The First Ptilodactyla Illiger, 1807 (Coleoptera: Dryopoidea: Ptilodactylidae) Described from Eocene Baltic Amber

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Recent advances in computational and tomographic methods have enabled detailed descriptions of fossil specimens embedded in amber. In this study, we used X-ray microcomputed tomography to reconstruct the morphology of a specimen of the beetle family Ptilodactylidae from Eocene Baltic amber. The studied specimen represents a new species of the large and wide-spread genus Ptilodactyla Illiger, 1807. It is the first described fossil species of the genus and also of the subfamily Ptilodactylinae. Our discovery sheds further light on the paleodiversity and evolution of the family as well as on the faunal composition of the European Eocene amber forests. ABSTRACT: The beetle family Ptilodactylidae contains more than 500 extant species; however, its fossil record is scarce and remains understudied. In this study, we describe a new species of Ptilodactylidae, Ptilodactyla eocenica Kundrata, Bukejs and Blank, sp. nov., based on a relatively well-preserved specimen from Baltic amber. We use X-ray microcomputed tomography to reconstruct its morphology since some of the principal diagnostic characters have been obscured by opaque bubbles. It is the third ptilodactylid species described from Baltic amber, and the first one belonging to the subfamily Ptilodactylinae. Additionally, we summarize the classification, diversity, and distribution of both extinct and extant Ptilodactylidae.