First extinct representative of the rove beetle subtribe Acylophorina from Baltic amber, and its phylogenetic placement

The recently established subtribe Acylophorina comprises several morphologically diverse genera. They were revealed as a monophyletic group primarily by molecular-based phylogenetic analysis. The morphological disparity and significantly disjunct geographical distribution of Acylophorina suggest a higher diversity in the past that has been reduced by extinctions. Consequently, the fossil record preserving extinct transitional morphologies is a very important source of data to test for monophyly and improve overall phylogenetic understanding of this subtribe. Here, we describe the first undoubted representative of the subtribe as a new species, Acylophorus hoffeinsorum sp. nov., and confirm its placement within Acylophorina by phylogenetic analysis using Bayesian inference and maximum parsimony methods. We question the monophyly of Acylophorus Nordmann, 1837, the most speciose genus in the subtribe, and call for further phylogenetic investigation and taxonomic revision of this genus and the subtribe as a whole. Additionally, we argue that the extinct Cenozoic Acylophorus immotus Scudder, 1900, which so far has been erroneously known as the only fossil member of Acylophorina, in fact belongs to the subfamily Tachyporinae.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D14B76FC-E0E5-4BC6-BDCE-3D577891C55D