Fossil dragonflies (Odonata: Anisoptera) from the early Eocene Okanagan Highlands, western North America

Abstract

We describe the first dragonflies (Odonata: Anisoptera) from the early Eocene Okanagan Highlands of far-western North America from nine fossils. Six are assigned to five species in four new, named genera of Aeshnidae: Antiquiala snyderaenew genus and species, Idemlinea versatilisnew genus and species, Ypshna brownleeinew genus and species, Ypshna latipennatanew genus and species, and Eoshna thompsonensisnew genus and species; we treat one as Aeshnidae genus A, species A; one is assigned to Gomphidae: Auroradraco eosnew genus and species; and we treat a ninth, fragmentary fossil of unknown family affinity as Anisoptera indeterminate genus A, species A, which represents a seventh genus and eighth species. The dominance of Aeshnidae is consistent with other Paleocene and Eocene fossil localities. Auroradraco eos is the only fossil Gomphidae in the roughly 66-million-year gap between occurrences in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber and the early Oligocene of France. Ypshna appears close to Parabaissaeshna ejerslevense from the early Eocene Fur Formation of Denmark; this is not surprising given Holarctic intercontinental connections at this time and a growing list of insect taxa shared between the Okanagan Highlands and the Fur Formation.

The Cephalozygoptera, a new, extinct suborder of Odonata with new taxa from the early Eocene Okanagan Highlands, western North America

“…The Ypresian (early Eocene) rich insect-bearing deposits of the Okanagan Highlands of far-western North America have become well known only since the late twentieth century. No dragonfly had been described from there until recently, when eight species (six named) in seven genera (five named) of the extant families Aeshnidae and Gomphidae were based on nine fossils (Archibald & Cannings 2019). Much larger numbers of non-dragonfly odonate fossils have been recovered in the Okanagan Highlands and have been briefly mentioned, but none described; all have been thought to be damselflies (see below).…”

Modernisation of the Hymenoptera: ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies of the early Eocene Okanagan Highlands of western North America

“…2002). Insects share numerous closely related taxa between northern continents in the Eocene (Archibald 2005, 2009; Archibald et al . 2005, 2006, 2011b; Archibald and Makarkin 2006; Petrulevičius et al .…”

The first Odonata from the early Eocene Allenby Formation of the Okanagan Highlands, British Columbia, Canada (Anisoptera, Aeshnidae and cf. Cephalozygoptera, Dysagrionidae)

“…However, of the Okanagan Highlands Aeshnidae, we rule out Antiquiala Archibald and Cannings and Ypshna Archibald and Cannings, by the double row of cells in the RP1-RP2 space extending more basally in the present specimen, and Eoshna Archibald and Cannings, by its shorter pterostigma. We cannot, however, exclude Idemlinea Archibald and Cannings, known only by the basal portion of a hind wing, nor the somewhat poorly preserved and unnamed Aeshnidae genus A of Archibald and Cannings (2019). It might belong to a number of extant genera.…”

“…The order Odonata in the Paleogene has become increasingly complex in recent years. It is composed not only of rather modern dragonflies (suborder Anisoptera; e.g., Archibald and Cannings 2019) and damselflies (suborder Zygoptera; e.g., Nel and Paicheler 1992, and see review of Florissant insects by Meyer 2003) but also of a growing assortment of extinct groups, such as the suborder Cephalozygoptera (found across much of the Holarctic; , a species of the otherwise Mesozoic Isophlebioptera (latest Ypresian, Messel, Germany; Garrouste and Nel 2015), and odonates that some authors consider belong to an undefined suborder possibly basal to the Anisoptera and Anisozygoptera (Frenguelliidae: Ypresian and Lutetian of Argentina; Petrulevičius 2017, and references therein).…”

“…The first Odonata of the Okanagan Highlands were described only recently: nine dragonfly fossils of six species (five named) in five genera (four named) of Aeshnidae, one genus and species of Gomphidae, and one unnamed genus and species of an unknown dragonfly family (Archibald and Cannings 2019); 16 species in four genera and one genus-level parataxon of the suborder Cephalozygoptera and the new family Whetwhetaksidae with one genus and species, which might belong to the Cephalozygoptera ; and a single damselfly, a new species and genus of Euphaeidae .…”