Fossil Coleoptera with in situ and adhered pollen from the Eocene of Eckfeld, Germany

TY - GEN

T1 - Fossil Coleoptera with in situ and adhered pollen from the Eocene of Eckfeld, Germany

AU - Bouchal, Johannes Martin

AU - Geier, Christian

AU - Ulrich, Silvia

AU - Uhl, Dieter

AU - Wedmann, Sonja

AU - Wappler, Torsten

AU - Grimsson, Fridgeir

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - The middle Eocene Eckfeld maar (c. 44 Ma) deposits in Germany are known for numerous well-preserved fossils they have yielded until today. Among these records, thousands of insects have been recorded that potentially provide direct evidence for flower visitations and entomophilic pollination processes. In order to obtain data on flower visits and possible pollinator roles, we extracted pollen from selected groups of fossil Coleoptera from Eckfeld and studied them with light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In total, we screened 332 Coleoptera: 51 Buprestidae (six with pollen), 21 Cerambycidae (two with pollen), 87 Chrysomelidae (four with pollen), 80 Elateridae (three with pollen), ten Eucnemidae (one with pollen), 78 Scarabaeidae (three with pollen), and five Throscidae (no pollen). The beetles were screened for both in situ pollen occurring in their digestive system and adhering pollen occurring on various parts of their exoskeleton (head, thorax, abdomen, leg etc.). The pollen was most frequently associated with members of Sagrinae, a subfamily of leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae), and Agrilinae, a subfamily of jewel beetles (Buprestidae). The adhering or in situ pollen can be assigned to at least 15 different taxa. While some are unique and only associated with one beetle specimen (e.g., Malvaceae, Moraceae), other pollen types were found associated with two or more beetle specimens, namely, Castaneoidea, Euphorbiaceae, Oleaceae, Onagraceae (Ludwigia), Sapotaceae, and Vitaceae (Parthenocissus).

AB - The middle Eocene Eckfeld maar (c. 44 Ma) deposits in Germany are known for numerous well-preserved fossils they have yielded until today. Among these records, thousands of insects have been recorded that potentially provide direct evidence for flower visitations and entomophilic pollination processes. In order to obtain data on flower visits and possible pollinator roles, we extracted pollen from selected groups of fossil Coleoptera from Eckfeld and studied them with light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In total, we screened 332 Coleoptera: 51 Buprestidae (six with pollen), 21 Cerambycidae (two with pollen), 87 Chrysomelidae (four with pollen), 80 Elateridae (three with pollen), ten Eucnemidae (one with pollen), 78 Scarabaeidae (three with pollen), and five Throscidae (no pollen). The beetles were screened for both in situ pollen occurring in their digestive system and adhering pollen occurring on various parts of their exoskeleton (head, thorax, abdomen, leg etc.). The pollen was most frequently associated with members of Sagrinae, a subfamily of leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae), and Agrilinae, a subfamily of jewel beetles (Buprestidae). The adhering or in situ pollen can be assigned to at least 15 different taxa. While some are unique and only associated with one beetle specimen (e.g., Malvaceae, Moraceae), other pollen types were found associated with two or more beetle specimens, namely, Castaneoidea, Euphorbiaceae, Oleaceae, Onagraceae (Ludwigia), Sapotaceae, and Vitaceae (Parthenocissus).

U2 - 10.5194/egusphere-egu24-5326

DO - 10.5194/egusphere-egu24-5326

M3 - Contribution to proceedings

BT - EGU General Assembly 2024 - Abstracts

CY - online

ER -