Yan‐Da Li, Erik Tihelka, Zhenhua Liu, Diying Huang, Chen-yang Cai
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引用次数: 4
Abstract
Abstract
The cryptic slime mold beetles, Sphindidae, are a moderately diverse cucujoid beetle family, whose members are obligately tied to slime molds throughout their life. The fossil record of sphindid beetles is sparse; stem-sphindids and crown-group members of uncertain systematic placement have been reported from Cretaceous ambers. Here we review the Mesozoic fossil record of Sphindidae and report a new sphindid genus and species, Trematosphindus newtonigen. et sp. nov., from Albian/Cenomanian amber from northern Myanmar (ca. 99 Ma). Trematosphindus is set apart from all other sphindids by the presence of distinct lateral cavities on the anterior pronotal angles. Our phylogenetic analysis identifies Trematosphindus as an early-diverging genus within Sphindidae, sister to the remainder of the family except Protosphindus, or Protosphindus and Odontosphindus. The new fossils provide evidence that basal crown slime mold beetles begun to diversify by the mid-Cretaceous, providing a valuable calibration point for understanding timescale of sphindid co-evolution with slime molds.
期刊介绍:
Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny releases three times per year. Research fields covered are the taxonomy, morphology/anatomy, phylogeny (molecular or morphology-based), historical biogeography and palaeontology of arthropod taxa.
Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny is the successor of Entomologische Abhandlungen, formerly published by the Museum of Zoology Dresden, Germany.