Review of the family Thanerocleridae (Coleoptera: Cleroidea) and the description of Thanerosus gen. nov. from Cretaceous amber using micro-CT scanning

Abstract

The predaceous beetle family Thanerocleridae is one of the smallest families of Cleroidea. It comprises only 36 extant species widespread on all continents. Three more species have been described from Cretaceous ambers of Myanmar and France. The fourth fossil representative of Thanerocleridae is described herein. Thanerosus antiquus gen. and sp. nov. is based on one fossil specimen preserved in an amber piece from Upper Cretaceous Kachin amber. The holotype was imaged using an X-ray micro-CT system to obtain high-quality 3D images. A phylogenetic analysis based on 33 morphological characters supports the placement of the new genus at the basal position in a tree of Thanerocleridae, in the vicinity of extant Zenodosus Wolcott and three extinct Mesozoic genera with which the new fossil shares open procoxal and mesocoxal cavities and transverse procoxae. We offer here a key to all extant and extinct genera in the family together with a complete list of all valid thaneroclerid taxa