Jumping cockroaches (Blattaria, Skokidae fam. n.) from the Late Jurassic of Karatau in Kazakhstan

Abstract

Abstract:The jumping cockroach Skok svaba gen. et sp. n., characteristic of modern reproduction, is described from the Upper Jurassic Karabastau Formation in Kazakhstan, and attributed to a new family Skokidae. The finding demonstrates the immense plasticity of stem cockroaches from which eusocial termites and predatory mantises evolved.

Low diversity cockroach assemblage from Chernovskie Kopi in Russia confirms wing deformities in insects at the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary

“…The same similarity is observed at the Toarcian Early Jurassic localities in Germany and England (Vršanský & Ansorge 2007), which contrasts with the composition and preservation of the richest assemblages of the Middle and Late Jurassic, which are closer in age to that from Chernovskie Kopi (Vishniakova 1968(Vishniakova , 1983Vršanský 2007Vršanský , 2008b.…”

“…In advanced ecosystems they are important at the basic level of decomposition together with termites (Zherikhin 1993). During their evolution they adapted to various types of ecosystems and reached high levels of ecological and morphological diversity and disparity, including aquatic (Shelford 1909), pollinating (Nagamitsu and Inoue 1997), jumping (Bohn et al 2010;Picker et al 2012;Vršanský 2007), light-mimicking (Zompro & Fritzsche 1999;Vršanský et al 2012;Vršanský & Chorvát 2013), translucent (Vidlička et al 2003), predatory (Vishniakova 1973Liang et al 2009Liang et al , 2012, beetle-like (Vršan-ský 2003a), earwig-like Wei et al 2012aWei et al , b, 2013Guo & Dong 2011), semisocial (Steinmiller 2001Nalepa 2003;Grandcolas et al 2005) and eusocial (Vršanský 2010) forms.…”

Completely preserved cockroaches of the family Mesoblattinidae from the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation (Liaoning Province, NE China)

“…For comparison, this value is relatively similar to the CV of similar Piniblattella vitimica from the Valanginian of Siberia of the Ectobiidae (4.11 %). In contrast, the CV of species from the Early Jurassic is 11.24 % (Vršanský & Ansorge 2007). These coefficients of variation are also highly similar to those of species belonging to a different cockroach family, the Blattulidae, at the same locality (Elisama extenuata CV sum = 6.22 %; Habroblattula drepanoides CV sum = 5.72 %) (Wang et al 2007a,b).…”

Advanced morphology and behaviour of extinct earwig-like cockroaches (Blattida: Fuziidae fam. nov.)

“…), but in all Mesozoic cockroaches carination is extensive. It is reduced only in actively moving jumping cockroaches (Vršanský 2007), in the blattulid Tarakanula shcherbakovi Vršanský, 2003, adapted to rapid running, and in extinct eusocial cockroaches (P. Vršanský, submitted).…”

“…nov. can, to some extent, be inferred from the mouthpart morphology. Short palps, and long and wide mandibles exclude the palynivory [a single known palinivorous extinct cockroach Skok svaba Vršanský, 2007 has long, cup-like palps and small mandibles (Vršanský 2007)] as well as carnivory [carnivorous cockroaches have elongated mandibles with sharp teeth (Vishniakova 1973;Liang et al 2009); early carnivorous mantises have wide but short and robust mandibles (Vršanský 2002)]. This suggests saprophagous diet analogical to those of most cockroaches, particularly to Blattulidae, that also have short palps.…”