Tshekardocoleidae

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Tshekardocoleidae
Temporal range: Cisuralian–Guadalupian
Fossil and life restoration of Moravocoleus permianus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Protocoleoptera
Family: Tshekardocoleidae
Rohdendorf, 1944
Genera

See text

Synonyms[1]
  • Uralocoleidae G. Zalessky, 1947
  • Moravocoleidae Kukalová-Peck & Beutel, 2012

Tshekardocoleidae is an extinct family of beetles, known from the Permian. They represent amongst the oldest beetles. Like other primitive beetles, they are thought to have been xylophagous.[2] They first appeared during the Cisuralian, before becoming extinct at the beginning of the Guadalupian.[2] A claimed Jurassic record is doubtful.[1] The oldest known beetle, Coleopsis, was originally assigned to this family, but is now assigned to its own family Coleopsidae.[1]

The Tshekardocoleidae are thought to have retained several plesiomorphies (ancestral characters) of Coleoptera in a broad sense. For instance, their elytra are flattened, lack epipleura (outer margins), cover the body loosely, and their tips extend beyond the apex of the abdomen. Their abdomens have a nearly cylindrical shape and are thought to have been flexible, apparently being able to strongly contract and expand. In extant beetles, the elytra are tight-fitting, forming a subelytral space which is absent in Tshekardocoleidae.[3]

Taxonomy

undescribed Tshekardocoleid larvae, Tshekarda site

Kirejtshuk (2020) included the following genera in Tshekardocoleidae[1]

The genus Uralocoleus had been placed in the family by some authors, but the type species Uralocoleus splendens Zalessky 1947 was considered incertae sedis by Kirejtshuk (2020) as a possible beetle or cockroach. The second species placed in the genus "Uralocoleus" ultimus was rejected from placement in Uralocoleus and listed as "genus incertus" ultimus Ponomarenko, 2000.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Kirejtshuk, Alexander G. (2020-02-17). "Taxonomic Review of Fossil Coleopterous Families (Insecta, Coleoptera). Suborder Archostemata: Superfamilies Coleopseoidea and Cupedoidea". Geosciences. 10 (2): 73. Bibcode:2020Geosc..10...73K. doi:10.3390/geosciences10020073. ISSN 2076-3263.
  2. ^ a b Zhao, Xianye; Yu, Yilun; Clapham, Matthew E; Yan, Evgeny; Chen, Jun; Jarzembowski, Edmund A; Zhao, Xiangdong; Wang, Bo (2021-11-08). Perry, George H; Fikacek, Martin (eds.). "Early evolution of beetles regulated by the end-Permian deforestation". eLife. 10: e72692. doi:10.7554/eLife.72692. ISSN 2050-084X. PMC 8585485.
  3. ^ Boudinot, Brendon Elias; Yan, Evgeny Viktorovich; Prokop, Jakub; Luo, Xiao‐Zhu; Beutel, Rolf Georg (2022-07-28). "Permian parallelisms: Reanalysis of †Tshekardocoleidae sheds light on the earliest evolution of the Coleoptera". Systematic Entomology. 48: 69–96. doi:10.1111/syen.12562. ISSN 0307-6970. S2CID 251171914.