Lebanese amber, Bchare Mountain (AMNH collection) (Cretaceous of Lebanon)

Where: Lebanon (34.3° N, 36.0° E: paleocoordinates 9.7° N, 32.3° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

• outcrop-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.

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; amber

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils, microfossils

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

Collected by Antoni Estephan; reposited in the AMNH

Collection methods: quarrying,

Primary reference: A. Borkent. 2001. Leptoconops (Diptera: Ceratopohonidae), the earliest extant lineage of biting midge, discovered in 120-122 million-year-old Lebanese amber. American Museum Novitates 3328:1-11 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 123017: authorized by Matthew Clapham, entered by Matthew Clapham on 10.01.2012, edited by Jered Karr

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Insecta
 Mantodea -
Burmantis lebanensis n. sp.6 Grimaldi 2003 mantis
AMNH L-AE26
 Blattodea - Mesoblattinidae
Nymphoblatta azari n. gen. n. sp.11
Nymphoblatta azari n. gen. n. sp.11 Vršanský and Grimaldi 2004 cockroach
AMNH L-AE 91, 22
 Blattodea - Blattulidae
? Elisama sp.11 Giebel 1856 cockroach
AMNH L-AE 77
 Hemiptera - Aphididae
Gondvanoaphis estephani n. gen. n. sp.12
Gondvanoaphis estephani n. gen. n. sp.12 Wegierek and Grimaldi 2010 aphid
 Hemiptera - Hodgsonicoccidae
Hodgsonicoccus patefactus n. gen. n. sp.10
Hodgsonicoccus patefactus n. gen. n. sp.10 Vea and Grimaldi 2015 true bug
AMNH L-AE-93
 Psocodea - Archaeatropidae
Bcharreglaris amunobi n. gen. n. sp.1
Bcharreglaris amunobi n. gen. n. sp.1 Azar and Nel 2004 bark louse
AMNH L-AE21a, 21b
 Hymenoptera - Proctotrupidae
Astarteserphus grimaldii n. gen. n. sp.4
Astarteserphus grimaldii n. gen. n. sp.4 Engel et al. 2022 wasp
AMNH LB-AE-137
 Hymenoptera - Archaeoserphitidae
Archaeoserphites melqarti n. gen. n. sp.3
Archaeoserphites melqarti n. gen. n. sp.3 Engel 2015 wasp
AMNH L-AE-8
 Hymenoptera - Holopsenellidae
Holopsenella primotica n. gen. n. sp.5
Holopsenella primotica n. gen. n. sp.5 Engel et al. 2016 wasp
AMNH L-924
 Diptera - Ptychopteridae
"Leptychoptera vovkina n. sp." = Leptychoptera (Leptychoptera) vovkina9
"Leptychoptera vovkina n. sp." = Leptychoptera (Leptychoptera) vovkina9 Lukashevich and Azar 2003 phantom crane fly
AMNH Leb-250
 Diptera - Ceratopogonidae
"Protoculicoides punctus n. sp." = Gerontodacus punctus2 Borkent 2000 biting midge
AMNH L-AE115, 40, 78
Leptoconops (Palaeoconops) antiquus n. sp. Borkent 2001 biting midge
Leptoconops (Palaeoconops) amplificatus n. sp. Borkent 2001 biting midge
Archiaustroconops szadziewskii n. sp.2 Borkent 2000 biting midge
AMNH L-AE 45
Archiaustroconops hamus2 Borkent 2000 biting midge
AMNH L-AE120
Archiaustroconops ceratoformis2 Szadziewski 1996 biting midge
AMNH L-AE 92
Austroconops sp.2 Wirth and Lee 1958 biting midge
AMNH L-AE 95
Austroconops fossilis2 Szadziewski 1996 biting midge
AMNH L-AE 29
Austroconops gondwanicus2 Szadziewski 1996 biting midge
AMNH L-AE 97
Minyohelea falcata n. sp.2 Borkent 2000 biting midge
AMNH L-AE 103
 Diptera - Chimeromyiidae
Chimeromyia acuta n. sp.8, Chimeromyia intriguea n. gen. n. sp.8
Chimeromyia acuta n. sp.8 Grimaldi and Cumming 1999 fly
AMNH L-AE38 (additional female in Grimaldi et al., 2009 - location not given)
Chimeromyia intriguea n. gen. n. sp.8 Grimaldi and Cumming 1999 fly
AMNH L-AE43, 118, 134a
 Diptera - Phoridae
Archisciada lebanensis n. gen. n. sp.8
Archisciada lebanensis n. gen. n. sp.8 Grimaldi and Cumming 1999 scuttle fly
AMNH L-AE72
 Diptera -
Alonchoptera lebanica n. gen. n. sp.7, Lonchopterites prisca n. gen. n. sp.8, Lonchopteromorpha asetocella n. gen. n. sp.8
Alonchoptera lebanica n. gen. n. sp.7 Grimaldi 2018 fly
AMNH LAEIII-4
Lonchopterites prisca n. gen. n. sp.8 Grimaldi and Cumming 1999 fly
AMNH L-AE79
Lonchopteromorpha asetocella n. gen. n. sp.8 Grimaldi and Cumming 1999 fly
AMNH L-AE132
 Diptera - Atelestidae
Phaetempis lebanensis n. gen. n. sp.8, Atelestites senectus n. gen. n. sp.8
Phaetempis lebanensis n. gen. n. sp.8 Grimaldi and Cumming 1999 fly
AMNH L-AE13
Atelestites senectus n. gen. n. sp.8 Grimaldi and Cumming 1999 fly
AMNH L-AE72A, B
 Diptera - Dolichopodidae
Avenaphora hispida n. gen. n. sp.8
Avenaphora hispida n. gen. n. sp.8 Grimaldi and Cumming 1999 long-legged fly
AMNH L-AE24
 Diptera - Rhagionidae
Rhagionidae "indet. C"8 Latreille 1802 snipe fly
AMNH L-AE131
Paleochrysopilus hirsutus n. gen. n. sp.8 Grimaldi and Cumming 1999 snipe fly
AMNH L-AE89