Archostemata

suborder of beetles

Archostemata is the smallest suborder of beetles. There are less than fifty known species.

Archostemata
Temporal range: Late Permian–Recent
Tenomerga mucida
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Archostemata
Kolbe, 1908
Families

Crowsoniellidae
Cupedidae
Jurodidae
Micromalthidae
Ommatidae

Archostemata is an ancient lineage with a number of primitive characteristics. They are similar to the first beetles, which appear in the fossil record about 250 million years ago. The suborder contains the only paedogenic beetles, Micromalthus debilis.

These beetles are rare. Fossil deposits from the Permian suggest that Archostemata were once much more common and were widespread over the globe. The species which remain are just scattered vestiges of their former population.

"Abundant cladistic and fossil evidence shows the Archostematans are the basal suborder of [true] beetles",[1]

References

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  1. Grimaldi D. and Engel M.S. 2005. Evolution of the insects. Cambridge University Press, 363. ISBN 0-521-82149-5
  • White, Richard E. 1983. A field guide to beetles of North America. Houghton Mifflin.

Other websites

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