A new Triassic insect fauna from Cerro Bayo, Potrerillos (Mendoza Province, Argentina) with descriptions of new taxa (Insecta: Blattoptera and Coleoptera)

Abstract

This contribution describes new fossil insect taxa from the early Late Triassic Potrerillos Formation (lower section), at quebrada del puente, Cerro Bayo, Mendoza Province, Argentina. A new family, three new genera, and four new species of Blattoptera are described: Anablatta compacta gen. et sp. nov., Potrerilloblatta stipanicici gen. et sp. nov. (Subioblattidae Schneider), Delpuenteblatta dangeloi gen. et sp. nov. and Lariojablatta neiffi sp. nov. (Delpuenteblattidae fam. nov.); and a new coleopteran species, Delpuentesyne menendezi sp. nov. (Permosynidae Tillyard). These findings extend the stratigraphic distribution of the typical Triassic coleopteran taxa. The new assemblage shares the genus Lariojablatta with the Los Rastros fauna. The Blattoptera and Coleoptera genera differ from those typical of the Australian and South African Triassic biota (Ademosyne for Coleoptera and Triassoblatta and Samaroblatta for Blattoptera) and appear to be endemic to Argentina (Delpuentesyne, Potrerilloblatta and Delpuenteblatta)