The first fossil wedge-shaped beetle (Coleoptera, Ripiphoridae) from the middle Jurassic of China

Abstract

A new species of Ripiphoridae Gemminger & Harold, 1870, Archaeoripiphorus nuwa gen. et sp. nov., is described and illustrated from a well-preserved impression fossil from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation collected at Daohugou Village, Shantou Township, Ningcheng County, Inner Mongolia, China, representing the oldest documented occurrence of the Ripiphoridae described from the Mesozoic era. It shares several characters belonging to two basal ripiphorid subfamilies (Pelecotominae and Ptilophorinae), but it cannot be attributed to either of them and is herein placed as Subfamily incertae sedis. An overall similarity between Archaeoripiphorus gen. nov. and Recent Pelecotominae and the occurrence of wood-boring beetles in the same Formation implies a similar parasitoid host preference in xylophagous beetles for A. nuwa gen. et sp. nov., putting a spotlight on a potential host-parasitoid relationship in the Mesozoic.

Notes on Archaeoripiphorus nuwa Hsiao, Yu & Deng, 2017 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea) from the Middle Jurassic of China

“…Order Coleoptera Linnaeus, 1758 Suborder Polyphaga Emery, 1886 Superfamily Tenebrionoidea Latreille, 1802 Family incertae sedis (see Batelka et al 2018) Genus Archaeoripiphorus Hsiao, Yu & Deng, 2017 Diagnosis: Body large-sized (about 15.5 mm); head elongate, abruptly constricted posteriorly to form broad neck; eyes oval, shallowly emarginate, distinctly separated from each other; antennae 11-antennomered, antennomeres IV to X rectangular or trapezoid and antennomere XI with pointed apex; terminal maxillary palpomere elongate securiform, not modified, about 4.0 times longer than minimum width; pronotum almost triangular, trilobed at base; elytra complete, covering entire abdomen; abdomen with five ventrites; protibiae nearly as long as protarsi; apices of tibiae without spiniform seta; claws pectinate, at least in middle and hind legs.…”

“…The genus and species Archaeoripiphorus nuwa Hsiao, Yu & Deng, 2017 were described as the holotype specimen to fall into the family Ripiphoridae, unknown subfamily. Batelka et al (2018) transferred the genus and species to superfamily Tenebrionoidea family incertae sedis based on morphological characters.…”

The Fossil Record of Darkling Beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

“…The oldest known distinct representatives of Tenebrionoidea are from the Callovian/Oxfordian of the Middle/Late Jurassic, Wuhua jurassica (Wang et Zhang, 2011) [86] and Praemordella martynovi (Shchegoleva-Barovskaya, 1929) [87] and belong to the clade Mordellidae-Ripiphoridae of this superfamily [59]. Archaeoripiphorus nuwa (Hsiao et al, 2017) [88] from the same stage was originally described in Ripiphoridae but was later transferred to Tenebrionoidea familia incertae sedis [59]. Mordellid-ripiphorid beetles reach the largest proportion of the described taxa (32%) within Mesozoic Tenebrionoidea.…”

Phylogeographic and Phylogenetic Notes on Iberian Ripiphoridae (Coleoptera)

“…The views on the relations of this family with Mordellidae Latreille, 1802 and Meloidae Gyllenhal, 1810, have changed markedly over time (Lacordaire 1859, Forbes 1926, Böving and Craighead 1931, Selander 1957, Crowson 1995, Falin 2002, Falin 2003, Beutel and Friedrich 2005, Lawrence et al 2010. Additionally, the phylogenetic structure of Ripiphoridae remains unresolved (Hsiao et al 2017). Most importantly, the monophyly of the family is not supported by avail able molecular studies as Mordellidae are often nested within it (Gunter et al 2014, Kergoat et al 2014, McKenna et al 2015, Batelka et al 2016.…”

“…2010). Additionally, the phylogenetic structure of Ripiphoridae remains unresolved (Hsiao et al . 2017).…”