Beetles have a remote evolutionary history dating back to the Carboniferous, with Mesozoic fossils playing a pivotal role in elucidating the early evolution of extant families. Despite their exceptional preservation in amber, deciphering the systematic positions of Mesozoic trogossitid-like beetles remains challenging. Here, we describe and illustrate a new trogossitid-like lineage from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber, Foveapeltis rutai Li, Kolibáč, Liu & Cai, gen. et sp. nov. Foveapeltis stands out within the Cleroidea due to the presence of a significant large cavity on each hypomeron. While the exact phylogenetic placement of Foveapeltis remains uncertain, we offer a discussion on its potential affinity based on our constrained phylogenetic analyses.

Australian National Insect Collection CSIRO Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia

Bristol Palaeobiology Group School of Earth Sciences University of Bristol Bristol UK

Department of Entomology Moravian Museum Brno Czech Republic

Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization Institute of Zoology Guangdong Academy of Sciences Guangzhou China

Hokkaido University Museum Hokkaido University Sapporo Japan

Institute of Paleontology Hebei GEO University Shijiazhuang China

State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology Chinese Academy of Sciences Nanjing China

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