THOMAS HÖRNSCHEMEYER1, SONJA WEDMANN2 and GEORGE POINAR3
1Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut für Zoologie & Anthropologie, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen. Berliner Str. 28, D-37073 Göttingen, Germany. Solo usuarios registrados se encuentran habilitados a visualizar los enlaces. Gracias por su visita.
2Forschungsstation Grube Messel, Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Markstraße 35, D-64409 Messel, Germany
3Zoology Department, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
ABSTRACT
Six new fossils of Micromalthus (Coleoptera: Archostemata) from Dominican amber are compared with extant and previously described fossil micromalthid beetles. The amber inclusions are well preserved and all important morphological features are visible. Taking into account the morphological variability of the extant species Micromalthus debilisLeConte, 1878, it is not possible to find any morphological features that distinguish the fossils from the extant species. This also applies to the Dominican amber inclusion described as Micromalthus anasi Perkovsky, 2008, which therefore is considered a junior synonym of M. debilis. The lack of morphological change in M. debilis over time might possibly be explained by unusually stable environmental conditions, as this species occupies a very specialized ecological niche in decaying timber. A general survey of fossil insects indistinguishable from extant species is presented.
KEYWORDS: Archostemata • Dominican amber • evolution • fossil record • Miocene
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