New fossil representative of the genus Helius (Diptera, Limoniidae) from the little known and newly discovered locality Caergen Village of northeastern Tibetan Plateau (China)

Abstract

Helius (Helius) qinghai n. sp. belongs to the one of the best studied genera of the Diptera in terms of its history, with 23 fossil species described to date. The new species described in this paper is the first representative of the family Limoniidae (Diptera) from the little known and newly discovered locality Caergen Village from eastern Qinghai Province, northeastern Tibetan Plateau (China). The age range of fossils at Caergen Village of the Garang Formation is late Early Miocene to early Middle Miocene (16-19 Ma). This finding contributes to our knowledge of the evolution of the genus Helius. A summary about fossil records of the genus Helius is presented in the paper.

A unique record of Cercis from the late early Miocene of interior Asia and its significance for paleoenvironments and paleophytogeography

“…Hence, the occurrence of C. zekuensis from Zeku indicates that this area had a more moderate paleoclimate with higher temperature (especially coldest month mean temperature (CMMT)) and precipitation in the Miocene than today, and the co‐occurring broadleaved woody plants (e.g., megathermic Cercis and Koelreuteria Laxmann, mesothermic Acer L., Fraxinus L., and Ulmus L.; Guo, 1980; Li et al, 2016) corroborate the existence of a warm temperate forest during the early Miocene. Rather higher historical biodiversity reflected by fossil insects (e.g., Cixius Latreille, Wesmaelius Krüger, and Helius Lepeletier & Serville; Li et al, 2017b; Yang et al, 2018; Wu et al, 2019), spiders, and birds (e.g., Passer Brisson; Young, 1975) also support this deduction. Furthermore, the inferred paleoecological trait appears to match very well the coeval regional or global climate changes from other independent proxies (e.g., geobiomarkers or isotope records; Zachos et al, 2001; Liu et al, 2014).…”

“…Thus the fossiliferous horizon can be confined to the late early Miocene. Previous publications on various fossil remains from these strata include leaves (Guo, 1980), fruits (Guo, 1980; Li et al, 2016, 2019), stems, pollen (Hui et al, 2018), insects (Li et al, 2017b; Yang et al, 2018; Wu et al, 2019), and bird feathers (Young, 1975), indicating a highly diverse biota.…”

A crane fly of the genus Gynoplistia Macquart (Diptera, Limoniidae) from the early Miocene of New Zealand

“…Limoniids are frequently encountered in the Miocene lacustrine sediments and amber from Europe, China, Russia, Sumatra, Mexico, and Dominican Republic (e.g., Gentilini 1984 ; Wu et al 2019 ; Ngô-Muller et al 2021 ).…”