NEW SYSCIOPHLEBIA COCKROACH SPECIES FROM THE BONNER SPRINGS SHALE, PARKVILLE, MO AND ITS STRATIGRAPHIC AND DEPOSITIONAL SIGNIFICANCE

*Hageman, S.A. and B.L. Hoffman

Department of Natural and Physical Sciences, Park University

Three orders of insects and 16 species of plants occur in the Bonner Springs Shale (Upper Pennsylvanian) in Parkville, MO. Identifications of the orders Paleodictyoptera, Blattodea (cockroaches), and Plecoptera (stonefly) are based on 24 wings and one complete specimen. The O. Blattodea dominates with over 80% of the wings represented by Sysciophlebia, including the complete specimen. Analysis of the Sysciophlebia specimens suggests that these are one or more undescribed species. Biostratigraphically, the insects of the Bonner Springs are significant because the unit represents the top of the Kansas City Group and the top of the Missourian Stage. This makes this unknown species key to North American biostratigraphy but also for correlation to the insect zones of Europe. Stephanian A currently has one undescribed species, S. n. sp. A, that appears to be younger than this new North American species. The European species with the most similar morphology is S. grata but it represents the Stephanian B. The depositional environment of these laminated deposits are interpreted to be a tidally influenced estuarine setting that is in close proximity to a Lepidodendron forest with fern foliage dominating the forest floor, especially Odontopertis brardii and Neuropteris. These two ferns closely resemble the morphology of the cockroach wings in another example of coevolution. Cockroaches in the leaf litter would commonly be transported and deposited along with the flora.