New Genera and Species of the Family Throscidae (Coleoptera: Elateroidea) in Mid-Cretaceous Burmese Amber

Abstract

Simple Summary

Throscidae is a relatively small lineage in the beetle superfamily Elateroidea. The Mesozoic fossil records of this family are sparse. Here we describe three new throscid species found in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, all represented by well-preserved specimens. These newly discovered species suggest that Throscidae had a high diversity in the Cretaceous.

Abstract

Captopus depressiceps gen. et sp. nov., Electrothroscus yanpingae gen. et sp. nov. and Pseudopactopus robustus gen. et sp. nov. are reported from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. These new findings greatly extend the Mesozoic diversity of Throscidae, which implies a high degree of morphological disparity for this family in the Cretaceous.