Protognathinus

Protognathinus is an extinct genus of stag beetle from the Eocene of Europe, known from the Messel Pit in Germany.[1] This genus is known from the single species P. spielbergi.

This article is about an extinct genus of stag beetle. For the ground beetle in the Carabidae family, formerly called the similar name Protognathus, see Pseudognathaphanus. For other, similarly named species, see Protognathus (disambiguation).

Protognathinus
Temporal range:
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Lucanidae
Genus: †Protognathinus
Chalumeau et al. 2001
Species:
†P. spielbergi
Binomial name
†Protognathinus spielbergi
Chalumeau et al. 2001

Etymology

The specific name spielbergi refers to American film director Steven Spielberg, whose film Jurassic Park the authors considered to have contributed to the revival of interest in the earth's ancient past.[1]

Description

At 55 mm (2.2 inches) in total length, Protognathinus is one of the largest known fossil beetles in the superfamily Scarabaeoidea. It is comparable to other large fossil beetles such as Cheirotonus otai and Oryctoantiquus borealis.[2] Like other beetle fossils known from the Messel Pit, Protognathinus fossils retain the color of the exoskeleton.[1]

The details of the classification within the family are not well understood, and it is sometimes placed in Lampriminae and sometimes in Lucaninae. Morphological similarities with early Cretaceous species Litholamprima qizhihaoi, described from the Yixian Formation, have been pointed out.[3]

See also

References
  1. Chalumeau, F.; Brochier, B. (2001). "Une forme fossile nouvelle de Chiasognathinae: Protognathinus spielbergi(Coleoptera, Lucanidae)" (PDF). Lambillionea. 101: 593–595. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 September 2022.
  2. Ratcliffe, Brett C.; Smith, Dena M.; Erwin, Diane (2005). "Oryctoantiquus borealis, New Genus and Species from the Eocene of Oregon, U.S.A., the World's Oldest Fossil Dynastine and Largest Fossil Scarabaeid (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae)". The Coleopterists Bulletin. 59 (1): 127–135. doi:10.1649/0010-065X(2005)059[0127:OBNGAS]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0010-065X. S2CID 18230496.
  3. Jiang, Rixin; Cai, Chenyang; Engel, Michael S.; Li, Boyan; Song, Haitian; Chen, Xiangsheng (2022-05-01). "Litholamprima qizhihaoi sp. nov., a new stag beetle (Coleoptera: Lucanidae) from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation, China". Cretaceous Research. 137: 105243. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2022.105243. ISSN 0195-6671. S2CID 248575607.


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