Dermaptera, de Geer, 1773

Nel, André, Waller, Alain, Albouy, Vincent, Menier, Jean-Jacques & Plöeg, Gaël De, 2003, New fossil earwigs from the lowermost Eocene amber of Paris basin (France) (Insecta, Dermaptera, family incertae sedis), Geodiversitas 25 (1), pp. 119-129 : 127-128

Dermaptera family indet. 2 ( Fig. 6B)

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Specimen PA 2987, in the same piece of amber with organic remains; in collection De Ploëg and Indivision Langlois-Meurine, deposited in Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris .

TYPE LOCALITY. — Le Quesnoy, Chevrière, region of Creil, Oise department, France.

GEOLOGICAL AGE. — Lowermost Eocene, Sparnacian, level MP 7 of the mammal fauna of Dormaal.

DESCRIPTION

Only the two cerci with the five last abdominal segments are preserved; cerci narrow and relatively long, 3.8 mm long for a total length of 2.0 mm for the five distal abdominal segments; cerci straight, with the apices crossing; small teeth on the inner sides of cerci and few sparse setae.

DISCUSSION

It is not possible to determine whether this fossil is a larva or an adult. Nevertheless, this type of long and narrow cerci occurs in modern dermapteran families Labiidae or Forficulidae . The main interest of this fossil is to show that there is a third species of Dermaptera in the amber of this outcrop.