Eocene insects from a Maar Lagerstätte at Mahenge, northern Tanzania

Abstract

The Eocene Lagerstätte of Mahenge in north-east Tanzania represents an extinct ecosystem of a former volcanic crater lake (maar), which is a unique window into the past early Cenozoic freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems of sub-Saharan Africa. Apart from numerous fossil fishes and plants, till now only few insects have been discovered at Mahenge, which are here in an overview presented. It has to be noted that compared to other deposits of similar origin Mahenge has yielded only very few insect fossils, possibly due to the specific environmental conditions during the taphonomic processes of their sedimentation.