New fossil genus and species of carrion beetle (Coleoptera, Silphidae) from the Lower Cretaceous Jinju Formation, South Korea

Large carrion and burying beetles evolved from Staphylinidae (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Silphinae): a review of the evidence

“…This is partly because of the lack, until recently, of fossils that are adequately preserved and clearly attributable to Silphinae until the mid–late Tertiary (ca 35 Mya or younger), when fossils resembling or placed in modern genera of Silphinae appear (e.g., Cai et al 2014 , Chatzimanolis 2018 ). This situation has changed with the recent discovery of well-preserved compression fossils from the mid-Jurassic and early Cretaceous of China and South Korea, and mid-Cretaceous amber fossils from Myanmar, reviewed by Grebennikov and Newton (2012) , Cai et al (2014) and Sohn and Nam (2021) . These discoveries encourage us to briefly discuss whether these fossils lend support to, or help refute, the general conclusion of our review of modern phylogenetic studies above that silphines are derived from within Staphylinidae .…”

“…These discoveries encourage us to briefly discuss whether these fossils lend support to, or help refute, the general conclusion of our review of modern phylogenetic studies above that silphines are derived from within Staphylinidae . Only one of these Mesozoic silphine fossils, Cretosaja jinjuensis Sohn and Nam from the early Jurassic of South Korea, is formally named ( Sohn and Nam 2021 ), but the others are extensively described, illustrated, and discussed in the reviews of Cai et al (2014) and Sohn and Nam (2021) , on which the following comments are based. The earliest fossils, from the mid-Jurassic Daohugou Formation in China (ca.…”

Cretaceous beetles of the Jinju Formation (Coleoptera): Archostemata

“…However, the insect (and beetle) fauna of this Lagerstätte has not been extensively studied. The few identified beetles from the Jinju Formation include Coptoclava Ping of Coptoclavidae (Park et al, 2013), Megalithomerus Sohn & Nam and Koreagrypnus Sohn & Nam of Elateridae (Sohn et al, 2019), and Cretosaja Sohn & Nam of Staphylinidae (Sohn & Nam, 2021). An archostematan beetle, Notocupes premeris Lee et al, was also described from the Jinju Formation very recently (Lee et al, 2022).…”