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Chaoborus Lichtenstein (Diptera: Chaoboridae) pupae from the middle Eocene of Mississippi

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 July 2015

John E. Johnston
Affiliation:
680 Manor Ridge Drive, Mableton, Georgia 30126 U.S.A.
Art Borkent
Affiliation:
1171 Mallory Road, R1-S20-C43, Enderby, British Columbia V0E 1V0 Canada

Abstract

Pupae of the nonbiting midge Chaoborus are reported from the middle Eocene (Claibornian) Tallahatta Formation in Benton County, Mississippi. These pupae are placed within the genus Chaoborus because the shape of the respiratory organs, length of the abdomen, and shape of the anal paddles closely resemble other species of this extant genus. This occurrence represents the oldest record of Chaoborus pupae and the first record of fossil Chaoborus from North America. The flora and fauna found associated with the fossil pupae along with the known habitats of extant Chaoborus pupae indicate a lentic environment. This interpretation corresponds to the depositional environment of similar Eocene-aged clay deposits in western Tennessee.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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