Amber‐bearing Bed in a Shallow Marine Setting,an Example from the Lower Cretaceous Miyako Group,Northeastern Japan

A previously unknown amber‐bearing bed in the Lower Cretaceous Miyako Group, northeastern Japan, was deposited within a sequence that contains abundant marine macrofossils and wave‐generated sedimentary structures that suggest deposition in an open shallow marine environment. How the amber was transported from its terrestrial origin to the marine environment is unclear, but sedimentary gravity flow is a strong candidate. Our observations suggest that the occurrence of amber clasts in sediments deposited in open and closed shallow marine environments is not uncommon. Thus, in addition to terrestrial sediments, sediments of marine origin have potential as targets for amber exploration.     

A Reconstructed Wind Stress Dataset for Climate Research over the Tropical Pacific during a 153-Year Period

There are close relationships between the sea surface temperature (SST) and the surface wind over the tropical Pacific.To study the past climate variability over the tropical Pacific,the long-term monthly wind stress anomalies over the tropical Pacific for the period of 1856–2008 are reconstructed with an SVD (singular value decomposition)-based statistical atmospheric model,where the wind stress anomalies are slave and directly correspond to the SST anomalies.The verification results show that the reconstructed wind stress data have high correlations and a small root mean square (RMS) error with the three reanalysis/simulated surface wind datasets from the last 50 years.In addition,the simulated SST anomalies from an intermediate oceanic model (IOM),which is forced by the reconstructed wind stress,can simulate the realistic interannual and decadal variability of the ENSO (El Nio-Southern Oscillation);this indicates that this new long-term wind stress dataset is useful for various climate studies,especially for the large-scale interannual and decadal variability.     

Palaeoleptus burmanicus n. gen., n. sp., an Early Cretaceous shore bug (Hemiptera: Palaeoleptidae n. fam.) in Burmese amber

Palaeoleptus burmanicus gen. et sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Leptopodomorpha: Palaeoleptidae fam. nov.) is described from Early Cretaceous Burmese amber. The fossil is characterized by nearly completely coreaceous wings with only a small membranous area at the distal tip, and a unique wing venation consisting of eight closed cells, including four obliquely orientated toward the embolar wing margin and two large vertically-positioned cells extending nearly to the apical wing margin. Additional characters are large, compound eyes, three pairs of cephalic trichobothria, four antennal segments all similar in texture, spines on the profemur, ocelli positioned on a tubercle and a rostrum extending to the mesocoxae, with the second segment bearing four pairs of spines. The female fossil contains an asymmetrical subgenital plate orientated toward the left side of the body, indicating a side-by-side mating behavior as occurs in extant Leptopodomorpha.     

1396—2005年天山南坡阿克苏河流域降水序列重建与分析

利用2005年采白天山南坡阿克苏河流域的树轮样本,建立了该流域6个树轮年表.相关计算表明,天山南坡阿克苏河流域英阿特河树轮标准化年表与该区域上年8月到当年4月的降水相关最为显著.利用该年表较好地重建了阿克苏气象站1396-2005年上年8月到当年4月的降水序列,经多方面验证表明其具有较好的可信性.分析表明:在过去600 a中,天山南坡阿克苏河流域降水以2～2.5a、12～13 a、45 a、50 a、58 a的周期最为显著;在1584年,1615年,1685年,1722年和1753年前后曾发生了突变,15、19、20世纪天山南坡阿克苏河流域的降水相对稳定.在1416-1990年经历了9个偏湿期及9个偏干期,阿克苏河流域过去600 a来降水有增加的趋势;降水年际变化极不均匀,洪水、干旱、雪灾等自然灾害频繁发生.     

一个重构的153年热带太平洋次表层上卷海温资料

次表层上卷海温对改进ENSO(厄尔尼诺-南方涛动,El Ni o-Southern Oscillation)模拟水平及ENSO年代际变化均具有重要作用。利用一个中等复杂程度耦合模式(intermediate coupled model,简称ICM)和Nudging(张弛逼近)同化方法,重构了1856—2008年间热带太平洋地区的次表层上卷海温。统计检验表明,重构的次表层上卷海温与近50年的3种分析资料间具有较高的相关性和较小的均方根误差。此外,通过此重构的次表层上卷海温资料重新驱动ICM模式,模拟得到的海表温度距平(sea surface temperature anomaly,简称SSTA)可以真实地反映出ENSO的年际和年代际变化,表明此重构的次表层上卷海温资料可用于气候研究,特别是用于ENSO的大尺度低频变化或年代际气候变化研究。     

The earliest Attagenus species (Coleoptera: Dermestidae: Attageninae) from Upper Cretaceous Burmese amber

A new species belonging to the extant dermestid genus Attagenus, Attagenus burmiticus sp. nov., is described and illustrated based on a well-preserved specimen from the Upper Cretaceous Burmese amber. The discovery suggests that Attagenus is an ancient group, originating as early as in the mid-Cretaceous. Along with another species of Attagenus known from the Upper Cretaceous New Jersey amber, it implies that Attagenus were widespread in the Mesoozic.     

A new genus and species of soldier beetle from Upper Cretaceous Burmese amber (Coleoptera,Cantharidae, Malthininae)

A new Upper Cretaceous genus and species of soldier beetles, Archaeomalthodes rosetta gen. et sp. nov., is described and illustrated from an individual preserved in Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian, ca. 99 Ma) amber from northern Myanmar. It is undoubtedly placed in extant subfamily Malthininae based on its small-sized body, somewhat abbreviated elytra and fusiform terminal maxillary palpomere, representing the oldest documented occurrence of Malthininae. It suggests that this subfamily is an ancient group, which originated at least in the earliest Late Cretaceous. Our discovery sheds light on the palaeodiversity of Cantharidae in the Late Mesozoic. Together with other previously reported fossil cantharids, it is likely that Malthininae has been fairly diverse during the early evolution of Cantharidae. On the other hand, a morphological similarity between Archaeomalthodes and Recent malthinines and the occurrence of flowering plants in the Burmese amber implies a potential flower-visiting behaviour of this fossil species.     

Myamalycocerus vitalii: A new genus and species of soldier beetle in Burmese amber (Coleoptera Cantharidae)

A new fossil soldier beetle Myamalycocerus vitalii gen. et sp. nov., is described and illustrated from an inclusion in Upper Cretaceous Burmese amber (Myanmar). It differs from all extant genera that have elytra adorned with small striae by possessing raised punctation, very probably an ancient character as it is absent among current species. It differs from the fossil Ornatomalthinus Poinar et Fanti, by the long elytra and relief points which are less raised and more numerous. This new genus appears vaguely related (not necessarily phylogenetically) to the current genus Lycocerus Gorham.