The fossil record and macroevolutionary history of the beetles

Coleoptera (beetles) is the most species-rich metazoan order, with approximately 380 000 species. To understand how they came to be such a diverse group, we compile a database of global fossil beetle occurrences to study their macroevolutionary history. Our database includes 5553 beetle occurrences from 221 fossil localities. Amber and lacustrine deposits preserve most of the beetle diversity and abundance. All four extant suborders are found in the fossil record, with 69% of all beetle families and 63% of extant beetle families preserved. Considerable focus has been placed on beetle diversification overall, however, for much of their evolutionary history it is the clade Polyphaga that is most responsible for their taxonomic richness. Polyphaga had an increase in diversification rate in the Early Cretaceous, but instead of being due to the radiation of the angiosperms, this was probably due to the first occurrences of beetle-bearing amber deposits in the record. Perhaps, most significant is that polyphagan beetles had a family-level extinction rate of zero for most of their evolutionary history, including across the Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary. Therefore, focusing on the factors that have inhibited beetle extinction, as opposed to solely studying mechanisms that may promote speciation, should be examined as important determinants of their great diversity today.     

Comparative morphology of mandibular structures in lycid larvae and its phylogenetic implications (Polyphaga, Hexapoda)

The morphology of the larval mandibular structures of the family Lycidae (Polyphaga) is characterized by facultative dicondyly, posterior articulation with long mandibular rods, lateral location of the anterior condyle and its articulation with a paired non‐cranial structure. It is compared to that of Eucrustacea, Chilopoda, Entognatha, Microcoryphia and Zygentoma and found to be more reminiscent of the Entognatha. The phylogenetic implications of this conclusion are discussed, with the Pterygota and Dicondylia hypothesized to be non‐monophyletic.     

中国四川菜花露尾甲亚属一新种（鞘翅目：露尾甲科）

记述采自中国四川省的菜花露尾甲属菜花露尾甲亚属1新种:淡翅菜花露尾甲Meligethes(Meligethes)pallidoelytrorum Chen&Kirejtshuk sp.nov.。对其特征作了描述,提供了成虫形态及雌雄外生殖器特征图。新种的主要鉴别特征为:虫体背部体表光滑,鞘翅具稀疏的刻点,跗爪基部具明显的齿。并提出滑菜花露尾甲M.(M.)lutra Solsky,1876和蜜菜花露尾甲M.(M.)melleus Grouvelle,1908是长唇菜花露尾甲M.(M.)vulpes Solsky,1876的新异名。     

天牛科二中国新记录种记述（鞘翅目）

记述采自广西大明山自然保护区的天牛科2中国新记录种:斯维颠花天牛Saligranta svihlai(Holzschuh,1989)和少瘤星天牛Anoplophora granata Holzschuh,1993。     

The mitogenomes of three beetles (Coleoptera: Polyphaga: Cucujiformia): New gene rearrangement and phylogeny

The mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) has been extensively used for studying phylogenetic relationships at different taxonomic levels. Several molecular analyses have been performed, but the phylogenetic relationships among infraorders in Polyphaga have not been well resolved. In this work, three nearly complete mitogenomes of Coleoptera, Sitophilus oryzae, Oryzaephilus surinamensis and Callosobruchus chinensis, were determined. The O. surinamensis and S. oryzae mitogenomes harbor gene content typical of other Polyphaga mitogenomes, while a gene rearrangement (trnQ) was found in the C. chinensis mitogenome. The mitogenomes of these three Coleoptera species each consist of approximately 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes and one A + T-rich region. Phylogenetic analysis within Polyphaga was carried out based on mitochondrial data. The phylogenetic results within Polyphaga support the basal position of Cyphon sp., which belonged to Scirtoidea, Elateriformia. Within Cucujiformia, monophyletic Curculionoidea, Chrysomeloidea and Tenebrionoidea were confirmed.     

Phylogenetic analyses and evolutionary timescale of Coleoptera based on mitochondrial sequence

Coleopteran phylogeny was analysed using mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequence. The optimal tree topology was given by the dataset consisted of all coding genes except for the exclusion of the 3rd codon sites (mtDNA12) using Bayesian Inference Method. This topology supports the monophyly of four suborders, and the sister group relationship between Adephaga and Myxophaga and between Polyphaga and Archostemata. In Polyphaga, Cucujiformia and Elateroidea formed independent node respectively, the remaining species grouped together except for Cyphon sp, among which, only Cucujiformia and Scarabaeiformia were supported as monophyletic group, respectively. Within Cucujiformia, the monophyly of Chrysomeloidea, Curculionoidea and Tenebrionoidea were supported respectively, among which Tenebrionoidea occupied the basal position of Cucujiformia. Cleroidea grouped together with Bothrideridae and Coccinellidae, and formed an independent node, which lead to the paraphyly of Cucujoidea. The monophyly of Elateriformia was not supported because of the division of Scirtoidea and Buprestoidea. Furthermore, using a Bayesian relaxed clock calibrated with fossil data, we estimated that most superfamilies within Polyphaga originated in the Jurassic period.     

黑冀地鳖形态学的研究

黑冀地鳖Polyphaga obscura Chopard具有重要药用价值,国内仅分布于新疆南部阿克苏以南地区。本文对其外部形态、消化、排泄及生殖系统形态学特点的研究进行了报道。研究表明,在无雄虫的情况下,卵鞘的形态结构特点是重要分类性状,可用于冀地鳖的物种鉴定,从而确认黑冀地鳖是一实际存在的物种;形态特征同其生活习性有着明显相关性;同中华真地鳖Eupolyphaga sinensis(Walker)进行比较,冀地鳖是更早地进入到土内穴居生活的类群。     

Structure and ultrastructure of the ovary in the South American Veturius sinuatus (Eschscholtz) (Coleoptera,Passalidae)

The morphoanatomy of the ovary in Veturius sinuatus (Eschscholtz) was studied by light and transmission electron microscopy. Data from the female gonad of this species provide more extended and precise knowledge regarding the organization of the ovary in Passalidae. Ovaries are composed of a pair of long telotrophic meroistic ovarioles, with some differences compared to the bauplan of this ovary type in Polyphaga (Coleoptera). The terminal filament has an enlarged proximal region with irregularly shaped cells in apparent degeneration process embedded in a membranous system. Globular structures with amorphous content associated with interstitial cells are distributed throughout the tropharium. Trophocytes develop with the reduction of the plasma membrane between sibling nurse cells of each cluster. Previtellogenic oocytes have an irregular shape and various cytoplasmic prolongations. As oogenesis advances, a single prolongation in the anterior part of the oocyte extends to the tropharium. The ovary structure is comparable to that found in other American species of passalids, and further, the conformation of the terminal filament could be a plesiomorphic character of the family.