Family Lasiosynidae n. fam., new palaeoendemic Mesozoic family from the infraorder Elateriformia (Coleoptera: Polyphaga)

Lasiosynidae n. fam. is proposed for the genera Lasiosyne Tan, Ren & Chih 2007 (transferred from Archostemata to Polyphaga), Anacapitis Yan 2009 Tarsomegamerus Zhang 2005 (proposed in the superfamily Chrysomeloidea) and Bupredactyla n. gen. The new family is regarded in composition of the infraorder Elateriformia without a more detailed attribution, because it demonstrates a mixture of characters of different families and superfamilies, i.e. somehow an intermediate position between the superfamilies Dascilloidea, Elateroidea, Buprestoidea and Byrrhoidea with most resemblance to Dascillidae, Schizopodidae, Eulichadidae, Ptilodactylidae and Callirrhipidae and probable more close relationship to the last three families. Four new fossil species of the genus Lasiosyne: L. daohugouensis n. sp., L. fedorenkoi n. sp., L. gratiosa n. sp., L. quadricollis n. sp., and also Bupredactyla magna n. sp. are described from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of eastern Inner Mongolia, China. A probable generic composition of the new family is considered. The synonymy of generic names Anacapitis Yan 2009 and Brachysyne Tan & Ren 2009, n. syn. as well as synonymy of species names Lasiosyne euglyphea Tan, Ren & Chih 2007, Pappisyne eucallus Tan & Ren 2009, n. syn. and Pappisyne spathulata Tan & Ren 2009, n. syn. are proposed.     

New species of sap beetles (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Nitidulini) from the Baltic and Bitterfeld ambers

A new genus, Microsoronia, gen. nov., and new species of this genus, M. hoffeinsorum, sp. nov. from the Bitterfeld amber and M. kerneggeri sp. nov., M. nigerrima sp. nov., and M. interfax, sp. nov. from the Baltic amber, are described. The earliest known member of the genus Phenolia, P. (Lasiodites) angustitibialis, sp. nov., is described from the Baltic amber. The systematic position of these two genera, their possible evolution, as well as the possible ecology and bionomics of their members are discussed. It is shown that “Phenolia” incapax Scudder, 1890 should be included in the family Peltidae, rather than Nitidulidae.     

New genus and species of broad-nosed weevils from Baltic amber and notes on fossils of the subfamily Entiminae (Coleoptera, Curculionidae)

Arostropsis groehnigen. et sp. n. is described from Baltic amber and temporarily placed in the tribe Naupactini. It differs from all recent Naupactini genera with open corbels by very short and flattened scape, distinct lateral carina of the pronotum and elytra, and the rostrum distinctly narrower than the head capsule. The shape of head in the extinct genus is somewhat similar to that of the extant Naupactini genera with enclosed corbels (Platyomus Sahlberg, 1823 and Aptolemus Schoenherr, 1842), but differs in the slender body, open corbels, very short antennal scape and epifrons without a median sulcus (only a longitudinal depression is slightly visible). It is also similar to the Tanymecine genus Pandeleteius Schoenherr, 1834 in general appearance, but distinct by the straight anterior edge of the pronotum, lack of postocular spurs, lobes, and vibrissae, a slightly sloping elytral declivity, lateral ridges on the pronotum, subflattened antennal scape, elongate rostrum, and sparsely setose epistome. A new synonymy of the generic names Protonaupactus Zherikhin, 1971 and Sucinophyllobius Wanat & Borowiec, 1986, syn. n., is established. The Madagascan genus Corecaulus Fairmaire, 1903 is transferred from the tribe Naupactini to the Brachyderini because of its connate claws and the similarity in chaetotaxy of the epistomal area with African and Madagascar Brachyderini genera. A key to the identification of known Baltic amber genera of Entiminae is proposed. A checklist of the prepleistocene fossil Entiminae, based on V.V. Zherikhin's data, with remarks and corrections, is presented.     

Two new species of the genus Epuraea Erichson, 1843 from China (Coleoptera,Nitidulidae, Epuraeinae)

Two new species belonging to the consobrina-group of the subgenus Micruria Reitter, 1875 (genus Epuraea Erichson, 1843), Epuraea (Micruria) lanuginosa sp. n. and Epuraea (Micruria) pulliginis sp. n., found in Sichuan Province, China, are described. Pictures and details of structures important for diagnostics of the new species, including external characters and genitalia are given.     

The Position of the Palaeozoic Genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tunguskagyrus</Emphasis> Yan,Beutel et Lawrence in the Family Triaplidae sensu n. (Coleoptera,Archostemata: Schizophoroidea)

Re-examination of the late Permian Tunguskagyrus planus Yan, Beutel et Lawrence, 2018 has shown that it does not belong to the family Gyrinidae (Adephaga) but should be placed in the family Triaplidae sensu n. (Archostemata) as a congener to “Triaplus” sibiricus Volkov, 2013 (Tunguskagyrus sibiricus (Volkov, 2013), comb. n.). Both these Palaeozoic species, in contrast to the Triassic members of Triaplus Ponomarenko, 1977, have no large metacoxal femoral plates and, therefore, would be better placed apart from the Mesozoic representatives of Triaplus (in a different genus). The synonymy of the family names Triaplidae Ponomarenko, 1977 (= Catiniidae Ponomarenko, 1968, syn. n., nom. praeocc., non Catiniidae Bocquet et Stock, 1957 (Crustacaea, Copepoda), = Coleocatiniidae Ponomarenko et Prokin, 2015, syn. n.) is established. Thus, the family now comprises Avocatinus Ponomarenko, 1969, Catinius Ponomarenko, 1968, Catinoides Ponomarenko, 1969, Macrocatinius Ponomarenko, 1969, Triaplus Ponomarenko, 1977, Triassocatinius Ponomarenko, 1969 and Tunguskagyrus Yan, Beutel et Lawrence, 2018.     

New species of sap beetles (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Epuraeinae,Cybocephalinae) from the Baltic amber

A new genus, Baltoraea gen. nov., two new species of this genus, B. insignis sp. nov. and B. simillima sp. nov., and three other new species, Cybocephalus (Cybocephalus) balticus sp. nov., C. (C.) electricus sp. nov. and C. (C.) kerneggeri sp. nov. are described from the Late Eocene Baltic amber. The systematic position of the genus Baltoraea and presumable bionomics of the new sap beetles are discussed.     

Mesozoic leaf beetles of the tribe Mesolpinini trib. nov. (Coleoptera,Chrysomelidae) from the Lower Cretaceous

This publication is based on recent studies of Lower Cretaceous leaf beetles from the Yixian Formation (Liaoning, China), which are represented by five new species of one new genus Mesolpinus gen. nov. (M. antenattus sp. nov. [type species], M. adapertilis sp. nov., M. angusticollis sp. nov., M. basicollis sp. nov., and M. trapezicollis sp. nov.) assigned to a new tribe, Mesolpinini trib. nov. of the subfamily Chrysomelinae. This tribe, which includes only species from the Jehol biota, is the oldest known group of the family in the fossil record. A key to species of the genus Mesolpinus gen. nov. is provided and the position of the new tribe is discussed. A brief overview of the Mesozoic data on the subfamily Chrysomeloidea is given.     

First fossil representative of the family omalisidae (Coleoptera,Elateroidea sensu lato) from the Baltic amber

The paper describes Jantarokrama utilis Kovalev et Kirejtshuk, gen. et sp. nov., the first fossil representative of the family Omalisidae from the Upper Eocene Baltic amber, which is similar to the Recent Phaeopterus unicolor Costa, 1856, but distinguished from the latter by the larger and not so slender body, smaller distance between antennal insertions, longer antennae, wider prothorax with very convex anterior edge of the pronotum, and particularly by five completely exposed abdominal ventrites. The diagnosis of the new genus among generic taxa of Omalisidae and its similarity to Berendtimirus Winkler, 1987 (Berendtimiridae) are discussed.