X-ray micro-computed tomography reveals a unique morphology in a new click-beetle (Coleoptera, Elateridae) from the Eocene Baltic amber

Beetle fossils are a rich source of information about the palaeodiversity and evolutionary history of the order Coleoptera. Despite the increasing rate of fossil research on click-beetles (Coleoptera: Elateridae), the most diverse group in the superfamily Elateroidea, their fossil record has remaine...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2020-11, Vol.10 (1), p.20158-20158, Article 20158
Main Authors: Kundrata, Robin, Bukejs, Andris, Prosvirov, Alexander S., Hoffmannova, Johana
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
631/181/2480
631/181/414
631/601
631/601/1466
Amber
Animals
Baltic States
Biological Evolution
Coleoptera - physiology
Forests
Fossils
Humanities and Social Sciences
multidisciplinary
Paleontology - methods
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
X-Ray Microtomography - methods
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Summary:Beetle fossils are a rich source of information about the palaeodiversity and evolutionary history of the order Coleoptera. Despite the increasing rate of fossil research on click-beetles (Coleoptera: Elateridae), the most diverse group in the superfamily Elateroidea, their fossil record has remained largely unstudied. This may be caused by the combination of their rather uniform external morphology and the suboptimal state of preservation and visibility in most fossil specimens. Here, we used X-ray micro-computed tomography to reconstruct the morphology of an interesting click-beetle from Eocene Baltic amber, which had some principal diagnostic characters obscured by opaque bubbles and body position. Our results suggest that the newly described Baltelater bipectinatus gen. et sp. nov. belongs to tribe Protelaterini within subfamily Lissominae. Since Protelaterini have a predominantly Gondwanan distribution, our discovery is of a great importance for the historical biogeography of the group. Very distinctive are the bipectinate antennae with 11 antennomeres and with rami beginning on antennomere IV, which are not found in any recent Elateridae. The discovery of a new click-beetle lineage from European Eocene amber sheds further light on the palaeodiversity and historical diversification of the family as well as on the composition of the extinct amber forest ecosystem.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-020-76908-3