New records of insect families from the freshwater Middle Eocene of British Columbia

Abstract

New collections of Middle Eocene insects from seven localities in British Columbia include representatives of 17 families, in seven orders, bringing the total number of families recorded for the fauna to 31, distributed among 10 orders. The Mastotermitidae, Pentatomidae, Trichoptera, Sciaridae, Mycetophilidae, Syrphidae, and Vespidae are recorded from the fauna for the first time. The single specimens each of Syrphidae and Vespidae are among the oldest known of their respective taxa.Only one family, the Mastotermitidae, is not also known from either the Green River Formation or the Florissant Shales. The composition of fauna within British Columbia suggests age or environmental differences between the Horsefly and Princeton area localities, with the Driftwood Creek locality intermediate.