Protocoleoptera
| Protocoleoptera Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| |
| (A, B) Moravocoleus permianus (Tshekardocoleidae) (C,D) Permocupes sojanensis (Permocupedidae) (E) Tshekardocoleidae, Sylvacoleus richteri (F) Taldycupedidae, Taldycupes reticulatus | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | †Protocoleoptera Tillyard, 1924[1] |
| Families | |
|
see text | |
The Protocoleoptera are a
culticles with tubercles or scales, as well as a primitive pattern of ventral sclerites, similar to the modern archostematan families Ommatidae and Cupedidae. They are thought to have been xylophagous and wood boring.[2]
Nomenclature
Protocoleoptera was originally proposed by
Dermaptera, the earwigs), which would make Protocoleoptera in this sense a synonym of the order.[3] Roy Crowson later reused the name "Protocoleoptera" to refer to Early Permian beetles such as the Tshekardocoleidae, while establishing the Archecoleoptera for Late Permian beetles.[4] Because Protocoleoptera in its original sense is a synonym of Protelytroptera, Cai et al. (2022) proposed a replacement name, Alphacoleoptera Engel, Cai & Tihelka, 2022.[5] Some authors reject the use of Protocoleoptera and Archecoleoptera and include their members within a broad concept of the suborder Archostemata instead.[3][6]
Taxonomy
The taxonomic naming scheme of early beetles currently has no consensus, with several separate classification schemes proposed for higher level-clades within the stem-group.[5][7] It is generally agreed that Tshekardocoleidae is the earliest diverging group among the major families.[2][7]
- Coleoptera
- †Coleopsis Kirejtshuk et al., 2014
- †Tshekardocoleidae Rohdendorf, 1944 (Early Permian)
- †Permocupedidae Martynov, 1933 (Early Permian–Middle Triassic)
- †Taldycupedidae Rohdendorf, 1961 (Middle–Late Permian)
- †Ademosynidae Ponomarenko, 1968 (Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous)
- †Permosynidae Tillyard, 1924 (Permian–Cretaceous, form family?)
- †Rhombocoleidae Rohdendorf, 1961 (Permian–Cretaceous)
- †Triadocupedidae Ponomarenko, 1966 (Triassic)
- †Asiocoleidae Rohdendorf, 1961 (Permian–Jurassic)
- †Peltosynidae Yan, Beutel & Ponomarenko, 2017 (Middle–Late Triassic)
References
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