Amber offers a global, high-resolution record of dinosaur-era ecosystems, as shown here. We present the first global amber classification based on infrared profiles, spanning 139 deposits from 18 countries among 187 known. Slovacit, a newly discovered rare Lower Cretaceous Slovakia amber found in siliciclastic limestone (Horn & eacute; Srnie, Slovakia, EU) and classified within this system, reveals new ecosystem insights. It entombs microorganisms, mollusc/helmint eggs, fungi, trichomes, Agathoxylon, pollen, insects, mouldpigs, mites and a new jumping litter bug, Libanohypselosoma slovacica sp. n. Charcoal inclusions document fires (similar to 1,100 degrees C) in resin-producing swamp forests, indicating ecosystem stress and triggering resin secretion Figures 5 and 7 are exchanged. The hosting Nimnica Formation (uppermost Aptian-lowermost Albian) includes marine fossils (calcareous nannoplankton, ammonites, foraminifers, trace fossils) and terrestrial plant materials (pieces of wood > 50 cm), indicating hyperpycnal flows transported land-derived material to the deep sea. Using a standard method, we demonstrate that diverse Triassic-Cretaceous (similar to 200 Ma) cheirolepidiacean forests extended from tropical Gondwana, "Myanmar", to insular subtropical Laurasian "EU" and temperate continental "Canada-Alaska" habitats. Extreme duration for vast pine, araucarian, cheirolepidiacean, sequoiacean (TJK) conifer forests reviewed here (other types known from sediments, pollen, coal, opal) provided a suitable habitat for amber formation. These habitats were displaced by modern gymnosperms and angiosperms coevolving with herbivores, Cenozoic mammals and eusocial insects.

Lake Baikal’s strictly seasonal, mostly frozen basin features prominently also in the social structures of Siberian indigenous communities, which consider it sacred. The lake’s complex occupation history, mainly from its western shore (Cis-Baikal), has been shaped by changing human-animal-environment interaction dynamics, including relationships with the world’s single exclusively freshwater pinniped species, Pusa sibirica Gmelin, 1788. However, the timing and nature of these processes elsewhere on the basin (Trans-Baikal) remain poorly understood. Taphonomic, palaeontological, zooarchaeological and archaeological (pottery, metal, conifer charcoals with identified burning temperatures) evidence from the Tonkij Ushkany (Dead-seal) island reveals the earliest known recurring close-range hunting of mature seals within haul-outs, with frequent pathologies, burning marks and cutmarks, even on the smallest bone elements, suggesting comprehensive morphological knowledge and carcass exploitation, dating back to approximately 5,100 years ago (radiometrically dated). Dentine annuli (isotopically analysed) and epiphyseal fusion suggest a winter and summer slaughter, in contrast to Cis-Baikal patterns. Additionally, our findings suggest the involvement of dogs in Neolithic hunting strategies, and document the sporadic exploitation of bear, deer, horse, duck and cattle in Iron Age and later periods. A deep understanding of animal ecology, culture, and spiritual connections have formed local ethnic-changing communities, seals, and Lake Baikal.

With roughly 500 collected specimens, Green River is the most important post-K/Pg world site for fossil cockroaches. Two previously unknown fossil individuals from Rio Blanco County, the cosmopolitan character of the Early Eocene cockroach biota. The genus Phoetalia St & aring;l, 1874 currently contains two extant species described originally from the Caribbean and the Canary Islands, occasionally occurring as domestic pests and also in bird nests. At least two specimens of the fossil species have damaged forewings. This type of damage is frequently observed in living individuals of the related genera Panesthia Serville, 1831, Salganea St & aring;l, 1877 and Ancaudellia Shaw, 1925. The fragile distal parts of the tegmina and wings may break off when rubbing against the wood of the galleries in which they live. Biting by other individuals has not been observed, but cannot be excluded, as well as predation. This would be the first time such behavior of beneficial biting by other organisms has been recorded in fossil specimens. The presence of this species in several slabs at the Yale Peabody Museum, together with its absence from other major Green River collections (e.g., those deposited in the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC), suggests that species distribution varied locally among Green River Formation localities, reflecting intraformational biogeographic variation within Eocene ecosystems.

In total, 97 species and over 4,000 specimens of cockroaches are known from the tropical Upper Cretaceous burmite. This paper describes a new North Myanmar amber cockroach belonging to the ecologically diverse Mesozoic family Liberiblattinidae Vršanský, 2002, along with a summarization of its palaeogeographic distributions over geologic time, cosmopolitan during Upper Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. Compostus supremus gen. et sp. n. resembles genera Stavba Vršanská et Vršanský in Vršanský et al. (2019) and Facioblatta Hinkelman, 2023, and autapomorphies (forewing membrane coloration, monstrous sponging palps, carved hind leg) justify unique feeding and/or reproductive behaviors. Besides asymmetries (foretarsi non-taphonomic L/R difference 171

With the exception of a fly and a mite from the Triassic of Italy, all Mesozoic amber arthropods are from the Cretaceous. Late Jurassic Lebanese amber from Aintourine revealed a completely preserved adult coccid male (wing length 0.8 mm), Jankotejacoccus libanogloria gen. et sp. n., the earliest record of a plant sucking scale insect. Associated plant material included the cheirolepidiaceans Protopodocarpoxylon, Brachyphyllum and Classostrobus, plus Classopolis pollen, suggesting a forested temporary swamp habitat with ferns, tree ferns, water ferns, tall araucarian and ginkgoacean trees and shrubs. (Sub)tropic lateritic soil with vegetation debris underwent incomplete microbial decomposition in an anoxic water environment of peat swamp development. Strata-associated marine organisms support the Kimmeridgian age revealed by zircons. The discovery opens a new field of research in Jurassic amber fossils.

Besides the Baltic amber (GCNRP2), Kachin amber (GCNRP8) flora and fauna represent a dinosaur-age assemblage of a natural ecosystem that can be directly compared with modern ecosystems as the only complex reference point. Research focus on this amber is necessary, due to extinction of the unique ancient conifer forests that produced it and its correlation to modern day effects that influence ongoing extinction of important and the only sustainable bioms - the forests. To exploit the potential of this site, we carefully examined well-preserved cockroach (Kedysi akokovek gen. et sp. n.; syninclusions are fuzzy plant seed fragment with minor roots, a chironomid male and possible cyxiid planthopper) of the now extinct family Mesoblattinidae - directly hit by the `degrees Big Green Revolution" associated with the switch to angiosperm bioms. Its small size (9.2 mm) confirms extremely small insects preserved within burmite (cockroaches just 7.0 mm in average) due to low viskosity of the amber. It apparently reveals number of characters present only in living genus Neoblattella SHELFoRD, 1911, which represents the extant family Ectobiidae s.l. This might indicate that the major cockroach family, housing also the common German cockroach, might have been polyphyletically derived from the Mesoblattinidae and that the splitting of this important family possibly has a taxonomical basis. The reasons for the turnover of the cockroach families were apparently beyond the change to-angiosperm ecosystems.

Living cockroach genera were tracked from Kimmeridgian and after K/Pg they vastly dominate. All Eocene genera Cariblattoides, , Allacta, , Blattella, , Ectobius and Diploptera (in Green River; observed also on Cenozoic Allacta, , Supella, , Neoblattella and Latiblattella) ) are advanced and homoplastically retained a single symplesiomorphy- a divided subgenital plate, which later reduced in multiple parallelisms of living ectobiids. Balta TEPPER, 1893; Blattella CAUDELL, 1903 sp. 1, Ectobius amberscapeus sp. n., and particularly brachypterous female of Temnopteryx electrokosmi sp. n. (Ectobiidae) from Kaliningrad amber evidences origin of the advanced Eurasian genera around PETM and also rarely insights into a brachypterous cohort absent in sedimentary record. It contrasts with the early-derived Miocene Supella, , Latiblattella, , Anaplecta and the only later derived Gutierrezina and Cariblatta in ambers of Americas (Chiapas and Dominica). Baltic Stegoblatta, , Euthyrrhapha, , Balta germari (SHELFORD, 1910) comb. n; ; Blatta, , Blattella, , Periplaneta, , Ischnoptera, , Ceratinoptera, , Phyllodromica, , (Pro)Holocompsa, , Homopteroidea, , Paraeuthyrrhapha and Namablatta additionally represent 29 species with diverse palaeogeography- and suggest subtropical (not temperate warm) climate. Numerous sibling species additionally validate sibling-species occurrence patterns observed in other ambers and sediments. Big size of Baltic (and Ukraine) cockroaches suggests high viscosity of the source resin.

The Cretaceous reveals a rich fossil record of insects throughout both hemispheres, and the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber contains the most diverse biota in this period and has a unique preservation state. We describe a new blattulid cockroach Vrtula exploratoremvalidator sp. n., which differs from other congeners in the dark colouration pattern on pronotum and smaller size. The species was apparently not extremely rare in and outside northern Myanmar amber as several unpublished specimens do exist. The dark forewing colouration might appear cryptic. Stratigraphically, the genus was restricted to the Barremian-Cenomanian and palaeogeographically it further emphasises taxonomical similarities of Burmite and Laurasia. Aside from Burmite, it was reported in sediments of Shin-Khuduk, Upper Wealden, Bon Tsagaan, Baissa, and possibly Montsec with V. tsaganica comb. n., V. sama VR & Scaron;ANSK & Yacute;, 2008 and several undescribed species. A list of cockroaches from burmite is provided.

Lebanon provide important link among different fossil containers, the amber and the sediments.Link to applied science have new taxa related to those occurring together with humans today.Pioneering work analysing infrared (IR) profiles of dozens of phylogenetically-identified cockroaches reveal virtual identity of the whole halve of all ambers collected at Hukawng meaning that the huge diversity and disparity of forms in North Myanmar amber must be divided only by two.

The earliest amber with numerous important paleobiological samples, and the only significant Lower Cretaceous one containing cockroaches, comes from the Lebanese regions Bouarij, Falougha, Hammana-Mdeirij, Jezzine, Mechmech, Qanat Bakish, Bqaatouta and Rihane (and 21 unstudied outcrops), and from Jordanian amber of Wadi Zerka and Syrian amber of Bloudane. Complex data (RTFI spectroscopy, palynology and entomofauna with diverse and abundant Nematocera) indicated that the amber originated in a subtropical, warm and humid gymnosperm-dominated forest in close proximity to the sea. 79 specimens of cockroaches s. s. (excluding Isoptera, Mantodea and possibly Chresmoda) were housed in 18 species (and three species incertae sedis), including Pravdupovediac neklam, P. maaloufi gen. et spp. n; Elisama globosa, Cratovitisma spinosa and Neoblattella nechapetomu spp. n. The former three belong to the dominant family Blattulidae Vishniakova, 1982 (n = 14), while Umenocoleidae Chen et Tan, 1973 were codominant (n = 10) in the present fossil record. Diversity and disparity of the preserved forms was moderately high and comparable to the Middle Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous sedimentary sites – i.e., higher than in Early Jurassic sites and lower than in Upper Jurassic Karabastau sedimentary rocks and Late Cretaceous North Myanmar amber. Scarce syninclusions in small amber pieces represent a coccid, psychodid, ceratopogonid, possibly a pathogenic fungus and plant trichomes. Palaeogeographically Lepidopterix Sendi, 2020; Cryptoblatta Sendi, 2019; Miniblattina Sendi, 2021; Pravdupovediac gen. n. and possibly Nymphoblatta Vršanský et Grimaldi, 2004 (Lebanese amber); Compunctiotypus Kaddumi, 2005 and Grandocularis Kaddumi, 2005 (Jordanian amber); and Anenev Vršanský, Oružinský, Sendi, Choufani, El-Halabi et Azar, 2019 (Syrian amber) are reported only in the herein studied amber, while the Jantaropterix/ Pseudojantaropterix-complex; Cratovitisma Bechly, 2007; Nymphoblatta Vršanský et Grimaldi, 2004 aff. Perlucipecta Wei et Ren, 2013 and aff. Sivis Vršanský, 2009; Pseudomantina Sendi et Vršanský, 2021; Elisama Giebel, 1856; Ocelloblattula Anisyutkin et Gorokhov, 2008, ?Rhipidoblatta Vishniakova, 1968; Balatronis Šmídová et Lei, 2017 and Neoblatella Shelford, 1911 (nowadays restricted to the Americas) were cosmopolitan with occurrences in both Laurasia and Gondwana. The low percentage (0.4

Alienopteridae are among the most perplexing fossil insects and once conspicuous members of Cretaceous Dictyoptera (now including cockroaches, termites and mantises). However, the precise nature of their life history, evolution, and phylogenetic affinities remained controversial and open to debate. Here we report new alienopterid nymphs from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber (approximately 99 Ma) and define three nymphal morphotypes, along with proposed interpretations of their life style. We also re-evaluate the systematic position of Alienopteridae, and of the recently erected order Aethiocarenodea. Geometric morphometric analyses suggest that morphotype I nymphs exhibit distinct morphological specializations that were most likely associated with ant mimicry, like immature stages of some modern crown mantises. Remarkably, mimetic association between these nymphs and stem-group ants provides the earliest record of ant mimicry (myrmecomorphy), which is contemporary with the earliest ants and their eusociality. We discuss different interpretations of the life history of alienopterid adults, especially wasp mimicry, and conclude that Teyia was likely a wasp mimic. The nymphs (morphotype I) and adults of Teyia resemble different models, which provides the first fossil record of transformational mimicry, implying that this behaviour had already evolved by the mid-Cretaceous. In addition, one alienopterid nymph laden with pollen clumps provides evidence for gymnosperm pollination and a previously unknown gymnosperm-insect association. This suggests that extinct dictyopterans might have been among the earliest pollinators, with a hitherto undervalued role in pollination ecology. Our phylogenetic analysis provides evidence that Alienopteridae and Umenocoleidae together constitute a monophyletic group (Alienoptera), which is placed as sister taxon of Mantodea. Alienoptera including Umenocoleidae were supported as a separate lineage, and mainly characterized by sclerotized shell-like tegmina and unique leg structures, their main diversification probably occurred before the J/K boundary, and we suggest a common evolutionary origin during the Late Jurassic.

Diversification of cockroaches restricted to explosive reduction ring radiations was evidenced for termites, mantodeans, cave cockroaches, and beetle-like umenocoleoids – all separately derived from liberiblattinids around Stavba. This extremely variable Cretaceous genus is proved here as a stem for a diversification ring of the major living cockroach family Corydiidae, too. This family was first dominantly (18

The major lineages of winged insects originated in the Carboniferous and most extant families stemmed 150 Ma later. Until now, no family from the Carboniferous was represented by a living species or by amber fossils, leaving a significant gap in our knowledge of early insects. Here, we report new phyloblattid cockroaches, previously known mainly from the Carboniferous, including an amber fossil with outstanding 3D preservation from around 100 Ma. They represent the longest-lasting cockroach lineage and offer an unprecedented window into the Palaeozoic evolution. Specimens from Cretaceous amber and from Permian sediments represent a new genus, revealing a singular example of persistent morphology among the fast-evolving cockroaches. Together with two new taxa from the intertrappean sediments of Russia, these confirm that this family survived the Permo-Triassic extinction and persisted 213 Ma, longer than any known (Carboniferous) insect family. The new fossils share characters with the two main lineages of living cockroaches, as well as mantises and termites, thus clarifying their divergence from Phyloblattidae or direcly descendant Liberiblattinidae.

Currently, there are only four formally described species of cockroaches from the Oligocene. Here, we describe a new member of this cohort, Latiblattella basaltica sp. n. from the late Oligocene Enspel Fossillagerstatte. This colored cockroach is a member of the extant Ectobiidae (Pseudophyllodromiinae) and lacks any observable plesiomorphies with members of this family. Neotropical species of the genus Latiblattella HEBARD, 1917share characters with species within the genera Neoblattella SHELFORD, 1911 and Macrophyllodromia Saussure et ZEHNTNER, 1893 with a contemporary Nearctic/Neotropical distribution (which is similar to Nyctibora BURMEISTER, 1838 known from the spatiotemporaly related locality of Rott in Germany). Two partly articulated specimens, in addition to two isolated forewings, indicate only short or no pre-depositional transport. The dominance of the species in the Enspel assemblage (n = 4/4, active fully winged males) indicates a low cockroach diversity within the crater lake basin or specific taphonomic conditions unfavorable for the preservation of cockroaches. The latter is indicated by the contrasting extraordinary abundance of bibionids, winged sexuals of ants, and curculionid beetles within the association.

Alienopterixinae subfam. n. (with Alienopterix Mlynský et al. in Vršanský et al. (2018), Nadveruzenie gen. n., Vzrkadlenie Vršanský in Sendi et al. (2020) and Enervipraeala Luo, Xu et Jarzembowski, 2020) is proposed to house alienopterids with fully developed tegmina (symplesiomorphy with all Umenocoleidae) and a compact uniform pronotum (plesiomorphy). At least seven distinct morphological species in this complex are preserved in burmite. Alienopterix smidovae Hinkelman, sp. n./ Alienopterix mlynskyi Sendi, sp. n. possess autapomorphies, such as the absence of coloration and bunky organised in transverse rows, complex pronotum and red eye coloration respectively. Both species exhibit grooved forewing structure similar to unrelated Melyroidea Shelford, 1912 with metallic coloration. A male (unformalised) with short, symmetrical and multisegmented styli is identified for the first time. Bootstrap analysis of Umenocoleoidea now further diminishes differences between Umenocoleidae and Alienopteridae, revealia lack of structure and hierarchy in combined morphological data, while retaining structure when restricted to species from one locality. Nadveruzenie postava Vrsansky, Hinkelman et Sendi, gen. et sp. n. is described, autapomorphies include extremely thin cerci, fenestrate structure of forewings with structured fore margin and absent clavus, similar to living genus Aclavoidea Vidlička et Vršanský in Hinkelman et al. (2020). Diversity index within Umenocoleoidea (disregarding dominant Jantaropterix and Perspicuus pilosus Koubová in Koubová and Mlynský (2020) in burmite is near 1.0. Blattocoprolites alienopterixmlynskyi and Blattocoprolites jantaropterixellenbergeri Hinkelman, ichnospp. n., preserved and partially protruding coprolites, document defecation during burial.

A unique assemblage of arthropods (n = 32), ferns, horsetails and a ginkgo discovered in Algerian Brezina differs from all known (and rather uniform) Laurasian and Gondwanan Cretaceous biotas, suggesting a large isolated landmass at the microcontinent known as Adria-Turkey, Serbia-Turkey or "Greater Adria". The mineral assemblage is characteristic for siliciclastic sediments which underwent deep post-depositional burial and reached late diagenetic conditions of alteration. The ?Hauterivian assemblage of aquatic and terrestrial insects was dominated by cockroaches and beetles. Mantodean, tettigarctid cicad, aquatic ephemeropterans, dragonflies, spinicaudatan, and an arachnomorph spider also occur. Freshwater insects relate to Eurasian ones such as the beetle Timarchopsis cyrenaicus (PONOMARENKO, 1977) and mayfly Hexameropsis africana SINITSHENKOVA, 1975 or belong to cosmopolitan biota as a dragonfly pre-imaginal stage (Aeschnoidea, ?Gomphaeschnidae). The continental biota differed. Cockroaches except Elisama GIEBEL, 1856, praying mantis and possibly also dragonfly genera were mostly indigenous and distant from the known morphotypes. The extinct family Mesoblattinidae (represented by Otazka systematicka gen. et sp. n., Meloblatta brezinica gen. et sp. n.) and the stillextant Corydiidae (Afrophaga extincta gen. et sp. n.) dominated. The Mesozoic families Blattulidae (? Elisama algeriaensis sp. n.) and Liberiblattinidae (Kriedoblatta gondwanensis gen. et sp. n. and ? Kurablattina samsonovi sp. n. restricted record in Early Jurassic of Australia), and Holocompsinae (Sajda equatorialis gen. et sp. n.) restricted to Spain during Cretaceous and also represented by extant forms were also present. The dominant Laurasian Caloblattinidae and Gondwanan (and burmite) Alienopteridae were not preserved or absent.

Direct fossil evidence for Mesozoic flower pollination is scarce. Umenocoleoid micro-cockroaches Lepidopterix vegrandis gen. et sp. n. (Lebanese amber) and Antophiloblatta hispida gen. et sp. n. (Myanmar amber) possess size, form, complex coloration pattern and surface structure, cryptic with potentially entomophilous angiosperms Tropidogyne pentaptera Poinar, 2017 and Antiquifloris latifibris Poinar et Buckley, 2016 flower petals and sepals. Putative pollen grains attached to the latter adult indicates pollination, while reduced mouthparts suggest fluid nectar feeding. Spongistoma angusta gen. et sp. n. (Myanmar amber) has a narrow body and mandibles nearly entirely reduced with a unique “proboscis” forming sponging/ sucking mouthparts. In addition putative Classopolis Pflug, 1953 gymnosperm pollen is attached to adults and immature individuals of Vzrkadlenie miso gen. et sp. n. (Myanmar amber). Together with possible angiosperm pollination by Formicamendax vrsanskyi Hinkelman, 2019 and cycas pollination by immature individuals of alienopterid larvae, the evidence for early cockroach pollination is now substantial. Additionally unique is the forewing surface of L. vegrandis with photonic crystal structures within the scales.

This book provides essential information on 12 cockroach assemblages with more than a thousand specimens analyzed, investigates the Jurassic site in Bakhar, Mongolia, as one of the most diverse fossil insect sites worldwide and includes comparison of all major Jurassic cockroach assemblages