Lebanese amber, Jezzine (AMNH collection) (Cretaceous of Lebanon)

Where: Lebanon (33.5° N, 35.6° E: paleocoordinates 9.2° N, 31.7° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Early/Lower Barremian (130.0 - 125.5 Ma)

• Amber found in three intervals in the upper part of the Grès du Liban. The upper interval is above the “Banc de Mrejatt,” the middle interval is between the “Banc de Mrejatt” and a pisolitic interval below, and the lower interval is below the pisolitic beds. The "Banc de Mrejatt" includes one biostratigraphically significant benthic foraminifer: Eopalorbitolina transiens (Cherchi and Schroeder, 1999), which is a zonal marker of the Lower to Upper Barremian transition according to Schroeder et al. (2010). Accordingly the “Banc de Mrejatt” is correlated to the transgression of sequence Ba3 of Clavel et al. (2007) and ascribed a late Early Barremian age. The pisolitic interval or “calcaires à pisolithes” of Heybroek (1942), consists of lacustrine shales and marls, locally with pisolites ranging in size from a hazel nut to an orange. Charophyte remains (thalli, utricles, and gyrogonites) are commonly found in this interval (Grambast and Lorch, 1968; Granier et al., 2015). According to Martín-Closas (2015, personal communication), the charophyte association should refer to the Cruciata-Paucibracteatus biozone of Martín-Closas et al. (2009) that spans the Late Barremian–Early Aptian interval. However, due to its topographic location, this interval is older than the “Banc de Mrejatt” and should be considered at least Early Barremian in age (Maksoud et al., 2017, 2022). The entomofaunal similarity of these three intervals could imply that the age of the amber should be the same, i.e., that of the older/lower interval. Amber pieces found in the middle and upper intervals are rounded and commonly bored by martesiine pholadid bivalves.

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; amber

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils, microfossils

Preservation: soft parts, original chitin, original carbon, amber

Collected by Aftim Acra, Fadi Acra in the 1970s; reposited in the AMNH

Collection methods: quarrying,

Primary reference: D. Grimaldi and M. S. Engel. 2006. Extralimital fossils of the "Gondwanan" family Sphaeropsocidae (Insecta: Psocodea). American Museum Novitates 3523:1-18 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham/M. Clapham]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 122359: authorized by Matthew Clapham, entered by Matthew Clapham on 22.12.2011, edited by Jered Karr

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Insecta
 Coleoptera - Staphylinidae
Prosolierius sp.11 Thayer et al. 2012 rove beetle
AMNH AE-III-9 (location and collector not given)
 Hymenoptera - Sclerogibbidae
Sclerogibbodes embioleia n. gen. n. sp.5
Sclerogibbodes embioleia n. gen. n. sp.5 Engel and Grimaldi 2006 sclerogibbid wasp
 Hemiptera -
Enicocephalomorpha indet.9 true bug
AMNH JG 83/1, JS/673
 Blattodea - Melqartitermitidae
Melqartitermes myrrheus n. gen. n. sp.6
Melqartitermes myrrheus n. gen. n. sp.6 Engel et al. 2007 termite
AMNH L-Iso1 (location and collector not given)
 Blattodea - Blattulidae
Blattulidae indet.13 Vishnyakova 1982 cockroach
AMNH Lebanese amber 22, 77, 91
 Alienoptera - Umenocoleidae
"Jantaropterix lebani" = Pseudojantaropterix lebani12
"Jantaropterix lebani" = Pseudojantaropterix lebani12 Vršanský and Grimaldi 2003 winged insect
AMNH lebanon 84
 Psocodea - Sphaeropsocidae
Sphaeropsocites lebanensis n. gen. n. sp. Grimaldi and Engel 2006 book louse
AMNH JS284
 Psocodea - Archaeatropidae
"Libanoglaris randatae" = Archaeatropos randatae2
"Libanoglaris randatae" = Archaeatropos randatae2 Azar and Nel 2004 bark louse
AMNH JB 21/12 BM753, 21/7 BM698, 21/4 BM738, 21/8, 21/3 BM669A, 21/3 BM669B, 21/10 BM709, JS 108 BM35
 Diptera - Psychodidae
"Paleopsychoda jacquelinea" = Paleopsychoda jacquelinae1
"Paleopsychoda jacquelinea" = Paleopsychoda jacquelinae1 Azar et al. 1999 moth fly
JG 382/1 BM 431; JS 507 F37 (19-37) F38 (0-4) F35 (24-27)
 Diptera - Keroplatidae
Lebanognoriste prima n. gen. n. sp.3
Lebanognoriste prima n. gen. n. sp.3 Blagoderov and Grimaldi 2004 long beaked fungus gnat
AMNH JG268/1
 Diptera - Rhagionidae
Rhagionidae "indet. A"8 Latreille 1802 snipe fly
AMNH JG99/13
Rhagionidae "indet. D"8 Latreille 1802 snipe fly
AMNH JS43
Mesobolbomyia acrai n. gen. n. sp.8 Grimaldi and Cumming 1999 snipe fly
AMNH-JG387/16
 Diptera -
Lebambromyia acrai n. gen. n. sp.8
Lebambromyia acrai n. gen. n. sp.8 Grimaldi and Cumming 1999 fly
AMNH JG85/8, JG292/1
 Diptera - Platypezidae
Platypezidae indet.7 Fallen 1815 flat-footed fly
AMNH JG79/76
 Diptera - Chimeromyiidae
Chimeromyia reducta n. sp.8 Grimaldi and Cumming 1999 fly
AMNH JS97, 204
 Diptera - Dolichopodidae
Microphorites oculeus n. sp.8 Grimaldi and Cumming 1999 long-legged fly
AMNH JS445
Microphorites similis n. sp.8 Grimaldi and Cumming 1999 long-legged fly
AMNH JS424
 Diptera - Ceratopogonidae
"Protoculicoides succineus" = Gerontodacus succineus4 Szadziewski 1996 biting midge
AMNH JS 426 F15, JG 17/20/BM 371, JS 362/BM 849-1
Lebanoculicoides mesozoicus4 Szadziewski 1996 biting midge
AMNH JG 375/2/BM 463
Protoculicoides sp.4 Boesel 1937 biting midge
AMNH JG 115/13/BM 157
"Protoculicoides unus n. sp." = Archiculicoides unus4 Borkent 2000 biting midge
JS 637 F 87
"Protoculicoides acraorum n. sp." = Archiculicoides acraorum4 Borkent 2000 biting midge
AMNH JS 84 BM 71
Austroconops sp.4 Wirth and Lee 1958 biting midge
AMNH JS 57/BM 32, JG 17/55/BM186-1, JG/BM 161, JG 203/4/BM 888, JG 124/4/BM 790, JS 82/BM 48
Austroconops fossilis4 Szadziewski 1996 biting midge
AMNH JS 660, JG17/20/BM 371, JG 78/10 F42, F43, F45, JS212
Austroconops megaspinus n. sp.4 Borkent 2000 biting midge
AMNH JS 221/BM 300, JS466, JG 375/2/BM 463
Austroconops gladius n. sp.4 Borkent 2000 biting midge
AMNH JS 328/BM 401, JG 48/1/BM 649
Minyohelea sp.4 Borkent 1995 biting midge
JS 362/BM 849, JG 17/55/BM 186-3, JG 387/17/F13, JS 396 F10, JG 128/1/BM 519, JS 317/BM 558, JS654, JG386/5 F1, JG 115/23/BM 294, JS129, JG 17/39/BM270, JG 319/5/BM 885, JS 197/BM282
Minyohelea bacula n. sp.4 Borkent 2000 biting midge
JG 17/20 BM 371
Minyohelea lebanica4 Szadziewski 1996 biting midge
AMNH JG 12/1, JG 167/1/BM 689, JS 362/BM 849-5
Minyohelea minuta4 Szadziewski 1996 biting midge
AMNH JS 83/BM 48
Minyohelea schleei4 Szadziewski 1996 biting midge
JS 320/1 F7, JS 221/BM 300
Archiaustroconops sp.4 Szadziewski 1996 biting midge
AMNH JG 79/40/BM 345, JS22/BM167, JS 431 F16, JG 17/55/BM 186-1
Archiaustroconops ceratoformis4 Szadziewski 1996 biting midge
AMNH JG 17/55/BM 186-2, JG 41/1/BM 174, JG 204/13/BM 869, JG 202/8/BM 889, JS 98/BM 78
Archiaustroconops szadziewskii4 Borkent 2000 biting midge
JG 248/23/BM 829
Archiaustroconops hamus n. sp.4 Borkent 2000 biting midge
AMNH JS 51 BM 43
Archiaustroconops bocaparvus n. sp.4 Borkent 2000 biting midge
AMNH JS 140/BM 150
Enoplea
 Mermithida - Mermithidae
"Heleidomermis libani n. sp." = Cretacimermis libani10
"Heleidomermis libani n. sp." = Cretacimermis libani10 Poinar et al. 1994
JS 404