Taphonomy of aquatic insects from the Crato Formation Lagerstätte (Aptian, Lower Cretaceous) under an actualistic look

Abstract

The Crato Formation (Aptian, Lower Cretaceous) is a fossiliferous deposit of global significance, representing a lacustrine palaeoenvironment which offers insights into aquatic insect taphonomy. Despite its importance, prior studies lacked an actualistic approach. Here, we analyze the preservation of mayflies (Ephemeroptera) and dragonflies (Odonata) from this formation using experimental taphonomy on 253 extant Ephemeroptera and 236 Odonata, alongside 306 fossil specimens. Disarticulation experiments showed that the thorax of modern mayfly larvae disarticulated first, yet Crato Hexagenitidae larvae retained intact thoraces, indicating minimal disturbance and autochthonous deposition. Fossil alate specimens rarely exhibited decay-related wing damage, aligning with short decay times. Dragonfly carcasses exhibited a characteristic leg posture in death, also preserved in Crato fossils, further suggesting minimal transport. Additionally, fossil dragonflies retained labial masks, the first structure to disarticulate experimentally, consistent with parautochthonous assemblages. Mayfly larvae exposed to low salinity during experiments exhibited excessive defecation before death, hinting at possible low salinity conditions in the Crato palaeoenvironment, though preservational challenges obscure confirmation. During experimentation, we also noticed that all carcasses immediately floated under hypersaline conditions, while carcasses immersed in non-hypersaline conditions went through slower decomposition. Thus, we can safely propose with experimental data that microbial biofilms on the surface of the water were acting during carcass sinking in this deposit.