Rhomeocalpsua torosa gen. et sp. nov., a unique lineage of Endomychidae from mid‑Cretaceous Burmese amber (Coleoptera: Coccinelloidea)

Abstract

A new fossil genus and species of the family Endomychidae, Rhomeocalpsua torosa Li, Tomaszewska & Cai, gen. et sp. nov., is described and illustrated from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. The new genus is characterised by the relatively elongate body, antennae composed of nine antennomeres with unique club morphology, unmodified pronotum, mesocoxal cavities broadly closed laterally, femora with deep and long grooves, and 3-3-3 tarsi. Detailed morphological comparisons between the Cretaceous fossils and extant relatives suggest that its unique character combination does not fit into any existing subfamilies of Endomychidae, Mycetaeidae, Eupsilobiidae or Anamorphidae.

Early evolution of Anamorphidae (Coleoptera: Coccinelloidea): the oldest known anamorphid beetles from Upper Cretaceous amber of northern Myanmar and the first report of potential glandular pores in the family

“…(2022). Recent discoveries of representatives of the coccinelloid group of Coccinelloidea from the Cretaceous amber of Myanmar suggest that most of the main evolutionary lineages of this group were already well stablished 100 million years ago (see Li et al., 2022b; Tomaszewska et al., 2018, 2022).…”

“…The handsome fungus beetles, Endomychidae sensu lato (Shockley et al., 2009a; Tomaszewska, 2010; Robertson et al., 2015; Tomaszewska et al., 2023) are a case of a beetle group where fossil species, from Cenozoic and Mesozoic, are being discovered and described at an unprecedented pace (e.g. Kirejtschuk and Nel, 2009; Alekseev and Tomaszewska, 2018; Tomaszewska et al., 2018; Li et al., 2022b, 2023; Tomaszewska et al., 2022; Arriaga‐Varela et al., 2023b). However, the interpretation of the relations of these extinct taxa with modern representatives is very challenging, mostly owing to discrepancies between the results of phylogenetic analyses based on morphological vs. molecular datasets (see Tomaszewska et al., 2023, 2023).…”

Protoliota paleus sp. nov. (Coleoptera: Silvanidae) – new long antennae beetle in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber

“…The family Parandrexidae Kirejtshuk, 1994 is known only from the fossil state (Soriano et al 2006). Representatives of 15 families (Table 2) have been reported from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber (Cai & Huang 2016Cai et al 2018;Jin et al 2019;Kirejtshuk & Chetverikov 2018;Kirejtshuk et al 2019;Li et al 2021aLi et al , 2021bLi et al , 2022aLi et al , 2022bLi et al , 2022cLiu et al 2018Liu et al , 2019aLiu et al , 2019bPeris & Declòs 2015;Peris & Jelínek 2019Poinar & Brown 2018;Poinar & Kirejtshuk 2008;Tihelka et al 2020Tihelka et al , 2021aTihelka et al , 2021bTomaszewska et al 2018Tomaszewska et al , 2022Wu et al 2018;Zhao et al 2022).…”

A new species of Burmalestes Tomaszewska & Ślipiński from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber (Coleoptera: Endomychidae)

“…Many fossils of Endomychidae have been described, especially in the last decade (as listed by Alekseev et al, 2023). The earliest ones were from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber of northern Myanmar (Tomaszewska et al, 2018(Tomaszewska et al, , 2022Li et al, 2022a;Arriaga-Varela et al, 2023). Among them, Burmalestes and Cretolestes were placed in Leiestinae, Cretaparamecus Tomaszewska et al, was…”