Chresmoda Explained

Chresmoda is an extinct genus of insects within the family Chresmodidae.

Description

Chresmoda are large enigmatic insects with very long specialized legs, probably adapted for skating on the water surface similar to pond skaters. They can reach a body length of about, with a forewing length of about . Some lagre specimens could reached a size of about .^[1]

These Polyneoptera of uncertain position have been considered aquatic and living on the water surface, probably predaceous on nektonic small animals.^{[2] [3]}

They lived during the Cretaceous of Brazil,^[4] China,^[5] Lebanon, Spain, United Kingdom, Mongolia and Myanmar, as well as in the Late Jurassic of Germany, from 150.8 to 93.5 Ma from the Tithonian to the Cenomanian ages. While most species are known from compression fossils, Chresmoda chikuni is known from well preserved 3-dimensional specimens in amber.^[6]

Species

• Chresmoda aquatica Martinez-Delclos, 1989 La Pedrera de Rubies Formation and Las Hoyas, Spain, Barremian
• Chresmoda chikuni Zhang & Ge in Zhang et al., 2017 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian
• Chresmoda libanica Nel et al., 2004 Sannine Formation, Lebanon, Cenomanian
• Chresmoda multinervis Zhang et al., 2009 Dabeigou Formation, China, Early Cretaceous
• Chresmoda mongolica Ponomarenko, 1986 Gurvan-Eren Formation, Mongolia, Aptian
• Chresmoda neotropica Engel & Heads, 2008 Crato Formation, Brazil, Aptian
• Chresmoda obscura Germar, 1839 Solnhofen Limestone, Germany, Tithonian: can reach a size of about .^[7] These Polyneoptera of uncertain position have been considered aquatic and terrestrial bug or phasmids. They should instead be anomalous paraplecopterids living on the water surface, probably predaceous on nektonic small animals.^[8] They lived during the Jurassic of Germany, from 150.8 to 145.5 Ma.
• Chresmoda orientalis Esaki, 1949 Yixian Formation, China, Aptian
• Chresmoda oweni Westwood, 1854 Purbeck Group, United Kingdom, Berriasian
• Chresmoda shihi Zhang et al., 2009 Dabeigou Formation, China, Early Cretaceous

External links

• Encyclopedia of Life
• Lacewing Digital Library

Notes and References

1. Web site: Fossil mit der ID: 1780 - Chresmoda obscura GERMAR, 1839 - Die Fossilien von Solnhofen. solnhofen-fossilienatlas.de. 24 February 2024.
2. A. G. Ponomarenko Fossil insects from the Tithonian «Solnhofener Plattenkalke» in the Museum of Natural History, Vienna
3. Nel. Andre. Azar. Dany. Martinez-Delclos. Xavier. Makhoul. Edouard. 2004-03-25. A new Upper Cretaceous species of Chresmoda from Lebanon - a latest representative of Chresmodidae (Insecta: Polyneoptera inc. sed.): first record of homeotic mutations in the fossil record of insects. European Journal of Entomology. 101. 1. 145–151. 10.14411/eje.2004.019. free.
4. Delclòs. Xavier. Nel. André. Azar. Dany. Bechly. Günter. Dunlop. Jason A.. Engel. Michael S.. Heads. Sam W.. 2008-03-01. The enigmatic Mesozoic insect taxon Chresmodidae (Polyneoptera): New palaeobiological and phylogenetic data, with the description of a new species from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen. en. 247. 3. 353–381. 10.1127/0077-7749/2008/0247-0353.
5. Zhang. Xinwen. Ren. Dong. Pang. Hong. Shih. Chungkun. 2010-01-27. Late Mesozoic Chresmodids with Forewing from Inner Mongolia, China (Polyneoptera: Archaeorthoptera). Acta Geologica Sinica - English Edition. en. 84. 1. 38–46. 10.1111/j.1755-6724.2010.00168.x.
6. Weiwei Zhang, Wanzhi Cai, Wenzhu Li, Xingke Yang, Siqin Ge. 2017. A new species of Chresmodidae from Mid-Cretaceous amber discovered in Myanmar. Zoological Systematics. 42. 2. 243-247. 10.11865/zs.201714.
7. http://www.solnhofen-fossilienatlas.de/fossil.php?fossilid=535 Solnhofen Fossilien Atlas
8. A. G. Ponomarenko Fossil insects from the Tithonian «Solnhofener Plattenkalke» in the Museum of Natural History, Vienna