The first fossil record of the rove beetle subfamily Protopselaphinae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. (June 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Liu, Yuchu; Tihelka, Erik; Yamamoto, Shûhei; Yin, Ziwei; Huang, Diying; Tian, Li; Cai, Chenyang
• Is Part Of: Cretaceous research. Volume 110(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-06
• Subjects: Protopselaphinae -- Mesozoic -- Biogeography -- Burmese amber -- Myanmar; Geology, Stratigraphic -- Cretaceous -- Periodicals; 551.77
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104416
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0195-6671

Abstract

Abstract: Protopselaphinae is a small rove beetle subfamily endemic to southeast Asia with only eight extant species placed into a single genus. Here we describe and illustrate the first fossil representative of Protopselaphinae, Protopselaphus thayerae sp. nov., from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber (Albian-Cenomanian). The new species is distinguished from all extant taxa of Protopselaphus by having tarsomeres 1 and 2 not subequal in length and mentum with a shallow emargination. The new fossils provide evidence of an ancient origin of Protopselaphinae, a 'missing link' between the megadiverse Pselaphinae and other subfamilies in the Omaliine group. Protopselaphus thayerae sp. nov. is a testament to an extreme morphological and probably also ecological stasis in Protopselaphinae over the last 99 million years. Highlights: We describe a new rove beetle species from Albian-Cenomanian Burmese amber. The discovery extends the fossil history of the subfamily Protopselaphinae into the mid-Cretaceous. This suggests a more widespread east Gondwanan distribution of Protopselaphinae in the Mesozoic.