New genus Microticus from Upper Cretaceous of Taymyr (Coleoptera: Cryptophagidae), oldest silken fungus beetle with sexually dimorphic tarsal formula

Abstract

KEYWORDS. Cryptophagidae, Microticus khatanga, Upper Cretaceous, Taymyr amber, Russia КЛЮЧЕВЫЕ СЛОВА. Cryptophagidae, Microticus khatanga, Верхний Мел, Таймырский янтарь, Россия tribes [Leschen, 1996]. The family is one of the basal lines of the superfamily Cucujoidea and includes about 60 genera and 600 described species. The Cryptophagidae are distributed in all biogeographic realms. The natural history of the family is described in detail [Leschen, 1996, 2010; Lyubarsky, 2002]. These beetles are often found in forest litter, it is a common group met within bird nests and burrows of animals in the burrow litter. The silken-fungus beetles are best known as pests of agricultural products in storage. Many species of cryptophagids are pyrophilic, i.e. fly to the smell of smoke. Some members of the family live in the nests of social insects (bees, ants, wasps, and termites), as well as in collective nests of caterpillars. Most species feed on the hyphae and spores of fungi. Apparently, many species are able to carry the spores and conidia of fungi in mycangia on their body. Few genera feed on pollen of vascular plants (

New and little-known beetles of Central, South Africa and Reunion Island (Coleoptera: Cryptophagidae)

“…In the subfamily Cryptophaginae, males usually have tarsi 554, and females 555. This character of males appeared in the Cretaceous [Lyubarsky, 2015]. This pattern is maintained in various regions, but in Africa, in the genera Micrambe and Henoticus, males lose this character and have legs 555, as in females.…”

New findings of Cryptophagidae (Coleoptera: Clavicornia) from Baltic amber in the unbiased collection of the Paleontological Institute of RAS

“…This specimen was identified as A. groehni , 2017[Peris et al, 2017. From Santonian Taimyr amber Cryptophagini Microticus khatanga Lyubarsky et Perkovsky, 2015 and Ennoticus mnemosynon Lyubarsky et Perkovsky, 2017[Lyubarsky, Perkovsky, 2015, 2017a as well as atomariine Nganasania taymyrica Lyubarsky et Perkovsky, 2014 .…”

Spaniophagus, first new Eocene genus of silken fungus beetle from Baltic amber (Coleoptera: Clavicornia: Cryptophagidae)

“…While studying of the fauna of the Eocene Baltic, Rovno and Bitterfeld amber, so far new species have only been found that belong to the genera represented in the modern fauna [Lyubarsky, Perkovsky, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2018. The Cretaceous fauna Cryptophagidae, on the contrary, is distinguished by a peculiar generic composition , 2015, 2017a,b, 2018Peris et al, 2017]. DIAGNOSIS.…”