A new tribe of Galerucinae leaf beetle (Insecta: Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) from the Upper Cretaceous Taimyr amber

Abstract

The new tribe Taimyralticini trib. nov., new genus Taimyraltica gen. nov. and new species Taimyraltica calcarata sp. nov. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae) are described from Upper Cretaceous (Santonian) Taimyr amber of northern Siberia (Yantardakh locality). The new genus shares characters with genera of the tribe Alticini (small size, transverse antebasal groove on pronotum, regular punctate-striate elytra) and the Galerucini (narrow, non-swollen metafemora). A possible apomorphy of the new genus and tribe is a large and acute metatibial spur, erect and oriented transversely to the longitudinal axis of tibia. This character state is unknown in recent and fossil genera of Galerucinae. Early evolution and divergence of leaf beetles are discussed, and a Jurassic and Early Cretaceous subfamily radiation is proposed. Fossil galerucines are reviewed. The oldest Phyllotreta is recorded from the lower Miocene of Izarra (Spain). Our findings show an extreme rarity of Phytophaga in Taimyr amber from Yantardakh. Absence of Phytophaga was recorded earlier at Obeschayuschiy (Santonian-Campanian of the Magadan Region) and compared with their much larger share in Khetana (north of Khabarovsk Krai); we find nearly the same differences between Taimyr amber from Yantardakh and Canadian amber. In Obeschayuschiy this appears due to the Mesophytic character of the flora. It is assumed that the Santonian amber gymnosperm forest of the Khatanga Basin had the same character.