Lebanese amber, Jezzine (SMNS collection): Early/Lower Barremian, Lebanon
collected by D. Schlee 1968

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Insecta - Thysanoptera - Merothripidae
Jezzinothrips cretacicus n. gen., n. sp. zur Strassen 1973
zur Strassen 1973 1 specimen
SMNS C17/1b (2 measurements)
Insecta - Thysanoptera - Stenurothripidae
Scudderothrips sucinus n. gen., n. sp. zur Strassen 1973
zur Strassen 1973 1 specimen
SMNS C32/21 (2 measurements)
Rhetinothrips elegans n. gen., n. sp. zur Strassen 1973
zur Strassen 1973 1 specimen
SMNS C22/24//32 (2 measurements)
Exitelothrips mesozoicus n. gen., n. sp. zur Strassen 1973
zur Strassen 1973 1 specimen
SMNS C22/24//27 (2 measurements)
Progonothrips horridus n. gen., n. sp. zur Strassen 1973
zur Strassen 1973 1 specimen
SMNS C29/19 (2 measurements)
Scaphothrips antennatus n. gen., n. sp. zur Strassen 1973
zur Strassen 1973 1 specimen
SMNS C31/17 (2 measurements)
Neocomothrips hennigianus n. gen., n. sp. zur Strassen 1973
zur Strassen 1973 1 specimen
SMNS C22/24//29 (2 measurements)
Insecta - Hemiptera - Aleyrodidae
Heidea cretacica n. gen., n. sp. Schlee 1970
1 specimen
(2 measurements)
Bernaea neocomica n. gen., n. sp. Schlee 1970
1 specimen
(2 measurements)
Insecta - Raphidioptera - Mesoraphidiidae
Lebanoraphidia nana n. gen., n. sp. Bechly and Wolf-Schwenninger 2011
Bechly and Wolf-Schwenninger 2011 2 specimens
SMNS LB-235-2, SMNS LB-235-1 (2 measurements)
Insecta - Diptera - Chironomidae
Libanochlites neocomicus n. gen., n. sp. Brundin 1976
Brundin 1976 1 specimen
Insecta - Diptera - Corethrellidae
Corethrella (Fossicorethrella) cretacea n. sp. Szadziewski 1995
Szadziewski 1995 1 specimen
SMNS C 61/12 (1 measurement)
Insecta - Diptera - Ceratopogonidae
Archiculicoides schleei n. gen., n. sp. Szadziewski 1996
Szadziewski 1996 1 specimen
SMNS C39/1 (2 measurements)
Protoculicoides succineus n. sp. Szadziewski 1996
Szadziewski 1996 1 specimen
recombined as Gerontodacus succineus
SMNS C31/14 (2 measurements)
Lebanoculicoides mesozoicus n. gen., n. sp. Szadziewski 1996
Szadziewski 1996 1 specimen
SMNS C32/33 (2 measurements)
Fossileptoconops lebanicus n. gen., n. sp. Szadziewski 1996
Szadziewski 1996 1 specimen
SMNS C32/5 (1 measurement)
Austroconops cretaceous n. sp. Szadziewski 1996
Szadziewski 1996 1 specimen
recombined as Archiaustroconops cretaceous
SMNS C31/18 (2 measurements)
Archiaustroconops hamus Borkent 2000
Borkent 2000 2 specimens
SMNS C23, C10/25 (part Austroconops gondwanicus in Szadziewski, 1996)
Archiaustroconops ceratoformis n. gen., n. sp. Szadziewski 1996
Szadziewski 1996 3 specimens
SMNS C2, C63/9, C20/9 (2 measurements)
? Austroconops sp. Wirth and Lee 1958
Szadziewski 1996 1 specimen
C32/17 Archiaustroconops szadziewskii
Austroconops sp. Wirth and Lee 1958
Szadziewski 1996 6 specimens
SMNS C53/3, B4/3, B11/1, C2, C25, C31/42
Austroconops fossilis n. sp. Szadziewski 1996
Szadziewski 1996 3 specimens
SMNS C31/34, C25, C2 (last two in Borkent, 2000) (1 measurement)
Austroconops gondwanicus n. sp. Szadziewski 1996
Szadziewski 1996 1 specimen
SMNS C31/18
Minyohelea sp. Borkent 1995
Borkent 2000 5 specimens
SMNS C31/73, C17/10, C17/15, C22/24/34, B4/9
Lebanoconops lebanicus n. sp. Szadziewski 1996
Szadziewski 1996 1 specimen
misspelling Minyohelea lebanica
SMNS C31/2 (2 measurements)
Lebanoconops wirthi n. sp. Szadziewski 1996
Szadziewski 1996 1 specimen
recombined as Minyohelea wirthi
SMNS C25/13 (1 measurement)
Lebanoconops minutus n. sp. Szadziewski 1996
Szadziewski 1996 1 specimen
misspelling Minyohelea minuta
SMNS C32/67 (2 measurements)
Minyohelea schleei n. sp. Szadziewski 1996
Szadziewski 1996 1 specimen
SMNS C32/74 (2 measurements)
Insecta - Diptera
Cyclorrhapha indet. Brauer 1863
Hennig 1971 1 specimen
corrected as Cyclorrhapha
SMNS C 54/1
Insecta - Diptera - Atelestidae
Trichinites cretaceus n. gen., n. sp. Hennig 1970
Hennig 1970 1 specimen
(1 measurement)
Insecta - Diptera - Dolichopodidae
Microphorites extinctus n. gen., n. sp. Hennig 1971
Hennig 1971 1 specimen
SMNS 32/59
Insecta - Diptera - Psychodidae
Phlebotomites brevifilis n. gen., n. sp. Hennig 1972
Hennig 1972 4 specimens
SMNS B8/1, B8/2, C29/2, C29/8
Phlebotomites longifilis n. sp. Hennig 1972
Hennig 1972 1 specimen
SMNS C49/2
Arachnida - Araneae - Araneidae
Araneidae indet. Simon 1895
Wunderlich 2004 1 specimen
SMNS C32/39
Arachnida - Araneae - Oecobiidae
Lebanoecobius schleei n. gen., n. sp. Wunderlich 2004
Wunderlich 2004 1 specimen
SMNS B-45
Reptilia
Aves indet. Linnaeus 1758
Schlee 1973 1 individual
SMNS bird feathers
see common names

Geography
Country:Lebanon
Coordinates: 33.5° North, 35.6° East (view map)
Paleocoordinates:9.2° North, 31.7° East
Basis of coordinate:based on nearby landmark
Geographic resolution:outcrop
Time
Period:Cretaceous Epoch:Early/Lower Cretaceous
Stage:Barremian 10 m.y. bin:Cretaceous 2
Key time interval:Early/Lower Barremian
Age range of interval:130.00000 - 125.45000 m.y. ago
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphic resolution:group of beds
Stratigraphy comments: 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.
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology: lithified amber
Environment:terrestrial indet.
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body,soft parts,original chitin,amber
Size of fossils:macrofossils,mesofossils
Collection methods and comments
Reason for describing collection:taxonomic analysis
Museum repositories:SMNS
Collectors:D. Schlee Collection dates:1968
Collection method comments: Specimens in Staatliches Museum fur Naturkunde, Stuttgart.
Metadata
Database number:124276
Authorizer:M. Clapham, M. Carrano Enterer:M. Clapham, A. Delelli, M. Carrano
Modifier:M. Clapham Research group:paleoentomology
Created:2012-02-10 05:18:27 Last modified:2023-06-03 16:17:42
Access level:the public Released:2012-02-10 05:18:27
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:

44298. D. Schlee. 1970. Verwandtschaftsforschung an fossilen und rezenten Aleyrodina (Insecta; Hemiptera). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde 213:1-72 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]

Secondary references:

40711 G. Bechly and K. Wolf-Schwenninger. 2011. A new fossil genus and species of snakefly (Raphidioptera: Mesoraphidiidae) from Lower Cretaceous Lebanese amber, with a discussion of snakefly phylogeny and fossil history. Insect Systematics & Evolution 42:221-236 [M. Clapham/A. Delelli/M. Clapham]
40702 A. Borkent. 2000. Biting midges (Ceratopogonidae: Diptera) from Lower Cretaceous Lebanese amber with a discussion of the diversity and patterns found in other ambers. In D. Grimaldi (ed.), Studies on Fossils in Amber, with Particular Reference to the Cretaceous of New Jersey 355-451 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham/M. Clapham]
45158 L. Brundin. 1976. A Neocomian Chironomid and Podonorninae-Aphroteniinae (Diptera) in the light of phylogenetics and biogeography. Zoologica Scripta 5:139-160 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]
45453 W. Hennig. 1970. Insektenfossilien aus der unteren Kreide. II. Empididae (Diptera, Brachycera). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde 214:1-12 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]
45454 W. Hennig. 1971. Insektenfossilien aus der unteren Kreide III. Empidiformia ("Microphorinae") aus der unteren Kreide und aus dem Baltischen Bernstein; ein Vertreter der Cyclorrhapha aus der unteren Kreide. Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde 232:1-28 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]
45455 W. Hennig. 1972. Insektenfossilien aus der unteren Kreide IV. Psychodidae (Phlebotominae), mit einer kritischen Übersicht über das phylogenetische System der Familie und die bisher beschriebenen Fossilien (Diptera). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde 241:1-69 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]
61554 D. Schlee. 1973. Harzkonservierte fossile Vogelfedern aus der untersten Kreide [Resin-preserved fossil bird feathers from the lowermost Cretaceous]. Journal für Ornithologie 114(2):207-219 [M. Carrano/M. Carrano]
40048 R. Szadziewski. 1995. The oldest fossil Corethrellidae (Diptera) from Lower Cretaceous Lebanese amber. Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia 38:177-181 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]
50251 R. Szadziewski. 1996. Biting midges from Lower Cretaceous amber of Lebanon and Upper Cretaceous Siberian amber of Taimyr (Dipera, Ceratopogonidae). Studia Dipterologica 3:23-86 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]
47863 J. Wunderlich. 2004. Report on spider (Araneae) of the families Araneidae and Zygiellidae in Lebanese amber. In J. Wunderlich (ed.), Beiträge zur Araneologie 3:1864-1865 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]
47820 J. Wunderlich. 2004. On selected higher and lower taxa of fossil and extant spiders of the superfamily Oecobioidea, with a provisional Cladogram (Araneae: Hersiliidae and Oecobiidae). In J. Wunderlich (ed.), Beiträge zur Araneologie 3:809-848 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]
41615 R. zur Strassen. 1973. Fossile Fransenflügler aus mesozoischem Bernstein des Libanon. Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde Serie A (Biologie) 256:1-51 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham/M. Clapham]