New fossils of Elateridae (Insecta, Coleoptera) from Early Cretaceous Jinju Formation (South Korea) with their implications to evolutionary diversity of extinct Protagrypninae

Abstract

Two new genera and species of Elateridae, Megalithomerus magohalmii gen. et sp. nov. and Koreagrypnus jinju gen. et sp. nov., are described based on two pairs of fossils from the late Early Cretaceous Jinju Formation in Jinju City, South Korea. Both Megalithomerus and Koreagrypnus represent the youngest occurrences of an extinct elaterid subfamily, Protagrypninae. Megalithomerus magohalmii is the largest known fossil elaterid. These newly described elaterids provide a better understanding of the morphological diversity and occurrence of Protagrypninae through geologic time.