Open research questions in Fossil Insects in Amber

What the literature leaves open

• The classification of lucanid beetles is complex and subject to revision. The analysis of fossil records can be challenging due to the limited availability of specimens.

  Taxonomic notes on Aesalinae stag beetles (Coleoptera: Lucanidae), with special reference to those in mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber · 2026 · DOI

• The study of fossil specimens can be challenging due to the limited availability of material and the difficulty of interpreting fossil evidence. The use of modern imaging techniques requires specialized expertise and equipment.

  The beetle fauna of mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber: a systematic synthesis · 2026 · DOI

• The complexity of chiton systematics. The need for a comprehensive checklist of chiton species. The challenge of resolving relationships among chiton species.

  Annotated checklist of Recent Polyplacophora with notes on their systematics · 2026 · DOI

• The study of fossil material can be challenging due to the limited preservation of anatomical structures. The delimitation of fossil taxa can be difficult due to the lack of complete specimens. The comparison of fossil and extant species can be challenging due to the differences in preservation and morphology.

  Hidden but unearthed: an unusual new genus and three new species for the planthopper family Nogodinidae (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha) from Early Miocene Mexican amber, with a key to New World Nogodinini · 2026 · DOI

• Gondwanan vicariance has been invoked to explain these patterns, with relatively limited studies having phylogenetically tested this hypothesis.

  Phylogenomics of Manticorini tiger beetles supports ancient Gondwanan vicariance and recent American amphitropical disjunction · 2026 · DOI

• Further study of fossil records from Kachin amber is needed to understand the Mesozoic stag beetle fauna. Further analysis of the classification of the subfamily Nicaginae and the tribe Aesalinae is needed.

  Taxonomic notes on Aesalinae stag beetles (Coleoptera: Lucanidae), with special reference to those in mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber · 2026 · DOI

• The larval stage of most species of the genus Allopodagrion is unknown. The relationship between the larva and the adult of A. contortum was not previously confirmed.

  Integrative taxonomy reveals the larva of Allopodagrion contortum (Hagen in Selys, 1862) (Odonata: Megapodagrionidae) from Southeastern Brazil · 2026 · DOI

• Further study of the Jiyuan Basin fossil site is needed. More research on the biostratigraphic correlation between the Daohugou and Jiyuan fossil localities is required.

  A new species of Proptychopterina (Diptera: Nematocera: Ptychopteridae) from the Middle Jurassic of the Jiyuan Basin, China · 2026 · DOI

• There is a lack of description of insect fossils from the Jiyuan Basin. The biostratigraphic correlation between the Daohugou and Jiyuan fossil localities was unclear.

  A new species of Proptychopterina (Diptera: Nematocera: Ptychopteridae) from the Middle Jurassic of the Jiyuan Basin, China · 2026 · DOI

• Further study is needed to fully understand the characteristics of the amber from the Jiufengshan Formation. Additional research is required to reconstruct the palaeovegetation of the Jiufengshan Formation. More work is needed to develop new methods for analyzing amber and other fossilized materials.

  Early Cretaceous amber from the Heibaoshan-Handaqi Basin, Heilongjiang Province, Northeast China · 2026 · DOI

• The study aims to fill the gap in our understanding of the biotic characteristics and stratigraphic correlation of northern China during the late Mesozoic. The study seeks to provide new data for studies of Mesozoic amber in China.

  Early Cretaceous amber from the Heibaoshan-Handaqi Basin, Heilongjiang Province, Northeast China · 2026 · DOI

• Further study of the Kachin amber beetle fauna is needed to fully realize its potential for understanding beetle evolution and diversity. The use of modern imaging techniques, such as confocal microscopy and micro-computed tomography, could be further developed and applied to the study of fossil specimens.

  The beetle fauna of mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber: a systematic synthesis · 2026 · DOI

• There is a lack of understanding of the unique characters of the mid-Cretaceous genus Punctocorydasialis. There is a need for more research on the evolution of Neuropterida.

  New unique characters of the mid-Cretaceous genus Punctocorydasialis Chen et al., 2026 (Neuropterida: Corydasialidae) · 2026 · DOI

• The phylogenetic evidence currently available is not sufficient to propose a definitive suprageneric classification of the subfamily Polyommatinae. The limits and diagnosis of the lineage remain provisional and should be refined by future phylogenomic studies.

  AWPL 2026(2) 27-35 Part V Rationale and framework for the Lycaenidae (part II) · 2026 · DOI

• The internal classification of Lycaenidae remains only partially resolved. The rank and delimitation of the major lineages traditionally recognised as subfamilies have been interpreted differently by various authors.

  AWPL 2026(2) 27-35 Part V Rationale and framework for the Lycaenidae (part II) · 2026 · DOI

• The absence of a robust phylogenetic framework based on a comprehensive taxonomic sampling impedes our understanding of the evolutionary history of wild silkmoths. Prior studies have addressed higher-level relationships within the Saturniidae, but with sparse taxon and often reduced gene sampling.

  Phylogenomics Illuminates the Evolutionary History of Wild Silkmoths in Space and Time (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) · 2026 · DOI

• The study only examined two subfamilies of Aphalaridae. The molecular dataset was limited to 24 species. The study did not investigate the functional significance of cuticular microsculpture.

  Beyond the obvious: diversity and evolution of cuticular microsculpture in jumping plant lice of the subfamilies Aphalarinae and Rhinocolinae (Hemiptera, Psylloidea, Aphalaridae) · 2026 · DOI

• Further investigation of the functional significance of cuticular microsculpture. Examination of cuticular microsculpture in other subfamilies of Aphalaridae. Investigation of the evolution and diversity of cuticular microsculpture in other insect groups.

  Beyond the obvious: diversity and evolution of cuticular microsculpture in jumping plant lice of the subfamilies Aphalarinae and Rhinocolinae (Hemiptera, Psylloidea, Aphalaridae) · 2026 · DOI

• Further study of the morphology of Kelneria using µCT and SRµCT. Investigation of the evolutionary history of Kelneria and its relationships to other members of the family Keroplatidae.

  The rise and fall of the Eocene fly genus Kelneria (Diptera, Keroplatidae) · 2026 · DOI

• Further study of fossil material to better understand the evolution and diversity of Nogodinidae. Phylogenetic analysis of the new genus and species to determine their relationships to other members of the tribe. Investigation of the biology and ecology of planthoppers to inform conservation efforts and ecosystem management.

  Hidden but unearthed: an unusual new genus and three new species for the planthopper family Nogodinidae (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha) from Early Miocene Mexican amber, with a key to New World Nogodinini · 2026 · DOI

• The study identifies a distributional gap between the vent fields in the southern and northern Indian Ocean. The study aims to fill this gap by reporting new records of three species of Lepidonotopodini from the northern Central Indian Ridge.

  New records of three vent-endemic scale worms (Annelida, Polynoidae) from the northern Central Indian Ridge fill regional distributional gaps · 2026 · DOI

• The taxonomy of Devonian trilobites from the Cantabrian Mountains has received little attention since the principal contributions by earlier researchers. A systematic revision is necessary to bring the outdated nomenclature into line with contemporary frameworks.

  Revised and new Emsian (Lower Devonian) trilobites from Polentinos, Cantabrian Mountains, northern Spain · 2026 · DOI

• The genus Lygosoma Hardwicke & Gray, 1827 is a group of semi-fossorial supple skink from Southeast Asia, the members of which are still understudied in Indochina.

  On the occurrence of Lygosoma siamense Siler, Heitz, Davis, Freitas, Aowphol, Termprayoon & Grismer, 2018 (Squamata, Scincidae) in China · 2022 · DOI

• The biology of A. hirsuta is inferred from morphological characters rather than direct observation, limiting definitive conclusions about its parasitoid ecology and host range.

  A new lineage of evaniiform wasps in Cretaceous amber from Myanmar (Hymenoptera: Evanioidea) · 2026 · DOI

• The hosts of A. hirsuta are inferred to be wood-boring beetle larvae based on ovipositor morphology, but this remains plausible inference rather than direct evidence of the actual host organisms.

  A new lineage of evaniiform wasps in Cretaceous amber from Myanmar (Hymenoptera: Evanioidea) · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Fossil Insects in Amber

• Comparative gene expression supports the origin of the incisor and molar process from a single endite in the mandible of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum · EvoDevo · 2013 · 41 citations
• First observations on the life cycle and mass eclosion events in a mantis fly (Family Mantispidae) in the subfamily Drepanicinae · Biodiversity Data Journal · 2017 · 18 citations
• A new species of bent-toed geckos of the genus Cyrtodactylus Gray, 1827 from western Arunachal Pradesh, India · Herpetozoa · 2022 · 10 citations
• The Odonata of Quebec: Specimen data from seven collections · Biodiversity Data Journal · 2020 · 6 citations
• Phylogenetic implications of the complete mitochondrial genome of Ogcogaster segmentator (Westwood, 1847) and first record of the genus Ogcogaster Westwood, 1847 from China (Neuroptera, Myrmeleontidae, Ascalaphinae) · Biodiversity Data Journal · 2022 · 5 citations
• THE EARLIEST INSECT ENDOPHYTIC OVIPOSITION (EARLY PENNSYLVANIAN, EASTERN UKRAINE) · Visnyk of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv Geology · 2021 · 5 citations
• Some Bivalvia of the Topola Formation (middle Sarmatian), Northeastern Bulgaria · Review of the Bulgarian Geological Society · 2021 · 3 citations
• Documenting Mantodea species in South African museum collections and an updated species list · Biodiversity Data Journal · 2023 · 3 citations
• David and Goliath: on the pseudoscorpions of Ascension Island, including the world’s largest, Garypus titanius Beier, 1961, and a new, minute, Neocheiridium Beier, 1932 (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones) · Natura Somogyiensis · 2024 · 3 citations
• Historical Biogeography of Earwigs · Biology · 2022 · 2 citations

Most recent work

• A new gall midge fly (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) from the Lowermost Eocene Oise amber (France) · Historical Biology · 2026
• A new lineage of evaniiform wasps in Cretaceous amber from Myanmar (Hymenoptera: Evanioidea) · Mesozoic · 2026
• Descriptions and biological data on three new species of Trigonalyidae (Hymenoptera: Trigonalyoidea) from South Korea · European Journal of Taxonomy · 2026
• Lissocampsomeris bribri (Scoliidae, Scoliinae, Campsomerini), a new species from Panama · Neotropical Biology and Conservation · 2026
• A new Amnestinae (Cydnidae, Heteroptera) from the Lower Cretaceous of the Araripe Basin · Historical Biology · 2026
• The first fossil Dinckleria (Plagiochilaceae: Marchantiophyta) from Eocene-age Anglesea amber of Australia · Australian Systematic Botany · 2026
• Four new species of the genus Lyroda Say (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae) from China, with a key to Chinese species · ZooKeys · 2026
• Factors affecting the temporal distribution abundance of the Hymenoptera (Insecta) in the Cerrado of Goiás, Brazil · Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment · 2026
• A new species of Hedychridium (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae) from the Canary Islands, with a new synonymy, species checklist, and notes on local colour forms · Acta entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae · 2026
• A new mayfly species of Ecdyonurus Eaton, 1868 from Eocene Baltic Amber and insights into the extant molecular diversity of the genus · Scientific Reports · 2026

Related topics in Agricultural and Biological Sciences