Kaszab Zoltán (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 71. (Budapest 1979)

Ambrus, B. ; Hably, L.: Eriopyes daphnogene sp. n. a fossil gall from the Upper Oligocene in Hungary

ANNALES HISTORICO-NATURALES MUSEI NATIONALIS HUNGARICI Tomus71. Budapest 1979. Eriophyes daphnogene sp. n. a Fossil Gall from the Upper Oligocène in Hungary by |B. AMBRUS & L. HABLY, Budapest Abstract — Description of Eriophyes daphnogene sp. n. on Daphnogene bilinica (UNG) KVACEK et KNOBLOCH from Baromállás (Hungary) is given together with some notes on fossil zoocecidia. With 1 figure. Specialists of phylogenesis have long since been puzzled by the question: how did so intimate a connection as a gall come about between animals and plants? Extensive research and many experiments have been carried out to even partly tackle this problem still we are far from being able to give a satisfactory answer, especially owing to lack of palaeontological remains. The not too numerous examples of galls known from palaeontological research can be referred only conditionally to a particular species upon its similarity to a formerly described form. In some cases even the name of the plant is uncertain. The problem is further aggrevated by occasional misidentifications since a swelling might be caused by an animal, another plant, i.e. fungi, or perhaps a physical deformation having no relation to gall formation whatever. The sporadical references found in palaeontological literature were collected an published by TROTTER as early as in 1903. He gave a systematic survey of the so far known Acarina galls with their specific host-plants: Acer, Alnus, Carpinus, Juglans, Platanus and Salix providing a list of 22 fossil galls, along with some Homoptera and Diptera galls. Some years later KÜSTER (1911) compiled a list, following in the foot-steps of TROTTER, of the known galls with special reference to Cynipidae KINSEY (1919) was the next one who extensively discussed fossilic Cynipidae. Ever since no comprehensive atlas showing all the gall remains have been published. The comparatively rich Hungarian fossil plants are now further complemented by a very valuable Upper Oligocène remain showing at the same time that particular intimate connection between animal and plant species that was referred to above. Eriophyes daphnogene sp. n. (Fig. 1) The fossilized basal part of the leaf is approx. 3.5 cm long, and 1.1 cm wide. Beginning from the base three primary veins are seen with a number of Acarina galls (Fig. 1). During identification it was found that the plant is Daphnogene bilinica (UNG) KVACEK et KNOBLOCH from the family of Lauraceae, a species occurring in huge masses in the fossil flora of Baromállás (Hungary). Elsewhere in Hungary the remains of this species originate mainly from the Egerian, though quite a number is known from the lower layers of the Oligocène and from the Miocene, too. The leaf-remain with galls originates from Baromállás between Vértesszőlős and Tatabánya while going through a series of some 2000 specimens (HABLY 1977). This site was discovered while constructing the E-5 highway. The majority of the specimens are of good condition embedded in clayey sandstone. According to nannoplankton and Mollusca dating (BÁLDI 1976) this flora comes from the Upper Oligocène — Egerian. The Daphnogene genus is wide-spread in South-east Asia under subtropical conditions. Upon elaborating the material it was unequivocally proved that the flora of the Upper Oligocène thrived under subtropical conditions, too. Thus, besides the arborescent vegeAnn. Hist.-nat. Mus. Nat. Hung., 71, 1979