PeerJ (Sep 2024)

An unusual Cretaceous beetle with affinity to Anamorphidae (Coleoptera: Coccinelloidea)

  • Yan-Da Li,
  • Wioletta Tomaszewska,
  • Emmanuel Arriaga-Varela,
  • Di-Ying Huang,
  • Chen-Yang Cai

DOI
https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18008
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12
p. e18008

Abstract

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Coccinelloid beetles have a sparse fossil record in the Mesozoic. Here, we describe and illustrate an unusual coccinelloid beetle, Yassibum yoshitomii gen. et sp. nov., from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber. Yassibum stands out within the Coccinelloidea due to its notched profemora and the presence of antennal grooves on the elytral epipleura. Based on our phylogenetic analyses, we suggest that Yassibum is most likely related to the family Anamorphidae. The alternative placements are critically evaluated based on our comparison of the morphology.

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