A New Genus of Sap Beetles (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) from Mid-Cretaceous Amber of Northern Myanmar

Nitidulidae is the most diverse family of the recently recognized superfamily Nitiduliodea, but Mesozoic nitidulids that are critical for understanding their early diversification are sparse. Here, we report a new genus and species of Nitidulidae, Protonitidula neli gen. et sp. nov., that was recovered from mid-Cretaceous amber in northern Myanmar. The new genus is distinguished from all members of the extant nitidulid subfamilies most prominently by the loose antennal club and the absence of subantennal grooves. Protonitidula neli can be excluded from the closely related Kateretidae and classified into Nitidulidae by the broad and apically expanded prosternal process, although it has many pleisiomorphic characters.

New mimarachnids (Hemiptera, Fulgoromorpha, Fulgoroidea) in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber

A new genus and species, Multistriaorthotropagen. et sp. nov., and a new species, Dachibangushuisp. nov., of Mimarachnidae are described from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. These new taxa display unique wing color patterns and extend the Mesozoic diversity of Mimarachnidae. The evolution of wing venation, phylogenetic placement of Mimarachnidae, and anti-predation defenses of this family in Burmese amber forest are briefly discussed.

The Fossil Record of Elateridae (Coleoptera: Elateroidea): Described Species, Current Problems and Future Prospects

The Elateridae (click-beetles) are the largest family in Elateroidea; however, their relationships, systematics and classification remain unclear. Our understanding of the origin, evolution, palaeodiversity and palaeobiogeography of Elateridae, as well as reconstruction of a reliable time-calibrated phylogeny for the group, are hampered by the lack of detailed knowledge of their fossil record. In this study, we summarize the current knowledge on all described fossil species in Elateridae, including their type material, geographic origin, age, bibliography and remarks on their systematic placement. Altogether, 261 fossil species classified in 99 genera and nine subfamilies are currently listed in this family. The Mesozoic click-beetle diversity includes 143 species, with most of them described from the Jurassic Karatau, and 118 described species are known from the Cenozoic deposits, mainly from the Eocene North American Florissant Formation and European Baltic amber. Available data on the described past diversity of Elateridae suggest that almost all fossil lineages in this group are in urgent need of revision and numerous Mesozoic species might belong to different families. Our study is intended to serve as a comprehensive basis for all subsequent research focused on the click-beetle fossil record.

New Genera and Species of the Family Throscidae (Coleoptera: Elateroidea) in Mid-Cretaceous Burmese Amber

Captopus depressiceps gen. et sp. nov., Electrothroscus yanpingae gen. et sp. nov. and Pseudopactopus robustus gen. et sp. nov. are reported from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. These new findings greatly extend the Mesozoic diversity of Throscidae, which implies a high degree of morphological disparity for this family in the Cretaceous.

Fossil Genera in Elateridae (Insecta, Coleoptera): A Triassic Origin and Jurassic Diversification

Insect fossils bear important information about the evolutionary history of the group. The fossil record of Elateridae, a large cosmopolitan beetle family, has been greatly understudied and the available data are often replete with ambiguity and uncertainty. The research of Elateridae evolution cannot be done without solid genus-group name concepts. In this study we provide an updated comprehensive summary of the fossil genera in Elateridae, including their systematic placement and information on the type species, gender, number of species, age range, and relevant bibliography. We list seven valid fossil genera in Agrypninae, one in Cardiophorinae, two in Dendrometrinae, five in Elaterinae, two in Negastriinae, one in Omalisinae, one in Pityobiinae, and 36 in Protagrypninae. Additional 19 genera are tentatively classified as Elateridae incertae sedis, and their placements are discussed. Further, we move genera Babuskaya Martins-Neto & Gallego, 2009, Cardiosyne Martins-Neto & Gallego, 2006, Fengningia Hong, 1984 and Gemelina Martins-Neto & Gallego, 2006 from Elateridae to Coleoptera incertae sedis. We also discuss the genera previously placed in Elateridae, which are currently not included in the family. The data on the fossil generic diversity suggest that Elateridae originated in the Triassic and rapidly diversified and became comparatively abundant through the Jurassic. We call for further research on the fossil Elateridae from various deposits in order to increase our knowledge on the origin, evolution, and palaeodiversity of the group.

Cretaceous diversity and disparity in a lacewing lineage of predators (Neuroptera: Mantispidae)

Mantidflies (Mantispidae) are an unusual and charismatic group of predatory lacewings (Neuroptera), whereby the adults represent a remarkable case of morphological and functional convergence with praying mantises (Mantodea). The evolutionary history of mantidflies remains largely unknown due to a scarcity of fossils. Here, we report the discovery of a highly diverse palaeofauna of mantidflies from the mid-Cretaceous (lowermost Cenomanian) of Myanmar. The raptorial forelegs of these mantidflies possess highly divergent morphological modifications, some of which are unknown among modern mantidflies, e.g. the presence of forked basal profemoral spines or even the complete loss of foreleg spine-like structures. A phylogenetic analysis of Mantispidae reveals a pattern of raptorial foreleg evolution across the family. The high species diversity and disparate foreleg characters might have been driven by diverse niches of predator-prey interplay in the complex tropical forest ecosystem of the mid-Cretaceous.

Basal polyphagan beetles in mid-Cretaceous amber from Myanmar: biogeographic implications and long-term morphological stasis

The origin and early evolutionary history of polyphagan beetles have been largely based on evidence from the derived and diverse 'core Polyphaga', whereas little is known about the species-poor basal polyphagan lineages, which include Scirtoidea (Clambidae, Decliniidae, Eucinetidae, and Scirtidae) and Derodontidae. Here, we report two new species Acalyptomerus thayerae sp. nov. and Sphaerothorax uenoi sp. nov., both belonging to extant genera of Clambidae, from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Acalyptomerus thayerae has a close affinity to A. herbertfranzi, a species currently occurring in Mesoamerica and northern South America. Sphaerothorax uenoi is closely related to extant species of Sphaerothorax, which are usually collected in forests of Nothofagus of Australia, Chile, and New Zealand. The discovery of two Cretaceous species from northern Myanmar indicates that both genera had lengthy evolutionary histories, originated at least by the earliest Cenomanian, and were probably more widespread than at present. Remarkable morphological similarities between fossil and living species suggest that both genera changed little over long periods of geological time. The long-term persistence of similar mesic microhabitats such as leaf litter may account for the 99 Myr morphological stasis in Acalyptomerus and Sphaerothorax. Additionally, the extinct staphylinoid family Ptismidae is proposed as a new synonym of Clambidae, and its only included species Ptisma zasukhae is placed as incertae sedis within Clambidae.

Multi-variate models are essential for understanding vertebrate diversification in deep time

Statistical models are helping palaeontologists to elucidate the history of biodiversity. Sampling standardization has been extensively applied to remedy the effects of uneven sampling in large datasets of fossil invertebrates. However, many vertebrate datasets are smaller, and the issue of uneven sampling has commonly been ignored, or approached using pairwise comparisons with a numerical proxy for sampling effort. Although most authors find a strong correlation between palaeodiversity and sampling proxies, weak correlation is recorded in some datasets. This has led several authors to conclude that uneven sampling does not influence our view of vertebrate macroevolution. We demonstrate that multi-variate regression models incorporating a model of underlying biological diversification, as well as a sampling proxy, fit observed sauropodomorph dinosaur palaeodiversity best. This bivariate model is a better fit than separate univariate models, and illustrates that observed palaeodiversity is a composite pattern, representing a biological signal overprinted by variation in sampling effort. Multi-variate models and other approaches that consider sampling as an essential component of palaeodiversity are central to gaining a more complete understanding of deep time vertebrate diversification.

New Middle Permian palaeopteran insects from Lodève Basin in southern France (Ephemeroptera, Diaphanopterodea, Megasecoptera)

Three new palaeopteran insects are described from the Middle Permian (Guadalupian) of Salagou Formation in the Lodève Basin (South of France), viz. the diaphanopterodean Alexrasnitsyniidaefam. n., based on Alexrasnitsynia permianagen. etsp. n., the ParelmoidaePermelmoa magnificagen. etsp. n., and Lodevohymen lapeyrieigen. etsp. n. (in Megasecoptera or Diaphanopterodea, family undetermined). In addition the first record of mayflies attributed to family Syntonopteridae (Ephemeroptera) is reported. These new fossils clearly demonstrate that the present knowledge of the Permian insects remains very incomplete. They also confirm that the Lodève entomofauna was highly diverse providing links to other Permian localities and also rather unique, with several families still not recorded in other contemporaneous outcrops.