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ARTICLE • Pap. Avulsos Zool. 61 • 2021 • https://doi.org/10.11606/1807-0205/2021.61.28   copy

Revisiting the morphology and systematic placement of the enigmatic Cretaceous ommatid beetle Bukhkalius lindae (Coleoptera: Archostemata: Ommatidae)

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Abstract

The systematic position of Bukhkalius lindae (Jarzembowski et al. 2017Jarzembowski, E.A.; Wang, B. & Zheng, D. 2017. Another amber first: A tiny tetraphalerin beetle (Coleoptera: Archostemata) in Myanmar birmite. Cretaceous Research, 78: 84-88. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2017.05.023
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2017.05... ) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber is revised based on a re-examination of the type specimen. Our observations confirm that B. lindae lacks unique apomorphies of Tetraphalerus Waterhouse, in which it was originally placed, including complete antennal grooves and mushroom-shaped micro-tubercles. It is well justified to place it into a separate genus, i.e., Bukhkalius Kirejtshuk & Jarzembowski, 2020. The incomplete but distinct antennal grooves and the Tetraphalerus-like mouthparts of B. lindae suggest that it has a close affinity to Tetraphalerus. Therefore, B. lindae may represent a missing link bridging the morphological gap between extant ommatid subfamilies Tetraphalerinae and Ommatinae.

Keywords:
Archostemata; Ommatidae; Bukhkalius; Tetraphalerus; Burmese amber

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