''Anomalites'' is an extinct genus of shining leaf chafer

scarab beetle The family Scarabaeidae, as currently defined, consists of over 35,000 species of beetles worldwide; they are often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The classification of this family has undergone significant change. Several groups formerly tre ...

which contains the

solitary Solitary is the state of being alone or in solitude. The term may refer to: * ''Solitary'' (album), 2008 album by Don Dokken * ''Solitary'' (2020 film), a British sci-fi thriller film * ''Solitary'' (upcoming film), an American drama film * "S ...

species ''Anomalites fugitivus''. The species was found preserved in

Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...

age

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The Atom, atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen Tetrahedral molecular geometry, tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tet ...

from Central France and was first described by Antonín Frič.

Distribution

The only known specimen was recovered from "freshwater quartz" () quarried in

Nogent-le-Rotrou Nogent-le-Rotrou () is a commune in the department of Eure-et-Loir, northern France. It is a sub-prefecture and is located on the river Huisne, 56 kilometres west of Chartres on the RN23 and 150 kilometres south west of Paris, to which it is l ...

Centre-Val de Loire Centre-Val de Loire (; ,In isolation, ''Centre'' is pronounced . ) or Centre Region (, ), as it was known until 2015, is one of the eighteen Regions of France, administrative regions of France. It straddles the middle Loire Valley in the interior ...

, France before 1885. The quartz deposits were initially dated only as generally

Tertiary Tertiary (from Latin, meaning 'third' or 'of the third degree/order..') may refer to: * Tertiary period, an obsolete geologic period spanning from 66 to 2.6 million years ago * Tertiary (chemistry), a term describing bonding patterns in organic ch ...

, but later refinement of the age estimates have given an age in the

Priabonian The Priabonian is, in the ICS's geologic timescale, the latest age or the upper stage of the Eocene Epoch or Series. It spans the time between . The Priabonian is preceded by the Bartonian and is followed by the Rupelian, the lowest stage ...

of the

History and classification

The only known ''Anomalites fugitivus'' fossil was discovered by V. Spigl, a worker in the

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

millstone Millstones or mill stones are stones used in gristmills, used for triturating, crushing or, more specifically, grinding wheat or other grains. They are sometimes referred to as grindstones or grinding stones. Millstones come in pairs: a s ...

factory owned by Gabrial Zizka. During the carving process, Spigl encountered a small pocket in the freshwater quartz with the quartz cast replacement of the beetle preserved inside. The beetle and cavity were saved and shown to Zizka, who in turn entrusted same to Czech paleontologist Antonín Frič for examination. Frič presented the specimen in a talk on March 7, 1884, and then in a paper printed by the Royal Bohemian Society of Sciences in 1885. Based on the limited characteristics present and visible though the outer quartz shell, he determined that the beetle was similar to the modern genus '' Anomala'', and gave it the new genus name ''Anomalites'' in reflection of that. He coined the species epithet ''fugitivus'' as a reference to the fossil's discovery so far from its origin spot. Frič sent illustrations of the specimen to prominent French paleontologist Jean Albert Gaudry asking if any other fossils like it were known from the freshwater quartzes. Gaudry in turn queried a number of other French geology workers. All questioned were in agreement that the specimen was unique, with no other examples known. As such, and in compliance with paleontologist

Joachim Barrande Joachim Barrande (11 August 1799 – 5 October 1883) was a French geologist and palaeontologist. He was particularly known for his work on trilobites, published in the ''Systéme Silurien de la Bohéme'' which he published in 22 parts. Trained und ...

's philosophy that fossils should belong to their country of origin, Frič arranged the return of the ''A. fugitivus'' beetle to France. It was given to the

Jardin des plantes The Jardin des Plantes (, ), also known as the Jardin des Plantes de Paris () when distinguished from other ''jardins des plantes'' in other cities, is the main botanical garden in France. Jardin des Plantes is the official name in the present da ...

, home of the

National Museum of Natural History, France The French National Museum of Natural History ( ; abbr. MNHN) is the national natural history museum of France and a of higher education part of Sorbonne University. The main museum, with four galleries, is located in Paris, France, within the ...

, where it was accessioned as specimen "MNHN.F.B68850".

Description

The ''Anomalites fugitivus'' specimen is incomplete, with the lower legs missing, and the body preserved as a quartz cast attached to the matrix by a thin ridge of matrix. Frič was of the opinion that the shrunken wing casings indicated an individual still finishing pupating, the small cavity containing the beetle being a cast of the cocoon itself. He noted that the shapes of both the scutellum and head shield are very similar to the cockchafers of genus ''Anomala''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q31079892 Rutelinae Monotypic Scarabaeidae genera Fossil beetle genera Eocene France Fossils of France Taxa named by Antonin Fritsch Fossil taxa described in 1885 Monotypic prehistoric insect genera