A fossil insect egg on an Early Cretaceous conifer shoot from the Wealden of Germany

Macerated carbonised leaf material of a scale-leaved conifer from the Lower Cretaceous German Wealden yielded a portion of a fossil insect egg chorion (eggshell). The morphology and anatomy of the external and internal surfaces are described from SEM studies. It is postulated that this egg could belong within the terrestrial hemipterans with characteristics recognisable in extant members of the Pentatomomorpha. It is the first description of detailed architecture of the chorion of an Early Cretaceous insect egg and is probably the earliest known fossil insect egg displaying chorionic features in fine detail. A new genus and species has been erected: Merangia horricomis.