Work

Total‐evidence phylogenetics and taxonomy of the Paederinae (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) rove beetle fossils in Baltic amber sensu lato for palaeoclimate research

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Baltic amber s.l. , the most abundant amber deposit of insect fossils, is essential for understanding the palaeoenvironment of the Eocene, an epoch characterized by severe climate changes, including the warmest period in the entire Cenozoic. The ecological requirements of the extinct lineages can be deduced from the ecology and distribution of their closest extant relatives, once those have been identified through phylogenetic analysis. Rove beetles (Staphylinidae), the most diverse family of animals and occurring in virtually all terrestrial habitats, are a good candidate for such an endeavour. The subfamily Paederinae is particularly abundant in Baltic amber s.l ., but the majority of these fossils have not been studied. Here, we conduct a comprehensive phylogenetic study of 15 Baltic amber s.l . Paederinae fossil species within a total‐evidence phylogenetic framework that integrates morphology with molecular data from seven gene fragments of extant lineages. We then describe nine of them as extinct species new to science: Homaeotarsus damgaardi sp. nov., Lathrobium arcanum sp. nov., Lathrobium rovnensis sp. nov., Lathrobium athanasii sp. nov., Achenomorphus balticus sp. nov., Nazeris nikitasi sp. nov., Astenus problematicus sp. nov., Sclerochiton hoffeinsorum sp. nov. and Pseudolathra baltica sp. nov. The distribution and bionomics of the extant sister species of all analysed fossil species suggest that the latter were associated with tropical and subtropical climates. We discuss the possible microhabitats present in the Eocene amberiferous forest and scenarios for the biogeographic history of Paederinae in Europe.

Source: Papers in Palaeontology

DOI: 10.1002/spp2.70130

Authors: Amalia Bogri, Alexey Solodovnikov, Sina Baier‐Stegmaier, Michel Perreau, Dagmara Żyła