Prolucanus beipiaoensis gen. et sp. nov.: The First Fossil Species of Lucaninae (Coleoptera: Lucanidae) from the Early Cretaceous of Northeastern China

A new stag beetle fossil is described from the Yixian Formation in northeastern China. A new genus is established based on this well-preserved specimen. Prolucanus beipiaoensis gen. et sp. nov. is firmly placed in the extant lucanid subfamily Lucaninae based on its broad prosternal process and genic...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Insects (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2022-03, Vol.13 (3), p.272
Main Authors: Qi, Zhi-Hao, Tihelka, Erik, Cai, Chen-Yang, Song, Hai-Tian, Ai, Hong-Mu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antennae
Beetles
Communication
Cretaceous
Endangered & extinct species
Etymology
Extinction
Females
fossil
Fossils
Lucanidae
Lucaninae
Males
Mesozoic
New genera
New species
Paleontology
Prolucanus
Sexual dimorphism
stag beetle
Yixian Formation
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:A new stag beetle fossil is described from the Yixian Formation in northeastern China. A new genus is established based on this well-preserved specimen. Prolucanus beipiaoensis gen. et sp. nov. is firmly placed in the extant lucanid subfamily Lucaninae based on its broad prosternal process and geniculate antennae. Our discovery represents the first fossil record of Lucaninae from the Late Mesozoic of China and the oldest reliable record belonging to the subfamily. We also summarize the fossil species of stag beetles found in China and the described fossil species of the subfamily Lucaninae found in the world. A key to all fossil genera of Lucanidae from China is provided.
ISSN:2075-4450
2075-4450
DOI:10.3390/insects13030272