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Issue: Vol. 5679 No. 1: 12 Aug. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-08-12
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5679.1.6
Page range: 113-122
Abstract views: 75
PDF downloaded: 28

The first fossils of Alloraphes (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae) described from Miocene Dominican amber

Geology Department; University of Regina; Regina; Saskatchewan; S4S 0A2; Canada; Royal Saskatchewan Museum; 2445 Albert St.; Regina; Saskatchewan; S4P 4W7; Canada
Royal Saskatchewan Museum; 2445 Albert St.; Regina; Saskatchewan; S4P 4W7; Canada; Biology Department; University of Regina; Regina; Saskatchewan; S4S 0A2; Canada
Royal Saskatchewan Museum; 2445 Albert St.; Regina; Saskatchewan; S4P 4W7; Canada; Biology Department; University of Regina; Regina; Saskatchewan; S4S 0A2; Canada; Division of Entomology; Natural History Museum; and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology; 1501 Crestline Drive e Suite 140; University of Kansas; Lawrence; KS; 66045; USA
Coleoptera Stenichnini paleoethology ant-like stone beetles Neotropical Hispaniola

Abstract

Alloraphes Franz, 1980 is a small Neotropical genus (14 species) of Scydmaeninae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) beetles. Alloraphes are typically discriminated from the morphologically similar Stenichnaphes Franz via their aedeagal characteristics. Consequently, female members of both genera are often difficult to correctly place. Here we describe the first fossil species of Alloraphes in amber, and document its presence on the island of Hispaniola during the Miocene. Two individuals of new species Alloraphes cantusfurca sp. nov. are morphologically described using CT-scan data and microscope imagery. As the first known fossil member of the genus, A. cantusfurca provides a vital calibration point for future phylogenetic analysis and extends the temporal and geographic range of the genus. The implications for the biogeography of related taxa are also discussed.

 

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How to Cite

Egan, B.M., Loewen, E. & Mckellar, R.C. (2025) The first fossils of Alloraphes (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae) described from Miocene Dominican amber. Zootaxa, 5679 (1), 113–122. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5679.1.6