While prospecting in the foothills of the Andes in 1894, near San José de Jáchal (San Juan Province, Argentina), German palaeontologist Wilhelm [Guillermo] Bodenbender discovered a rich fauna of Early Devonian echinoderms at a place called Quebrada de las Aguaditas, after an earthquake. Despite some preliminary notes (Kayser 1897, Ruedemann 1916), it was not described in detail until a century later (Haude 1995), revealing a particularly diverse and remarkably well-preserved assemblage, including asteroids, crinoids, holothurians, ophiuroids and stylophorans. Despite several field campaigns, Bodenbender's original site has not been found. However, the exploitation of equivalent levels in a neighbouring locality (Loma de los Piojos) has yielded very abundant and comparable faunas, perfectly stratigraphically calibrated (upper part of the Talacasto Formation, Upper Lochkovian to Lower Emsian; Wenger et al. 2025). The exceptional preservation of numerous complete and articulated echinoderm remains indicates rapid burial, probably linked to storm/obrution deposits. This interpretation has recently been confirmed by sedimentological and ichnological analysis of the Loma de los Piojos section (Wenger et al. 2025). The echinoderms of the Talacasto Formation show strong affinities with other high-latitude peri-Gondwanan assemblages (Malvinocaffre Province), particularly with those found in South Africa and Brazil, but also with faunas from more distant regions, such as Australia.

Osmundaceae is the only extant family of the Osmundales, the most basal order of leptosporangiate ferns. Claytosmunda beardmorensis from the Upper Triassic of Antarctica, one of the earliest representatives of the crown group Osmundaceae was first described in 1978. However, the unusual growth habit and ecology of the species have never been described in detail and some important anatomical characters were left unknown. We present new information on the species based on a detailed study of a second, better-preserved silicified rhizome collected from the type locality at Fremouw Peak.

Stem and petiole anatomy, growth habit and associated remains were analysed through acetate peels of serial section surfaces. A digital three-dimensional model showing the arrangement and growth trajectory of stems within the specimen was created from vectorized section surfaces using 3d modelling software. A morphological phylogenetic analysis of the crown-group Osmundaceae was conducted with the new anatomical information.

Unknown morphological characters were clarified and inaccurate information emended. The digital 3d model shows numerous branching, semi-erect stems within the rhizome that are arranged in a funnel-shape. The phylogenetic analysis shows that C. beardmorensis occupies a basal position within Claytosmunda and is more closely related to the genus Osmundastrum than previously assumed.

Several autochthonous and allochthonous remains of other organisms were found within the specimen. Represented groups include arthropods, fungi and several different seed plants. Noteworthy are locally abundant sporangial remains with patch-shaped annuli, presumably belonging to the host plant, as well as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the host plant roots.

Many beetle larvae are common feeders on fungi and molds, and this mycophagous lifestyle is likely ancestral for several beetle lineages. The ecological roles of these beetles are often reflected in their vernacular names, such as handsome fungus beetles, hairy fungus beetles, and silken fungus beetles. Some species display specialized feeding behaviors, including burrowing into fungal fruiting bodies or fungus-infested wood.

Immature stages of handsome fungus beetles, minute bark beetles, and pleasing fungus beetles often possess distinctive setiferous (bristle-bearing) processes, likely linked to their ecological adaptations. These structures may aid in camouflage, defense, or even spore dispersal. In fact, the use of body processes for cloaking is not unique to beetles; it also occurs in other insects, such as some lacewing larvae. Larvae of handsome fungus beetles, for example, may cloak themselves with debris, fungal hyphae, or plant material. In a remarkable case of parental investment, females of Endomychus biguttatus wrap fungal hyphae around their eggs, offering them physical protection.

Despite the ecological importance and widespread occurrence of these larvae, their fossil record remains poorly explored. Reports of fossilized larvae have been limited and sporadic. Our study significantly expands this record by documenting new larval specimens preserved in amber from multiple deposits, spanning several geological periods and diverse geographic regions. These findings provide valuable insights into the deep evolutionary history and ecological continuity of fungus-associated beetle larvae.

Here, we have provided a detailed taxonomic description of equid fossils first time from Markhal, Chakwal District and Sulaiman Range, Sakhi Sarwar, Dera Ghazi Khan District in Punjab, Pakistan. The dental remains of hipparionins have been recovered from six which are Dhok Pathan Type Locality, Ochri, Gujjar Mehra, Molair Patti, Markhal, and Gharbin. These localities are dated to the Late Miocene to Early Pliocene period (10.2–3.4 Ma). The specimens described here contain both upper and lower dentitions belonging to two genera, Cormohipparion and Sivalhippus. During the Late Miocene, the palaeoenvironment of the Siwaliks is currently hypothesised to have had open habitats with a warm, arid environment. However, the presence of three-toed hipparionin equids suggests a wide range of complex paleoenvironmental conditions varying from grasslands to forest habitats. Furthermore, our study reveals complex dental structures in the extinct hipparionin species from the Siwaliks, indicating a dietary transition from C3 to C4 diet from browsing to grazing during the Late Miocene epoch.

Keywords: Equids; Siwaliks, Sulaiman Range, Late Miocene, Early Pliocene

A syninclusion is composed of more than one specimen, fossilised in the same amber piece. In rare cases, clear signs of interactions between organisms before their entrapment in the tree resin can be observed. This is known as “frozen behaviour”. “Frozen behaviour” in amber is valuable not only due to its scarcity, but also because it offers information to reconstruct the network of interactions between organisms of past ecosystems. One of the most common forms of interaction in amber is parasitism, and among these, the most commonly reported parasites are mites. Mites of the group Parasitengona have a complex life cycle in which their larvae are parasitic, while during active post-larval stages (deutonymph and adult) they are predatory. Larvae feed on their hosts, but also use them to disperse. Most lineages of terrestrial parasitengonans parasitise other euarthropodans during their larval stage, feeding on their haemolymph, with the exception of some groups associated with vertebrates and very few non-parasitic ones. Due to their strong attachment devices that keep their mouthparts still connected to their host during the process of amber formation, they are among the most frequently reported fossil parasites. Here we present and describe the parasitic relationship of fossil terrestrial parasitengonan larvae with dipteran hosts. We show around 50 new records of such associations, more than doubling the previously reported cases. Moreover, we further discuss the relevance of dipterans as hosts of terrestrial parasitengonan larvae both in the fossil record and for modern lineages.

Life history traits describe aspects of the investment strategies of organisms. These traits have changed and diversified over the course of evolution, but they can also react to short-term changes of the environment. Under the current human-induced climate change, life history traits of many animals have already reacted, long before a species starts to decline or even go extinct. Changes in life history are, therefore, important early indicators for biodiversity assessments. Yet, for evaluating such changes and their significance, these need to be set in a sound frame of life history traits in an evolutionary context. Fossils can add to this reconstruction of the evolution of life history traits by adding now extinct states, including transitory ones. Yet, the challenge is assessing these traits. Even for many extant species, life history traits are only incompletely known or difficult to access entirely. For fossils, getting this access is even more challenging. Here I present examples from the group Euarthropoda (e.g. beetles, spiders, centipedes, shrimps). The advantage of using these animals for this approach is their discontinuous, pseudo-discrete growth pattern: they have to moult in order to grow, due to their non-stretchable chitin cuticle. Therefore, they offer an independent ontogenetic factor not present in other animals: stages separated by moulting. I will discuss in how far we can recognise differences in observable life history traits, such as egg size, hatching size, size at metamorphosis, in fossil and extant species, and in how far selective pressures act on these.