Original paper
Eocene insects from a Maar Lagerstätte at Mahenge, northern Tanzania
Schlüter, Thomas
Entomologia Generalis Volume 37 Number 3-4 (2018), p. 375 - 392
published: Aug 10, 2018
manuscript accepted: Jan 18, 2018
manuscript received: Dec 18, 2017
DOI: 10.1127/entomologia/2017/0653
ArtNo. ESP146003703008, Price: 19.80 €
Abstract
The Eocene Lagerstätte of Mahenge in north-east Tanzania represents an extinct ecosystem of a former volcanic crater lake (maar), which is a unique window into the past early Cenozoic freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems of sub-Saharan Africa. Apart from numerous fossil fishes and plants, till now only few insects have been discovered at Mahenge, which are here in an overview presented. It has to be noted that compared to other deposits of similar origin Mahenge has yielded only very few insect fossils, possibly due to the specific environmental conditions during the taphonomic processes of their sedimentation.