Taxonomic notes on Eustrophinae from the mid‑Cretaceous Burmese amber, with description of a new species (Coleoptera, Tetratomidae)

Abstract

A new polypore fungus beetle species Allostrophus Hsiao, Ślipiński, Yu, Deng and Pang embedded in Upper Cretaceous Burmese amber (Cenomanian, ca. 99 Ma) is described: A. yangi sp. nov.; this new species can be differentiated from its only congener based on its antennomere 11 and fusiform, elongate body. Morphological characters preserved in the inclusion compared to A. cretaceus Hsiao, Ślipiński, Yu, Deng and Pang provide further data for completing the definition of Allostrophus. This new discovery highlights the species diversity of fungivorous beetles during the Cretaceous period, adding evidence that the formerly hypothesized co-diversification between fungus-feeding coleopterans and their food resources originated in the late Mesozoic Era. Show more