Leiocerophytum, a new genus of Cerophytidae from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber

 

Authors: Li Y-D, Kundrata R, Jetelina D, Huang D-Y, Cai C-Y

Published in: Bulletin of Geosciences, volume 101, issue 2; pages: 221 - 228; Received 30 October 2025; Accepted in revised form 2 April 2026; Online 28 June 2026

Keywords: Cerophytidae, Kachin amber, Cretaceous, fossil,

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Abstract

A new fossil beetle of the family Cerophytidae, Leiocerophytum biffii gen. et sp. nov., is described from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber of northern Myanmar. The new genus is distinguished from all other known cerophytids by a unique combination of characters, including filiform antennae, a produced prosternal chin piece, an apically emarginate ab¬dominal ventrite 5, and, most notably, the absence of clear puncture rows or striae on the elytra except for a subsutural one. The discovery of Leiocerophytum further expands the known Mesozoic diversity of this relict elateroid family.

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