A review of the fossil history of staphylinoidea

Abstract

The superfamily Staphylinoidea includes the families Hydraenidae, Ptiliidae, Agyrtidae, Leiodidae, Silphidae, and Staphylinidae and currently includes more than 400 described fossils. The geological history of the superfamily ranges from the Triassic to Cenozoic, and the lineage is well represented in multiple significant Lagerstätte. During the last several years, many new important fossils have been described, and for most Staphylinidae subfamilies, their geological history extends into the Cretaceous. I summarize the most important fossil discoveries for families and subfamilies from compressions/impressions and amber inclusions. I discuss the diversity of Staphylinoidea though time, and I provide a summary phylogeny of Staphylinoidea with fossil constraints, updated from previously published works. Additionally, I discuss the apparent bradytely in many lineages and possible future steps to expand our knowledge of fossil Staphylinoidea.