elena ; Szadziewski, Ryszard …
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Journal article
Preserved collagen reveals species identity in archaeological marine turtle bones from Caribbean and Florida sites
Advancements in molecular science are continually improving our knowledge of marine turtle biology and evolution. However, there are still considerable gaps in our understanding, such as past marine turtle distributions, which can benefit from advanced zooarchaeological analyses. Here, we apply collagen fingerprinting to 130 archaeological marine turtle bone samples up... -
Journal article
The Eocene Protohierodula crabbi Ross, 2019 cannot be reliably assigned to Manteidae (Insecta: Mantodea): A reply
I accept Schubnel & Nel's (2019) opinion that Protohierodula belongs to the clade Artimantodea, that it cannot be reliably assigned to the family Manteidae and should be regarded as family incertae sedis.Ross, Andrew
Mantoidea, Isle of Wight, Artimantodea, praying mantis Priabonian, and Insect Limestone
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Journal article
A new species of Micrepimera Matile (Diptera: Keroplatidae) from Baltic Amber
A new species of Micrepimera Matile, 1990 (Diptera: Keroplatidae) from Baltic amber is described. Known species of Macrocera from Baltic amber are reviewed. Macrocera elegantissima Meunier, 1904 is transferred to Micrepimera; a lectotype is designated for this species.Blagoderov, Vladimir ; Krzeminski, Wieslaw ; Skibińska, Kornelia
new taxon, fossil insects, Diptera, new combination, and Keroplatidae
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Journal article
Review of Mesozoic Perissommatidae (Insecta: Diptera)
Perissommatidae is a peculiar relict nematoceran family with one extant genus inhabiting Australia and South America. The family is known since the Middle Jurassic, but the fossil record is very poor and is restricted to Asia. The description of three species of Collessomma gen. nov. from Lower Cretaceous of Transbaikalia...Lukashevich, Elena ; Blagoderov, Vladimir
new taxa, fossil insects, Jurassic, Diptera, and Cretaceous
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Journal article
Supplement to the Burmese (Myanmar) amber checklist and bibliography, 2019
This is a supplement to Ross (2019) covering all taxa described or recorded in Burmese amber during 2019, plus a few earlier records that were missed previously. Up to the end of 2019, 1,478 species were recorded from Burmese (Kachin) amber of which 276 were named or recorded in 2019.Ross, Andrew J
invertebrates, Burmese amber, Myanmar , plants, insects , Cretaceous , vertebrates, protists, arachnids, General, and fungi
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Lecture
The Fossil Insects of Scotland
Fossil insects are rare in Scotland, though those that are found are significant and are from four periods: Specimens from the Lower Devonian Rhynie Chert of Aberdeenshire are the oldest in the world; a few species are known from the Upper Carboniferous Coal Measures of Ayrshire and Fife; as yet...Ross, Andrew J
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Lecture
Co-evolution of geological and biology from a mineralogical perspective
• Earth's surface harbours at least 5809 known minerals, but when Earth first formed 4.65 billion years ago, it had about 420. Moreover, what is common on the surface today was uncommon then. Many rocks and minerals have come into being while others have become extinct. • The overall increase...Walcott, Rachel