Nothotytthonyx, a new genus of Malthininae (Coleoptera, Cantharidae) from mid-Cretaceous amber of northern Myanmar

Abstract

A new fossil genus and species of Cantharidae, Nothotytthonyx serratus Li, Biffi, Kundrata & Cai gen. et sp. nov., is reported from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. The new species is tentatively attributed to the extant subfamily Malthininae based on a combination of characters, including the symmetrical apical maxillary palpomeres, shortened elytra, pronotum with arched margins and well-defined borders, tibiae with apical spurs, and tarsal claws simple, although its well-developed gonostyli are atypical in Malthininae. The discovery of Nothotytthonyx also suggests a possible Gondwanan origin for Malthininae.

When a key innovation becomes redundant: Patterns, drivers and consequences of elytral reduction in Coleoptera

“…However, at least some taxa may have evolved shortened elytra and reduced hind wings as an adaptation to windy high‐altitude habitats (e.g., Finston et al, 1997). Discoveries of different Cretaceous fossil cantharids, tentatively placed in Cantharinae and Malthininae but probably representing extinct lineages, confirmed that members of this family had already evolved variously shortened elytra during their early diversification (Hsiao et al, 2021; Li et al, 2022).…”

“…Although this modification of the coleopteran groundplan already occurred in the evolution of several early diverging lineages such as the archostematan Micromalthidae (Yan et al, 2019: † Archaeomalthus ), adephagan Gyrinidae (e.g., Beutel et al, 2020; Gustafson et al, 2017), myxophagan †Triamyxidae (Qvarnström et al, 2021), and polyphagan Elateroidea (Li et al, 2022; Li, Kundrata, Packova, et al, 2021; Li, Kundrata, Tihelka, et al, 2021) and Staphylinoidea (Chatzimanolis, 2018), Permian stem‐group Coleoptera were exclusively macrelytrous (e.g., Boudinot et al, 2023a; Ponomarenko, 1969).…”

A new fossil Sucinorhagonycha (Coleoptera: Cantharidae) from Baltic amber with visible female gonostili

“…The ovipositor, in particular, is extremely rarely found. In fact, until now only one specimen was known to have the ovipositor with long gonostyli clearly visible (Li et al 2022), the species Nothotytthonyx serratus Li, Biffi, Kundrata et cai, 2022 was recently recovered from a Cretaceous Burmese (Kachin) amber piece and attributed to the subfamily Malthininae KieSenwetter, 1852 (Li et al 2022), and more recently to the new tribe Nothotytthonychini fanti, 2022 (Fanti 2022a). This specimen of Nothotytthonyx serratus has a long gonostyli, a relatively aberrant feature in the subfamily Malthininae (Li et al 2022) but typical in the subfamily Cantharinae (Brancucci 1980), suggesting an uncertainty in the taxonomic attribution of this fossil.…”

“…In fact, until now only one specimen was known to have the ovipositor with long gonostyli clearly visible (Li et al 2022), the species Nothotytthonyx serratus Li, Biffi, Kundrata et cai, 2022 was recently recovered from a Cretaceous Burmese (Kachin) amber piece and attributed to the subfamily Malthininae KieSenwetter, 1852 (Li et al 2022), and more recently to the new tribe Nothotytthonychini fanti, 2022 (Fanti 2022a). This specimen of Nothotytthonyx serratus has a long gonostyli, a relatively aberrant feature in the subfamily Malthininae (Li et al 2022) but typical in the subfamily Cantharinae (Brancucci 1980), suggesting an uncertainty in the taxonomic attribution of this fossil. Another specimen belonging to the genus Sucinorhagonycha KuśKa, 1996, once thought to be the female of Sucinorhagonycha kulickae KuśKa, 1996(Kubisz 2000 but according to Pankowski and Fanti (2023) is actually a different species, has its ovipositor partially visible in an incision in the last abdominal segments (Kubisz 2000).…”

Two new fossil species of soldier beetles (Coleoptera, Cantharidae, Malthininae) from Baltic amber

“…Four genera of the subfamily Malthininae (including Malthinus and Malthodes) and a subgenus have been found in Baltic amber (Fanti & Castiglione 2017;Fanti & Kupryjanowicz 2017;Kupryjanowicz & Fanti 2019). The subfamily also has been discovered in Cretaceous Burmese amber (Hsiao et al 2016(Hsiao et al , 2021Fanti 2021a;Li et al 2022); however, no species of Malthinus or Malthodes has yet been found in this amber.…”