Insect and Vertebrate Faunas of a Unique Late Triassic Freshwater Ecosystem in Eastern North America

北美东部独特的晚三叠纪淡水生态系统中的昆虫和脊椎动物群（英文版）三叠纪末期（230 -200万年）是现代陆地生态系统进化的关键时期。四足动物在全球有很好的记录，包括最早的哺乳动物、鳄鱼、海龟、无尾两栖动物（青蛙和蝾螈）、蝶齿动物，以及它们的姐妹分类群——蜥蜴。相比之下，现代动物中最重要的一群昆虫的记录就少得多了。全世界已知的丰富的三叠纪昆虫序列只有少数，这些地区的大多数化石包括不完整的标本，如孤立的翅膀和鞘翅。在北美东部的纽瓦克超级群的一个遗址中发现了许多完整的晚三叠纪昆虫。索利特采石场位于弗吉尼亚州和北卡罗来纳州的分界线上，这里有全球最古老的水虫、蓟马和球虱的记录。迄今为止发现的其他化石包括一种独特的滑翔爬行动物和许多小型水生爬行动物的标本，这些标本通常保留了它们柔软部分的解剖细节。这些还没有得到充分的描述。只有相对较小的化石序列被挖掘，pi将在最多产的采石场单位进行大规模挖掘。下一阶段的工作将是对所有发现进行详细的研究，并将它们与两个最相似的主要组合进行比较：吉尔吉斯斯坦的Madygen组和南非的Molteno组。对这些昆虫的精美保存将使我们能够对俄罗斯和南非大量的昆虫收藏进行全面的重新评估，从而使我们能够更好地了解昆虫进化和辐射的模式和速度。在很长一段时间里，人们认为索利特采石场基本上没有化石。当然，在正常的光照条件下，显微镜下的昆虫化石很容易被忽视。搜索图像对pi的成功至关重要，并且使用相同的方法，他们已经确定了附近其他含有昆虫遗骸的地方。与各种植物和脊椎动物遗骸一起，它们将重建一幅晚三叠世边缘淡水生态系统的详细图景。

INSECT AND VERTEBRATE FAUNAS OF A UNIQUE LATE TRIASSIC FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEM IN EASTERN NORTH AMERICANicholas C. Fraser and David A. GrimaldiEAR-0106309The end of the Triassic period (230 -200 mya) was a pivotal time in the evolution of modern terrestrial ecosystems. There is a good global record for tetrapods, including the first mammals, crocodiles, turtles, lissamphibians (frogs and salamanders), sphenodontians, and, by extension, their sister taxon, the lizards. By contrast the record for the most significant group of modern day animals, the insects, is considerably poorer. Only a handful of rich insect-producing Triassic sequences are known worldwide, and the majority of fossils from these localities comprise incomplete specimens such as isolated wings and elytra. A single site in the Newark Supergroup of eastern North America has been found to contain numerous complete Late Triassic insects. The Solite Quarry is situated on the Virginia-North Carolina state line, and it has produced the oldest global records for water bugs, thrips and caddisflies. Other fossils found to date include a unique gliding reptile and numerous specimens of a small aquatic reptile that frequently preserve details of their soft part anatomy. These have yet to be fully described. Only a relatively small portion of the fossiliferous sequences has been excavated and PIs will open large-scale excavations in the most productive quarry units. The next phase of the work will be to conduct detailed studies of all the finds and to compare them with the two major assemblages that share the most in common: the Madygen Formation of Kirghizistan and the Molteno Formation of South Africa. The exquisite preservation of the Solite insects will permit a complete re-evaluation of the extensive Russian and South African insect collections and thereby allow for a better understanding of the mode and tempo of insect evolution and radiation at this critical time.For a long time the Solite quarry was regarded as being largely unfossiliferous. Certainly the microscopic insect fossils can be readily overlooked under normal lighting conditions. The search image is critical to the PIs success, and using the same methods they have identified other localities nearby that also contain insect remains. Together with the diverse plant and vertebrate remains, they shall reconstruct a detailed picture of marginal freshwater ecosystems in the Late Triassic.