title: Exceptionally preserved insect fossils in the Late Jurassic lagoon of Orbagnoux (Rhône Valley, France).
abstract: The Late Kimmeridgian marine limestones of the area around Orbagnoux (Rhône, France) are well known for their fish fauna and terrestrial flora. Here we record the first insects and their activities (mines on leaves and trails in sediments) from these layers, including the oldest record of the gerromorphan bugs, as a new genus and species Gallomesovelia grioti, attributed to the most basal family Mesoveliidae and subfamily Madeoveliinae. These new fossils suggest the presence of a complex terrestrial palaeoecosystem on emerged lands near the lagoon where the limestones were deposited. The exquisite state of preservation of these fossils also suggests that these outcrops can potentially become an important Konservat-Lagerstätte for the Late Jurassic of Western Europe.
authors.affiliation: Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité, ISYEB , CNRS UMR 7205, UPMC EPHE, Paris , France.
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nel
authors.affiliation: Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité, ISYEB , CNRS UMR 7205, UPMC EPHE, Paris , France.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nel
authors.affiliation: Barberaz , France.
authors.forename: Régis
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Krieg-Jacquier
authors.affiliation: Nivolas Vermelle , France.
authors.forename: Jean-Marc
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pouillon
authors.affiliation: Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité, ISYEB , CNRS UMR 7205, UPMC EPHE, Paris , France.
authors.forename: Romain
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Garrouste
keywords: Attacks on Zamites leaves; Heteroptera; Insecta; Mesoveliidae; Trails in sediment; gen. et sp. nov.