Lebanese Amber: The Oldest Insect Ecosystem in Fossilized Resin

97 Pages·2001·1.73 MB·English

by  George O. Poinar

One of the earth’s oldest natural treasures,
Lebanese amber unlocks the secrets of
a little-known world populated by dinosaurs,
p t e ro s a u rs ,and cycads.Dating back some
135 million years to the early Cretaceous,the
amber contains the earliest known re p re s e n t a t ives of many insect gro u p s .It wa s
fo r med in a we t ,t ropical kauri pine forest long before Earth’s continents reached
their present positions.
This extensively illustrated book, the first major review of Lebanese amber,covers
all aspects of this rare and highly valued resin,including its origin and its role as a
commodity in ancient cultures.The authors discuss each plant and animal fossil
thus far recovered from the amber,including nematodes,snails,mites,spiders and
insects,and the earliest complete feather.
Pa l e o n t o l ogi s t s ,b i o l ogi s t s ,and evolutionists will appreciate the book’s new
in f o r ma t i o n ,along with its summary of early research and its analysis of how
Leban ese Amber
these amber fossils can increase our understanding of insect dive rs i f i c a t i o n ,
b i og e ogr a p hy,e x t i n c t i o n ,and surv iva l .With its descriptions of the ori gi n s ,
ch a r a c t e r is t i c s , and ancient uses of Lebanese amber and other Near Eastern res i n s ,
The Oldest Insect Ecosystem in Fossilized Resin
the book will appeal to readers of natural history and amber and gem collectors
as well.
In the hands of George Poinar and Raif Milki,who have long shared a passion for
these little-investigated deposits,Lebanese Amberpresents a powerful,exquisitely
detailed portrait of an ecosystem that,without them,might have remained lost to
us forever.
g e orge poinar, j r. is an authority on amber and the author or co-author of
numerous books,including The Amber Forest,Life in Amber, and The Quest for Life in
Amber.Formerly a faculty member in the Department of Entomological Sciences
at University of California,Berkeley,he joined the Oregon State University
Department of Entomology in 1995.
,!7IA8H0-hbfdde!
raif milki,the foremost expert on Lebanese
amber,is a professor of Public Health at the
American University of Beirut.
Oregon State University Press OSU George O. Poinar, Jr. and Raif Milki
ISBN 0-87071-533-X P re s s
LEBANESE AMBER

LEBANESE AMBER
The Oldest Insect Ecosystem in Fossilized Resin
George O. Poinar, Jr.
Raif K. Milki
Oregon State University Press
Corvallis
Publication of this book was made possible by
a contribution from the
Safadi Foundation
The Oregon State University Press is grateful for this support
Front cover photograph of a dance fly close to the genus Brachystoma in the subfamily
Brachystomatinae (Empididae: Diptera) by George O. Poinar, Jr.
Back cover photograph of Dr. Milki collecting amber from 135 million year old Lower
Cretaceous beds on the slopes of Mt. Lebanon by Nesrine Milki
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and
durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book
Longevity of the Council on Library Resources and the minimum
requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence of
Paper for Printed Library Materials Z39.48-1984.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Poinar, George O.
Lebanese amber : the oldest insect ecosystem in fossilized resin /
George O. Poinar, Jr., and Raif Milki.-- 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-87071-533-X (alk. paper)
1. Amber--Lebanon. 2. Amber fossils--Lebanon. I. Milki, Raif.
II. Title.
QE391.A5 P65 2001
560'.95692--dc21
2001003008
© 2001 George O. Poinar Jr. and Raif Milki
All rights reserved. First edition 2001
Printed in the United States of America
Oregon State University Press
101 Waldo Hall
Corvallis OR 97331-6407
541-737-3166 • fax [phone]
http://osu.orst.edu/dept/press
Dedication
We dedicate this book to Mohammed Safadi,
who made its publication possible through a contribution
from the Safadi Foundation, which promotes higher
education, technology and research.
CONTENTS
Foreword................................................................................................ 9
Preface.................................................................................................. 10
Scientific aspects of Lebanese amber.......................................... 12
Introduction.................................................................................. 12
Geological Setting........................................................................ 13
Age of Lebanese Amber.............................................................. 15
The Study of Lebanese Amber................................................... 15
Plant Source.................................................................................. 16
Nature of the Cretaceous Kauri Forest ..................................... 21
The Shifting Face of Lebanon.....................................................26
Types of inclusions in Lebanese Amber..................................... 28
Monera ..........................................................................................28
Fungi.............................................................................................. 28
Plantae........................................................................................... 31
Animalia........................................................................................ 32
Nematoda................................................................................. 32
Mollusca ...................................................................................33
Myriapoda................................................................................ 33
Arachnida................................................................................. 33
Hexapoda................................................................................. 34
Collembola .......................................................................... 34
Archeognatha...................................................................... 35
Odonata ............................................................................... 35
Ephemeroptera................................................................... 35
Blattaria................................................................................ 36
Orthoptera........................................................................... 36
Isoptera................................................................................ 37
Psocoptera........................................................................... 37
Hemiptera............................................................................ 37
Neuroptera.......................................................................... 40
Coleoptera........................................................................... 41
Thysanoptera...................................................................... 44
Trichoptera .......................................................................... 44
Lepidoptera......................................................................... 45
Diptera................................................................................. 45
Hymenoptera...................................................................... 60
Vertebrata...................................................................................... 63
Discussion..........................................................................................64
Symbiotic Associations ............................................................... 63
Insect Diversification and Distribution ....................................64
Extinctions: Generic Lineages.................................................... 66
Insect-plant Associations............................................................70
Insect Population Structure Over Time ....................................71
Comparison of Amber Taxa with Lebanese Fish Fossils........ 73
Cultural aspects of Lebanese amber............................................ 76
The Early History of Lebanese Amber...................................... 76
Collecting Lebanese Amber........................................................ 78
Other Resins, Copals and Gums from Lebanon and the
Near East.................................................................................. 79
Acknowledgments........................................................................... 84
References ....................................................................................... 85
Appendix: Description of Agathis levantensis sp. n. ..................91
Index............................................................................................... 93
Tables
1. Evidence of extinct kauri pines (Agathis spp.) in the northern
hemisphere based on resin analysis..........................................18
2. Geographical location of extant kauri pines (Agathis spp.).... 20
3. Genera, families and orders of insects described from
Lebanese amber ........................................................................... 29
4. Lebanese amber insect genera reported from other
amber deposits.............................................................................65
5. Characteristics of extant insect genera in Lebanese amber.... 66
6. Comparison of common arthropod orders in amber
from Lebanon, Canada (Alberta), and the Dominican
Republic ........................................................................................ 71
7. Genera (all extinct) of fish fossils from Upper Cretaceous,
Lebanon, with family and ordinal status................................. 74
8. Plant resins, copals, and gums of the past and present
from the Near East that could be confused with
Lebanese amber ........................................................................... 81
FOREWORD
Some one hundred and thirty million years ago, when dinosaurs
roamed the earth, towering kauri pines in prehistoric Lebanon wept
copious amounts of resin. The resin, which trapped a diverse range of
life, especially insects, eventually transformed into what is known today
as Lebanese amber. This is the oldest known amber to preserve insect
remains and possibly also contains the earliest angiosperm leaves.
Entombed biting insects may even contain the blood of dinosaurs.
Amber is known for preserving fossils in life-like condition, because
they were not subjected to the compression that all too commonly affects
most soft-bodied organisms that enter the prehistoric record. Inclusions
in amber are three dimensional and appear ready to spring out of their
golden tombs and continue their former lives.
Here, for both the professional and amateur, is a well-illustrated
account of Lebanese amber from the Early Cretaceous. Included are
records of the first known appearances of many insect groups, all from
that significant geological interval that so altered the terrestrial world—
the beginning of the flowering plants.
In this first book on amber from Lebanon, the authors include
information from prior descriptions of individual fossils and add a
wealth of new material documented by photographs. They also provide
background information on the geology and occurrence of Lebanese
amber and a comprehensive section on other types of resins and gums
found in the Near East that might be confused with true amber.
Emphasis is placed on co-evolutionary relationships found in Lebanese
amber, some of which persist to the present day. It is a pleasure to read
this work and view the color plates beautifully depicting the most
ancient insects from any amber source.
Dr. Arthur Boucot, Department of Zoology,
Oregon State University
9