The oldest representatives of the subfamilies Meligethinae (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) and Brontinae (Coleoptera: Silvanidae) from Baltic amber and some evolutionary notes

Abstract

The paper describes Melipriopsis rasnitsyni gen. et sp. n. (Nitidulidae, Meligethinae) and Dendrobrontes popovi gen. et sp. n. (Silvanidae, Brontinae) from Baltic amber. The systematic position and phylogenetic significance of the new genera and species are discussed. A review of the fossils of the families Nitidulidae and Silvanidae is given. The genus Sinisilvana HONG, 2002, for which the family Sinisilvanidae HONG, 2002 was proposed, is considered as a genus with an unclear position within Silvanidae.