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

PeerJ. 2024 Sep 16:12:e18008. doi: 10.7717/peerj.18008. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Anamorphidae; Cretaceous; Fossil; Kachin amber; Phylogeny.

MeSH terms

  • Amber
  • Animals
  • Coleoptera* / anatomy & histology
  • Coleoptera* / classification
  • Coleoptera* / genetics
  • Fossils*
  • Phylogeny*

Substances

  • Amber

Grants and funding

Financial support was provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42222201, 42288201) and the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research project (2019QZKK0706). Yan-Da Li is supported by a scholarship granted by the China Scholarship Council (202108320010). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.