Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Fossil Monotomidae (Coleoptera: Polyphaga) from Laurasian Cretaceous amber

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Organisms Diversity & Evolution Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Three new species of root-eating beetle (Coleoptera: Monotomidae) in Cretaceous amber from Spain (Albian) and Myanmar (Cenomanian) are described. Rhizophtoma longus sp. nov. is a Spanish monotomid of the tribe Rhizophtomini, previously only known from Lebanese amber (Aptian). The Cretakarenniini tribe nov. is created to include the new species Cretakarenni birmanicus gen. et sp. nov., from Myanmar, and Cretakarenni hispanicus gen. et sp. nov., from Spain. These three new species, together with the previous fossil species known in this family, have a controversial set of characters that makes it extremely difficult to place them in any other extant group of Monotomidae. Fossil monotomids are not numerous, despite their early diverging placement among the cucujoid clade. An updated list of monotomid fossils is provided. The need to classify the new taxa and compare them with extant and extinct groups of Monotomidae is solved using a key for the subfamilies and tribes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alekseev, V. I. (2014). Europs insterburgensis sp. nov., a new root-eating beetle from Baltic amber (Coleoptera: Monotomidae). Genus, 25, 415–420.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alonso, J., Arillo, A., Barrón, E., Corral, J. C., Grimalt, J., López, J. F., López, R., Martínez-Delclòs, X., Ortuño, V., Peñalver, E., & Trincão, P. R. (2000). A new fossil resin with biological inclusions in Lower Cretaceous deposits from Álava (northern Spain, Basque-Cantabrian basin). Journal of Paleontology, 74, 158–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barrón, E., Comas-Rengifo, J., & Elorza, L. (2001). Contribuciones al estudio palinológico del Cretácico Inferior de la Cuenca Vasco-Cantábrica: los afloramientos ambarígenos de Peñacerrada (España). Coloquios de Paleontologia, 52, 135–156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bocak, L., Barton, C., Crampton-Platt, A., Chesters, D., Ahrens, D., & Vogler, A. P. (2014). Building the Coleoptera tree-of-life for >8000 species: composition of public DNA data and fit with Linnaean classification. Systematic Entomology, 39, 97–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bouchard, P., Bousquet, Y., Davies, A. E., Alonso-Zarazaga, M. A., Lawrence, J. F., Lyal, C. H., Newton, A. F., Reid, C. A. M., Schmitt, M., Ślipiński, S. A., & Smith, A. B. T. (2011). Family-group names in Coleoptera (Insecta). Zookeys, 88, 1–972.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bousquet, Y. (2002). Monotomidae Laporte 1840. In R. H. Arnett Jr., M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley, & J. H. Frank (Eds.), American beetles volume 2. Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea (pp. 319–321). Boca Raton: CRC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bousquet, Y. (2010). 10.8. Monotomidae Laporte 1840. In R. A. B. Leschen & R. G. Beutel (Eds.), Handbook of zoology. Volume 2: Morphology and systematics (Elateroidea, Bostrichiformia, Cucujiformia partim). Handbook of zoology, Arthropoda: Insecta (Kristensen NP, Beutel RG, eds) (pp. 319–324). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crowson, R. A. (1952). The classification of the families of British Coleoptera (cont.). The Entomologist's Monthly Magazine, 88, 121–132.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cruickshank, R. D., & Ko, K. (2003). Geology of an amber locality in the Hukawng Valley, Northern Myanmar. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 21, 441–455.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delclòs, X., Arillo, A., Peñalver, E., Barrón, E., Soriano, C., López del Valle, R., Bernárdez, E., Corral, C., & Ortuño, V. (2007). Fossiliferous amber deposits from the Cretaceous (Albian) of Spain. Comptes Rendus Palevol, 6, 135–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Engel, M. S., Peris, D., Chatzimanolis, S., & Delclòs, X. (2014). An earwig (Insecta: Dermaptera) in Early Cretaceous amber from Spain. Systematics and Evolution. doi:10.1163/1876312X-45032121.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grimaldi, D. A., Engel, M. S., & Nascimbene, P. C. (2002). Fossiliferous Cretaceous amber from Myanmar (Burma): its rediscovery, biotic diversity, and paleontological significance. American Museum Novitates, 3361, 1–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Helm, O. (1896). Beiträge zur Kenntnis den Insekten des bernstein. Schriften der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft, Danzig, (N.F.) 8, 220–231.

  • Kirejtshuk, A. G., & Azar, D. (2013). Current knowledge of Coleoptera (Insecta) from the Lower Cretaceous Lebanese amber and taxonomical notes for some Mesozoic groups. Terrestrial Arthropod Reviews, 6, 103–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirejtshuk, A. G., Azar, D., Tafforeau, P., Boistel, R., & Fernandez, V. (2009). New beetles of Polyphaga (Coleoptera, Polyphaga) from Lower Cretaceous Lebanese amber. Denisia, 26, 119–130.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klebs, R. (1910). Über Bernsteineinschlüsse im Allgemeinen und die Coleopteren meiner Bernsteinsammlung. Schriften der Physikalisch-ökonomischen Gesellschaft, 51, 217–242.

    Google Scholar 

  • Larsson, S. G. (1978). Baltic amber. A palaeobiological study. Entomonograph, 1, 1–192.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence, J. F., & Newton, A. F. (1995). Families and subfamilies of Coleoptera (with selected genera, notes, references and data on family-group names). In J. Pakaluk & S. A. Ślipiński (Eds.), Biology, phylogeny, and classification of Coleoptera (pp. 779–1006). Warszawa: Muzeum i Instytut Zoologii PAN.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence, J. F., Hastings, A. M., Dallwitz, M. J., Paine, T. A. & Zurcher, E. J. (1999). “Beetles of the world: a key and information system for families and subfamilies.” CD-ROM, Version 1.0 for MS-Windows. Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing.

  • Lawrence, J. F., Beutel, R. G., Leschen, R. A. B., & Slipinski, S. A. (2010). Glossary of morphological terms. In R. A. B. Leschen & R. G. Beutel (Eds.), Handbook of zoology. Volume 2: Morphology and systematics (Elateroidea, Bostrichiformia, Cucujiformia partim). Handbook of zoology, Arthropoda: Insecta (Kristensen NP & Beutel RG, Eds.) (pp. 9–20). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence, J. F., Ślipiński, S. A., Seago, A. E., Thayer, M. K., Newton, A. F., & Marvaldi, A. E. (2011). Phylogeny of the Coleoptera based on morphological characters of adults and larvae. Annales Zoologici (Warszawa), 61, 1–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Majka, C. G., & Bousquet, Y. (2010). Monotomidae (Coleoptera) of the Maritime Provinces of Canada. Journal of the Acadian Entomological Society, 6, 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martínez-Delclòs, X., Briggs, D. E. G., & Peñalver, E. (2004). Taphonomy of insects in carbonates and amber. Paleogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 203, 19–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martínez-Torres, L. M., Pujalte, V., & Robles, S. (2003). Los yacimientos de ámbar del Cretácico Inferior de Peñacerrada (Álava, Cuenca Vasco-Cantábrica): Estratigrafía, reconstrucción paleogeográfica y estructura tectónica. Estudios del Museo de Ciencias Naturales de Álava, 18, 9–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • McElrath, T., Yves B. & McHugh. J.V. (2012). Monotomidae. Root-eating beetles. Version 06 December 2012 (temporary). http://tolweb.org/Monotomidae/9147/2012.12.06 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/. Accessed 23 Sept 2014.

  • Molino-Olmedo, F. (1999). Importancia del ámbar en el registro fósil de Coleópteros saproxílicos. Estudios del Museo de Ciencias Naturales de Álava, 14, 211–215.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nascimbene, P., & Silverstein, H. (2000). The preparation of fragile Cretaceous ambers for conservation and study of organismal inclusions. In D. Grimaldi (Ed.), Studies on fossils in amber, with particular reference to the Cretaceous of New Jersey (pp. 93–102). Leiden: Backhuys Publishers Leiden.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pakaluk, J., Ślipiński, S. A., & Lawrence, J. F. (1994). Current classification and family-group names in Cucujoidea (Coleoptera). Genus (Wroclaw), 5, 223–268.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peñalver, E., & Delclòs, X. (2010). Spanish amber. In D. Penney (Ed.), Biodiversity of fossils in amber from the major world deposits (pp. 236–270). Manchester: Siri Scientific Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peris, D., Sánchez-García, A., Soriano, C. & Delclòs, X. (2013). Beetle fauna in the Early Cretaceous Spanish amber. In The 6th International congress on fossil Insect, Arthropods and Amber—Abstract Book (pp. 74–75). The Lebanese University and the Municipality of Byblos.

  • Peris, D., Chatzimanolis, S., & Delclòs, X. (2014). Diversity of rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) in Early Cretaceous Spanish amber. Cretaceous Research, 48, 85–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peris, D., Philips, T. K., & Delclòs, X. (2015). Ptinid beetles from the Cretaceous gymnosperm-dominated forests. Cretaceous Research, 52, 440–452.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poinar, G. O., Jr. (1992). Life in Amber. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, J. A., Whiting, M. F., & McHugh, J. V. (2008). Searching for natural lineages within the Cerylonid Series (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 46, 193–205.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sánchez-García, A., Peñalver, E., Pérez-de la Fuente, R., & Delclòs, X. (2014). A rich and diverse tanaidomorphan (Crustacea: Tanaidacea) assemblage associated with Early Cretaceous resin-producing forests in North Iberia: palaeobiological implications. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. doi:10.1080/14772019.2014.944946.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sengupta, T. (1988). Review of the genera of the family Rhizophagidae (Clavicornia: Coleoptera) of the world. Memoirs of the Zoological Survey of India, 17, 1–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shi, G., Grimaldi, D. A., Harlow, G. E., Wang, J., Wang, J., Yang, M., Lei, W., Li, Q., & Li, X. (2012). Age constraint on Burmese amber based on U-Pb dating of zircons. Cretaceous Research, 37, 155–163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soriano, C., Pollock, D., Néraudeau, D., Nel, A., & Tafforeau, P. (2014). First fossil record of polypore fungus beetles from Lower Cretaceous amber of France. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 59, 941–946.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weitschat, W., & Wichard, W. (2002). Atlas of the plants and animals in Baltic amber. Munich: Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zherikhin, V. V., & Ross, A. J. (2000). A review of the history, geology and age of Burmese amber (Burmite). Bulletin of the Natural History Museum, London (Geology), 56, 3–10.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank Rafael López-del Valle (MCNA, Spain) and Paul C. Nascimbene (AMNH, New York, USA) for the preparation of the Spanish and Burmese samples, respectively; thanks also to Jesús Alonso (MCNA, Spain) and David A. Grimaldi (AMNH, New York, USA) for lending us the specimens. The authors thank André Nel (Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, France) for his help during the preparation of this manuscript; Yves Bousquet (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada) and Thomas McElrath (University of Georgia, Georgia, USA) for their useful comments about the manuscript; and Alexander G. Kirejtshuk (Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia) for discussions about Monotomidae and Lebanese fossils. This research received support from the SYNTHESYS Project http://www.synthesys.info/ which is financed by the European Community Research Infrastructure Action under the FP7 “Capacities” Program, and from the Collection Study Grant Program financed by the American Museum of Natural History. This work is part of the first author’s Ph.D. dissertation supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports. This study is a contribution to project CGL2011-23948, “The Cretaceous amber of Spain: A multidisciplinary study II”, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departament d’Estratigrafia, Paleontologia i Geociències Marines and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Facultat de Geologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès s/n, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    David Peris & Xavier Delclòs

Authors
  1. David Peris
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xavier Delclòs
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David Peris.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Peris, D., Delclòs, X. Fossil Monotomidae (Coleoptera: Polyphaga) from Laurasian Cretaceous amber. Org Divers Evol 15, 333–342 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13127-015-0205-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13127-015-0205-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation