New records of immature aquatic Diptera from the Foulden Maar Fossil-Lagerstätte, New Zealand, and their biogeographic implications

Abstract

Background The biogeographical and ecological history of true flies (Diptera) in New Zealand is little known due to a scarcity of fossil specimens. Here, we report a fauna of immature aquatic dipterans from freshwater diatomites of the early Miocene Foulden Maar Fossil-Lagerstätte in southern New Zealand. Methods We document 30 specimens of immature dipterans, mostly pupae, and compare their external morphology to extant aquatic Diptera. Based on the reconstructed paleoenvironment of Foulden Maar, we discuss taxonomic, ecological and taphonomic implications of this early Miocene fauna. Results Among Chironomidae, one pupal morphotype is attributed to Tanypodinae, one pupal morphotype and one larval morphotype are placed into Chironomus (Chironominae) and a further morphotype into Chironominae incertae sedis. Chaoboridae are represented by a pupal morphotype congeneric or very close to the extant Chaoborus, today globally distributed except for New Zealand. Additional immature specimens are likely larvae and puparia of brachyceran flies but cannot be identified to a narrower range. These finds document an aquatic dipteran fauna in New Zealand in the earliest Miocene and highlight Neogene extinction as a factor in shaping the extant Diptera fauna in New Zealand. Immature aquatic dipterans were a common and likely ecologically important component of the early Miocene Foulden Maar lake. Preservation of larvae and pupae may have been promoted by diatomaceous microbial mats and the light colour of the diatomite likely facilitated spotting of these minute fossils in the field.