Dr Ricardo Pérez-de la Fuente

Email: ricardo.perez-de-lafuente@oum.ox.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1865 272995

Research summary

My research is focused on the palaeobiology of fossil arthropods, namely insects and arachnids. Although founded on morphology and systematics, my works aim at extracting palaeoecological, palaeoethological, palaeobiogeographical, and taphonomic data. Special emphasis is put on the study of amber inclusions, particularly those from the Cretaceous, one of the most important periods for the diversification of terrestrial arthropods linked with the angiosperm radiation.

Google Scholar Profile

Biography

BSc Biology (University of Barcelona, 2007)
MSc Palaeontology (University of Barcelona & Autonomous University of Barcelona, 2008)
PhD Earth Sciences, “Arthropod paleobiology of the Cretaceous amber from El Soplao (Cantabria, Spain)” (University of Barcelona, 2012)
Post-doctoral fellow (Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, 2013 to 2017)

Selected publications

Peris, D., Pérez-de la Fuente, R., Peñalver, E., Delclòs, X., Barrón, E. & Labandeira, C. C. 2017. False Blister Beetles and the Expansion of Gymnosperm-Insect Pollination Modes before Angiosperm Dominance. Current Biology, 27(6): 897-904.

Peñalver, E., Arillo, A, Pérez-de la Fuente, R., Riccio, M. L., Delclòs, X, Barrón, E. & Grimaldi, D. A. 2015. Long-proboscid Flies as Pollinators of Mesozoic Gymnosperms. Current Biology 25(14): 1917-1923.

Peñalver, E. & Pérez-de la Fuente, R. 2014. Unearthing the secrets of ancient immature insects. eLife 3: e03443. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.03443

Pérez-de la Fuente, R., Saupe, E. E. & Selden, P. A. 2013. New lagonomegopid spiders (Araneae: †Lagonomegopidae) from Early Cretaceous Spanish amber. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 11(5): 531-553.

Pérez-de la Fuente, R., Delclòs, X., Peñalver, E., Speranza, M., Wierzchos, J., Ascaso, C. & Engel, M. S. 2012. Early evolution and ecology of camouflage in insects. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 109(52): 21414-21419.

Pérez-de la Fuente, R., Peñalver, E., Delclòs, X. & Engel, M. S. 2012. Snakefly diversity in Early Cretaceous amber from Spain (Neuropterida: Raphidioptera). Zookeys 204: 1-40.

Pérez-de la Fuente, R., Delclòs, X., Peñalver, E. & Arillo, A. 2011. Biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from the Early Cretaceous El Soplao amber (N Spain). Cretaceous Research 32: 750-761.

Soriano, C., Archer, M., Azar, D., Creaser, P., Delclòs, X., Godthelp, H., Hand, S., Jones, A., Nel, A., Néraudeau, D., Ortega-Blanco, J., Pérez-de la Fuente, R., Perrichot, V., Saupe, E., Solórzano-Kraemer, M. & Tafforeau, P. 2010. Synchrotron X-ray imaging of inclusions in amber. Comptes Rendus Palevol 9(6-7): 361-368.

Najarro, M., Peñalver, E., Rosales, I., Pérez-de la Fuente, R., Daviero-Gomez, V., Gomez, B. & Delclòs, X. 2009. Unusual concentration of Early Albian arthropod bearing amber in the Basque-Cantabrian Basin (El Soplao, Cantabria, Northern Spain): Palaeoenvironmental and palaeobiological implications. Geologica Acta 7(3): 363-387.

Buccinatormyia magnifica, a long-proboscid fly from Early Cretaceous Spanish amber with a gymnosperm pollen clump attached to its abdomen (Peñalver et al., 2015)

Reconstruction of Hallucinochrysa diogenesi, a bizarre-looking 105 million-year-old green lacewing larva carrying a trash packet composed of fern trichomes. Author: J.A. Peñas (Pérez-de la Fuente et al., 2012)