Fossil marsh beetle larvae (Scirtidae: Coleoptera) from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian) Koonwarra Fossil Bed of Victoria, Australia

Abstract

Abstract The well-preserved fossils of larval Scirtidae (Coleoptera) from the Lower Cretaceous (middle to upper Aptian) Koonwarra Fossil Bed of South Gippsland in Victoria, Australia, were examined and compared with larvae of modern species. The discernible diagnostic features of the fossils conform to the extant genus Nektriscyphon. This is the earliest known evidence for scirtids in the fossil record, and suggests that little morphological change has taken place in these still water-dwelling (lentic) larvae over the last ca 120 million years. Key character states of the fossil Nektriscyphon are compared and the palaeoecological implications discussed. Chris H. S. Watts [chrisw@samuseum.sa.au] and Howard Hamon [howard@hamon.id.au], Entomology Section, South Australian Museum, Adelaide, 5000, Australia.