Nula sis
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| Genus: | †Nula Vršanský, 2008
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| Species: | †N. sis
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| †Nula sis Vršanský, 2008
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Nula is an extinct genus of Blattaria (cockroach) from the Sisteron amber deposits near Salignac in Alpes de Haute Provence, southeastern France. It lived during the early Cenomanian. It belongs to the extinct family Blattulidae and contains one species: Nula sis.[1]
Discovery and naming
The amber containing this fossil and other arthropods was found in blue marls from the middle Cretaceous of southeastern France, more specifically near the Salignac commune. The holotype, and only specimen, SIS-17.2. is an immature male nympha. It was named after "nula", meaning zero in Latin because of the specimen not being fully grown and "sis" meaning "if you like it" in Latin. It is also a shortened version of Sisteron.[1]
Description
Nula has a large head with big compound eyes. The head also carries three small ocelli probably used for light detection. The antennae are long and composed of at least 44 segments. The pronotum, mesonotum and metanotum, which are sclerites of the thorax, carry numerous strong setae. The legs are made for running: the coxa is short compared to the long femur, which favors mobility. Setae are also present on the tarsus.[1]
Ecology
Other organisms such as an hemipteran,[2] a coleopteran and a bristle millipede (Polyxenida)[3] were also found in the Salignac amber and might have cohexisted with Nula.
References
- ^ a b c Vršanský, Peter (June 2008). "A complete larva of a Mesozoic (Early Cenomanian) cockroach (Insecta: Blattaria: Blattulidae) from the Sisteron amber (Alpes de Haute Provence, SE France)" (PDF). GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA. 59 (3): 269–272.
- ^ Perrichot, Vincent; Nel, André; Guilbert, Éric; Néraudeau, Didier (15 May 2006). "Fossil Tingoidea (Heteroptera: Cimicomorpha) from French Cretaceous amber, including Tingidae and a new family, Ebboidae". Zootaxa. 1203 (1): 57–68. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1203.1.3. ISSN 1175-5334.
- ^ Azar, Dany; Nguyen Duy-Jacquemin, Monique (2004). "The oldest records of Polyxenida (Myriapoda, Diplopoda): new discoveries from the Cretaceous ambers of Lebanon and France" (PDF). Geodiversitas. 26 (4): 631–641.