Descrição de novo táxon fóssil de Blattodea: uma contribuição para a paleoentomofauna da Formação Crato

Abstract

The Araripe Basin is located in parts of the states of Piauí, Ceará, and Pernambuco. The basin stands out for the excellent state of preservation of its fossils, being one of the most important paleontological sites in Brazil. The laminated limestones of the Crato Formation, dated from the Lower Cretaceous, contain specimens of many different groups of vertebrates and invertebrates, including dinosaurs, birds, bony fish, and insects. In this perspective, the present work aims to present a new specimen of Blattodea from the Crato Formation. The specimen was collected in Nova Olinda (CE), and belongs to the Blaberidae family. This is the first occurrence of Blattodeas of this family for this Formation. This discovery has great value for the understanding not only of the paleoentomofauna of the region, but of the dynamics of an extremely complex ecosystem.