The first fossil Perilestidae (Odonata: Zygoptera) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber

Palaeoperilestes electronicus gen. et sp. nov. is the first perilestid damselfly described from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. This new damselfly can be attributed to the family Perilestidae by the midfork being distal of the subnodus and the base of IR2 quite near to the base of RP2, both features found in the extant genera Perilestes and Perissolestes. Palaeoperilestes electronicus gen. et sp. nov. has a strongly zigzagged IR1, however, differing from Perilestes and Perissolestes which have a straight IR1. The discovery not only adds to the diversity of damselflies in Burmese amber, but also puts the origin of Perilestidae back to at least the mid-Cretaceous.     

The oldest armoured harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones: Laniatores), from Upper Cretaceous Myanmar amber

The oldest laniatorean harvestman, Petrobunoides sharmai gen. et sp. nov. (Opiliones: Laniatores) is described, from the Upper Cretaceous (lowermost Cenomanian) amber of Myanmar. This is the first fossil Laniatores recovered from Southeast Asia, which is placed in the extant family Epedanidae. It is also the first fossil known within the superfamily Epedanoidea; a relatively derived clade of Laniatores restricted to Southeast Asia today. At ca. 99 Ma, this new amber inclusion is substantially older than the previous oldest record of a member of Laniatores from Baltic amber (ca. 44–49 Ma); however, given the Palaeozoic age of Laniatores implied by molecular data, the new record from Burmese amber is probably still too young for constraining or calibrating the date of cladogenesis for total group Laniatores. Nevertheless, it provides a much better constraint for Epedanoidea, adding the first useful laniatorean fossil to provide an internal calibration point for a clade of Grassatores.     

The first araripeneurine antlion in Burmese amber (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae)

Burmaneura minuta gen. et sp. nov., the first araripeneurine antlion in amber, is characterized, described and compared with the modern and Mesozoic Myrmeleontidae. The precise position of the fossil within this group is debatable. Interestingly, despite a rather rich fossil record, all Mesozoic Myrmeleontidae belong to subfamilies that are not recorded in the Cenozoic, although this might merely reflect the artificiality of the classification as the extinct groups may be paraphyletic with respect to their younger counterparts (e.g., Araripeneurinae may very well be nothing more than a stem group of no classificatory value).     

New ripiphorid beetles in mid-Cretaceous amber from Myanmar (Coleoptera: Ripiphoridae): First Pelecotominae and possible Mesozoic aggregative behaviour in male Ripidiinae

New fossil material of ripiphorid beetles (Tenebrionoidea: Ripiphoridae) is described and figured in lowermost Cenomanian amber from the Hukawng Valley of northern Myanmar. Flabellotoma heidiae gen. et sp. nov. is the Mesozoic representative of the putatively primitive subfamily Pelecotominae, represented by an almost completely preserved male. The new genus is compared with all extant members of the subfamily and is most notably distinguishable by an autapomorphic combination of a reduced tibial spur formula and unique ventral abdominal sclerite, and presumably in antennal structure as well. In addition, a syninclusion of eight males of Ripidiinae is discussed. The males are similar to Paleoripiphorus deploegi Perrichot, Nel, et Néraudeau in roughly coeval amber from western France. The syninclusion is interpreted as a result of aggregative behaviour during the flight activity of males, thereby representing the earliest documented evidence of such ethology. Brief remarks are made regarding the similarities among Cretaceous amber beetle faunas, and Mesozoic taxa previously attributed to Ripiphoridae are newly reconsidered.     

A new tribe of Galerucinae leaf beetle (Insecta: Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) from the Upper Cretaceous Taimyr amber

The new tribe Taimyralticini trib. nov., new genus Taimyraltica gen. nov. and new species Taimyraltica calcarata sp. nov. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae) are described from Upper Cretaceous (Santonian) Taimyr amber of northern Siberia (Yantardakh locality). The new genus shares characters with genera of the tribe Alticini (small size, transverse antebasal groove on pronotum, regular punctate-striate elytra) and the Galerucini (narrow, non-swollen metafemora). A possible apomorphy of the new genus and tribe is a large and acute metatibial spur, erect and oriented transversely to the longitudinal axis of tibia. This character state is unknown in recent and fossil genera of Galerucinae. Early evolution and divergence of leaf beetles are discussed, and a Jurassic and Early Cretaceous subfamily radiation is proposed. Fossil galerucines are reviewed. The oldest Phyllotreta is recorded from the lower Miocene of Izarra (Spain). Our findings show an extreme rarity of Phytophaga in Taimyr amber from Yantardakh. Absence of Phytophaga was recorded earlier at Obeschayuschiy (Santonian-Campanian of the Magadan Region) and compared with their much larger share in Khetana (north of Khabarovsk Krai); we find nearly the same differences between Taimyr amber from Yantardakh and Canadian amber. In Obeschayuschiy this appears due to the Mesophytic character of the flora. It is assumed that the Santonian amber gymnosperm forest of the Khatanga Basin had the same character.     

A new genus and species of aphids,Tanyaulus caudisetula gen. et sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Aphidoidea: Burmitaphidae) in mid-Cretaceous Myanmar amber

A new genus and species of aphids, Tanyaulus caudisetula gen. et sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Aphidoidea: Burmitaphidae), is described from mid- Cretaceous Myanmar amber. Autapomorphies for the new genus are stub-like hind wings, 7-segmented antenna, long rostrum equal to body length, 4 veins departing from the main vein, cubital veins distinctly separated, with a very short, curved basal proximal cubitus, one-branched M vein with distal fork arched at the base, distinct claval folds at wing bases and caudal protuberance with extended setae. The new fossil adds to our knowledge of the morphological diversity of Mesozoic Aphidoidea.     

达尔文气压变化与蒙古东北部降水的关系研究

达尔文港是气象工作者非常熟悉的地名,因为南方涛动就是由达尔文和塔希提岛两个站的气压之差来定义的,达尔文港的气压(DP)可以代表澳大利亚北部海洋性大陆地区的气压.因此,作者的研究目的就是揭示该区域气压系统的变化与蒙古东北部降水的关系.结果表明,DP的正位相和区域低层大气辐散、高层大气辐合环流相关连,在亚洲对流层上层是异常西南风,对流层下层是异常偏北风,东亚季风减弱,在蒙古东北部地区的异常风为西北向,即,由内陆地区吹向西北太平洋地区,这意味着水汽由海洋向蒙古地区的输送减弱了,从而造成了降水的减少.反之亦然.     

用树木年轮重建伊犁南天山北坡西部的降水量序列

根据采自伊犁地区南天山北坡11个采点的树木年轮样本,建立了每个采点的3种年表。通过单相关普查发现,标准化树轮年表序列与当年1~5月的降水显著相关。分析表明该时段降水与树木年轮生长呈正相关具有明确的树木生理学意义。利用新源上限(XNAUt)、昭苏上限(ZUt、ZUt 2)和特克斯下限(TLt)4个标准化树轮年表序列可较好地重建该区域在该时段的降水量。经交叉检验,所得重建方程是稳定可靠的,重建的降水序列是可信的。通过分析发现:伊犁地区南天山北坡300年以来1~5月的降水大致经历了6个偏湿阶段和6个偏干阶段;有2.0~2.8年、24.8年、28.3年、33年、99年的变化准周期;在1909年发生由多向少的突变;1740年、1870年发生由少向多的突变,其中又以1870年前后的突变最为明显。     

河南西峡-内乡琥珀矿床的初步研究

河南西峡-内乡琥珀矿床是我国琥珀市场上原料的重要产地。通过对该矿床的地层、岩相、古地理以及水动力条件等因素的分析研究，以及对琥珀矿体地质特征、琥珀物理性质及化学组成特征的研究，认为该琥珀矿床属于晚白垩世河流冲、洪积沉积矿床。     

A new inverse method and application to ocean data

A new method is proposed to inverse normalization data of hidden variables in a dynamical system by embedding a time series in multidimensional spaces and applying a normalization analysis to the conditional probability density of points in the reconstructed phase spaces. The method is robust in the application to Lorenz system and 4-dimensional R?ssler system by testing quantitatively and qualitatively the correlation coefficient between inverse data and original data in time domain and in frequency domain, respectively. By applying the method to analyzing the South China Sea data, the normalization data of wind speed is extracted from the sea surface temperature time series.