A new Cenomanian-Turonian (Late Cretaceous) insect assemblage from southeastern Morocco

A limited assemblage of insect compression fossils is described from a lithographic limestone of marine origin, within Cenomanian Turonian strata of southeastern Morocco. Specimens recovered to date include a putative isopteran (termite) and two polyphagan beetles. Found in the same horizon as these insects are leaves that display traces of insect damage, in the form of leaf margin-feeding behavior. The new insect fossils are an uncommon subcomponent of a commercially-mined assemblage of fossil fish, marine arthropods, and plants, but the relatively fine preservation of fossil insects collected to date suggests that the Late Cretaceous strata of Morocco have the potential to yield a significant addition to the fossil record of insects. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.