Current knowledge of Coleoptera (Insecta) from the Lower Cretaceous Lebanese amber and taxonomical notes for some Mesozoic groups

Abstract

This paper overviews more than 39 families of fossil Coleoptera from Lower Cretaceous Lebanese amber from nine outcrops. Lebanese amber contains the oldest representatives of the families Scydmaenidae (considered by some as a subfamily of Staphylinidae), Ptiliidae, Elodophalmidae, Clambidae, Throscidae, Lebanophytidae fam. n., Ptilodactylidae, Cantharidae, Melyridae, Dasytidae, Dermestidae, Ptinidae, Kateretidae, Erotylidae, Latridiidae, Laemophloeidae, Salpingidae, Anthicidae, Melandryidae, Aderidae, Curculionidae (Scolytinae). The families Chelonariidae and Scraptiidae are known from both Lebanese amber and Baissa, with both sites having a comparable age. The subfamilies Trechinae (Carabidae), Euaesthetinae (Staphylinidae) and Liparochrinae (Hybosoridae) first appear in the fossil record in Lebanese amber. The Coleoptera in Lebanese amber mostly belong to groups with arboreal habits (as found today in wood and tree fungi).Eochelonarium bellegen. et sp. n.,Rhizophtoma synchrotronicasp. n.,Rhizobactron marinaegen et sp. n. andAtetrameropsis subglobosagen. et sp. n. are described from Lebanese amber. A new subfamily in the family Cerophytidae is proposed forAphytocerus communisZherichin, 1977 (Aphytocerinae subfam. n.) and new genusBaissopsisgen.nov. is erected forBaissophytum amplusChang, Kirejtshuk et Ren, 2011. Also a new interpretation of the taxon “Lasiosynidae” is provided by placing it as a subfamily in the family Eulichadidae with two genera (LasiosyneTan, Ren et Shih, 2007 andBupredactylaKirejtshuk, Chang, Ren et Shih, 2010), while the other genera initially regarded as “Lasiosynidae” were tentatively transferred into Eulichadinae sensu n. (MesodascillaMartynov, 1926;TarsomegamerusZhang, 2005;BrachysyneTan et Ren, 2009;AnacapitisYan, 2009;ParelateriformiusYan et Wang, 2010 andCretasyneYan, Wang et Zhang, 2013) with the new synonymy ofTarsomegamerusandParelateriformiussyn. n. The genusMesaplusHong, 1983 described in the family Triaplidae is also transvered to Eulichadinae. The generaArtematopoditesPonomarenko, 1990;DzeregiaPonomarenko, 1985 andGlaphyropteroidesHandlirsch, 1906 proposed for species known only by separate elytra and recently included in the “family” Lasiosynidae (Yan et al., 2013) are regarded as Elateriformiaincertae sedis. The first insect from the newly discovered outcrops of Nabaa Es-Sukkar – Brissa: Caza (District) Sir Ed-Danniyeh, Mouhafazet (Governorate) Loubnan Esh-Shimali (North Lebanon) is described and the first general description of this outcrop is made.

Evolutionary and paleobiological implications of Coleoptera (Insecta) from Tethyan-influenced Cretaceous ambers

“…The Coleoptera from Lebanese amber were reviewed by Kirejtshuk and Azar (2013) and represent approximately 3% of the bioinclusions found. In contrast, Myanmar amber contains the largest list of beetle taxa described to date (Appendix 2), representing 16% of all the studied inclusions from Burmese amber (Shi et al, 2012).…”

“…Those factors are: reactions to physical damage, cellular metabolism or growth; and protective barriers to reduce temperature and water loss or to Indeterminate group 2 1 1 4 9 6 3 18 9 2 1 2 14 -Total 9 55 15 2 1 1 24 1 11 16 135 84 51 14 149 45 2 6 1 1 6 5 65 32 Information about Lebanese amber has been obtained in Kirejtshuk and Azar (2013) and Kirejtshuk et al (2015). Information about the Spanish and French amber is newly presented here.…”

“…Kirejtshuk and Azar (2013) stated that some beetle specimens "belong to groups rather different from those represented in the Recent fauna and they are very difficult to identify"; this observation can be extended to Spanish beetles too. Because of this, several new higher groups have been created that contain some of these fossils (see for example, Peris and Delclòs, 2015).…”

Two new genera of Lasiosynidae (Insecta, Coleoptera) from the Lower Cretaceous of Russia and Mongolia, and principal trends of the morphological evolution of the family

“…Lasiosynids were recently included in the family Eulichadidae as a new subfamily (Kirejtshuk and Azar, 2013). The rather small recent family Eulichadidae includes only 43 species placed in two genera.…”

New Fossil Soldier Beetles (Coleoptera: Cantharidae) in Burmese, Baltic and Dominican Amber

“…Previously, fossil Cantharidae were described from Baltic amber (e.g., YABLOKOV-KHNZORIAN 1960;ALEKSEEV 2013;KAZANTSEV 2013), Rovno amber (KAZANTSEV 2010;KAZANTSEV & PERKOVSKY 2014), Mexican Chiapas amber (WITTMER 1963) and from the Brunstatt brown coals of Alsace (FÖRSTER 1891). Specimens without specific attribution were reported from Baltic amber (e.g., KLEBS 1910;HIEKE & PIETRZENIUK 1984;KUBISZ 2000KUBISZ , 2001, Lebanese amber (KIREJTSHUK & AZAR 2013), and Burmese amber (RASNITSYN & ROSS 2000;POINAR et al 2007). The present study describes a new genus and species in Burmese amber that is characterized as a lycid mimic; a new species of Tytthonyx LECONTE, 1851 in Dominican amber (first record of Silinae Tytthonyxini), and a new species of Rhagonycha ESCHSCHOLTZ, 1830 from Baltic amber.…”