Abstract
The fossil record of Tenebrionidae (excluding the Quartenary) is presented. In total, 122 fossil species, clearly belonging to the family, are known; some beetles were determined only to genus; 78 genera are listed in the fossil record, including 29 extinct genera. The great diversity of tenebrionids occurs in the Lower Cretaceous Lagerstätte of China (Yixian Formation), Middle Paleocene of France (Menat), Lower Eocene deposits of Germany (Geiseltal), Upper Eocene Baltic amber (Eastern Europe), Upper Eocene deposits of Florissant Formation (USA) and Miocene (Dominican amber). Tenebrionids of the following major lineages, including seven subfamilies, are currently known in the fossil record. These include the lagrioid branch (Lagriinae, Nilioninae), pimelioid branch (Pimeliinae), and tenebrioid branch (Alleculinae, Tenebrioninae, Diaperinae, Stenochiinae). The importance of the fossil record for evolutionary reconstructions and phylogenetic patterns is discussed. The oldest Jurassic and Early Cretaceous darkling beetles of the tenebrionoid branch consist of humid-adapted groups from the extant tribes Alleculini, Ctenopodiini (Alleculinae), and Alphitobiini (Tenebrioninae). Thus, paleontological evidence suggests that differentiation of the family started at least by the Middle Jurassic but does not indicate that xerophilic darkling beetles differentiated much earlier than mesophilic groups.
Highlights
Tenebrionidae is one of the largest beetle families, comprising nearly 20,000 extant species and 2300 genera in the World [1]
The current data on extinct Tenebrionidae are summarized and analyzed. This includes a new catalogue of extinct darkling beetles, critical evaluation of fossil taxa, questions of systematics, and discussions of evolutionary scenarios and paleo-reconstructions
Different catalogues were published for Mesozoic Tenebrionidae [59], darkling beetles from ambers [34], from Dominican amber [60], etc., but a complete catalogue of Tenebrionidae was compiled by Kirejtshuk et al [39] and regularly updated on the website “Beetles (Coleoptera) and coleopterists”
Summary
Tenebrionidae is one of the largest beetle families, comprising nearly 20,000 extant species and 2300 genera in the World [1]. The currently accepted classification of the family is based on the analysis of multiple external and internal morphological structures [1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10] and includes 11 subfamilies [10,11,12,13] from lagrioid, pimelioid, and tenebrionoid branches [11]. Matthews et al [1] briefly discussed the fossil record of Tenebrionidae, but since that time, important new data have been published. The current data on extinct Tenebrionidae are summarized and analyzed. This includes a new catalogue of extinct darkling beetles, critical evaluation of fossil taxa, questions of systematics, and discussions of evolutionary scenarios and paleo-reconstructions.
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