Microberotha
Encyclopedia
Microberotha is an extinct monotypic
genus
of "beaded lacewing", family Berothidae
; order Neuroptera
with the single species Microberotha macculloughi. The genus is known from a single male specimen, the holotype
, currently deposited in the collections of the Kelowna Centennial Museum in Kelowna
, British Columbia
, as number "NH.998.015.002", and which was first studied by Dr Bruce Archibald and Dr Vladimir Makarkin. Drs Archibald and Makarkin published their type description in the journal The Canadian Entomologist volume 136 published in 2004. The genus name is a combination of the Greek
mikros meaning "small" and Berotha, a genus in the family Berothidae. The species name is in honor of Terry McCullough, a supporter of paleontological research at the type locality. "Mac" is used in the species epithet to conform to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature
recommendations regarding names from personal names. The type specimen is well preserved in early Early Eocene Hat Creek amber from deposits between Cache Creek
and Lillooet, British Columbia
that are part of the greater Okanagan Highlands paleoenvironment.
Microberotha can be distinguished from other berothids by the combination of an unbranched "Rs" vein and lack of an outer gradate series of crossveins in the forewings. With a forewing length of only 3.36 millimetre (0.132283464566929 in) M. macculloughi is one of the smallest known members of Berothidae to have been described. The smallest living species Manselliberotha neuropterologorum has a minimum forewing length of 3.6 millimetre (0.141732283464567 in), while some species from the New Jersey ambers are smaller at a minimum of 2.6 millimetre (0.102362204724409 in). The terminal segments of the abdomen on the holotype, necessary in determining subfamily placement, are not visible given the angles of view available through the amber. This difficulty prevents the genus from being placed at the subfamily level and thus is incertae sedis
in the family. The holotype is preserved in a specimen of amber which shows distinct flow patterning indicating it started as a "stalactite" or similar formation on the tree. The positioning of the insect relative to the flow pattern indicates it was most likely trapped with its back stuck to the inner flow with its left side facing down. A later thicker flow covered the insect twisting the left hind wing and disarticulating both the hind legs.
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of "beaded lacewing", family Berothidae
Berothidae
The beaded lacewings, Berothidae, are a family of winged insects of the order Neuroptera. The family was first named by Anton Handlirsch in 1906....
; order Neuroptera
Neuroptera
The insect order Neuroptera, or net-winged insects, includes the lacewings, mantidflies, antlions, and their relatives. The order contains some 6,010 species...
with the single species Microberotha macculloughi. The genus is known from a single male specimen, the holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
, currently deposited in the collections of the Kelowna Centennial Museum in Kelowna
Kelowna
Kelowna is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley, in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. Its name derives from a Okanagan language term for "grizzly bear"...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, as number "NH.998.015.002", and which was first studied by Dr Bruce Archibald and Dr Vladimir Makarkin. Drs Archibald and Makarkin published their type description in the journal The Canadian Entomologist volume 136 published in 2004. The genus name is a combination of the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
mikros meaning "small" and Berotha, a genus in the family Berothidae. The species name is in honor of Terry McCullough, a supporter of paleontological research at the type locality. "Mac" is used in the species epithet to conform to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature
International Code of Zoological Nomenclature
The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals...
recommendations regarding names from personal names. The type specimen is well preserved in early Early Eocene Hat Creek amber from deposits between Cache Creek
Cache Creek, British Columbia
Cache Creek is a junction community northeast of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. It is on the Trans-Canada Highway in the province of British Columbia at its junction with northbound Highway 97...
and Lillooet, British Columbia
Lillooet, British Columbia
Lillooet is a community on the Fraser River in western Canada, about up the British Columbia Railway line from Vancouver. Situated at an intersection of deep gorges in the lee of the Coast Mountains, it has a dry climate- of precipitation is recorded annually at the town's weather station,...
that are part of the greater Okanagan Highlands paleoenvironment.
Microberotha can be distinguished from other berothids by the combination of an unbranched "Rs" vein and lack of an outer gradate series of crossveins in the forewings. With a forewing length of only 3.36 millimetre (0.132283464566929 in) M. macculloughi is one of the smallest known members of Berothidae to have been described. The smallest living species Manselliberotha neuropterologorum has a minimum forewing length of 3.6 millimetre (0.141732283464567 in), while some species from the New Jersey ambers are smaller at a minimum of 2.6 millimetre (0.102362204724409 in). The terminal segments of the abdomen on the holotype, necessary in determining subfamily placement, are not visible given the angles of view available through the amber. This difficulty prevents the genus from being placed at the subfamily level and thus is incertae sedis
Incertae sedis
, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...
in the family. The holotype is preserved in a specimen of amber which shows distinct flow patterning indicating it started as a "stalactite" or similar formation on the tree. The positioning of the insect relative to the flow pattern indicates it was most likely trapped with its back stuck to the inner flow with its left side facing down. A later thicker flow covered the insect twisting the left hind wing and disarticulating both the hind legs.