中国中生代鞘翅目化石研究现状

1923年A.W.Grabau通过对山东省莱阳盆地莱阳组早白垩世昆虫化石的研究,命名了我国第1种鞘翅目化石昆虫(Proteroscarabaeus yeni).此后,中国昆虫化石分类学者先后发表了40余篇关于我国中生代鞘翅目化石昆虫的分类论著,共描述鉴定了182种,涉及35科,137属.这些化石分布于12个省,其中三叠纪11个种,侏罗纪68个种,白垩纪103个种.本文通过图表列举出我国已发现的中生代鞘翅目化石昆虫名录以及它们的分布和年代,总结了国内中生代甲虫化石当前的研究状况,并初步分析了研究中存在的一些问题.另外本文还介绍了国外学者对于中国古昆虫学者所建立的4个新科提出的不同意见.

CURRENT KNOWLEDGE OF MESOZOIC COLEOPTERA FOSSILS IN CHINA

In 1923, Grabau described the first Chinese fossil beetle, Proteroscarabaeus yeni, an Early Cretaceous beetle collected from Laiyang Formation, Shandong Province. After Grabau's work nearly 40 publications dealing with the Mesozoic fossil Coleoptera of China have appeared, and the number of recorded species has increased to 182. They are referred to 35 families and 137 genera. All the fossil beetles were found from 12 provinces, 11 species from Triassic, 68 species from Jurassic and 103 species from Cretaceous. A checklist table of all described Chinese Mesozoic fossils beetles, with their distribution and age is provided. However, this group has never been systematically studied or collected in China, the validity of some of these species has to be seriously questioned. Some different opinions on the 4 families erected by Chinese palaeoentomologists were introduced. It is clear that the present knowledge of Chinese fossil beetles remains very poor and a lot of work, even alpha taxonomic research, is badly needed.