New Fossil Beetles of the Family Elateridae from the Jehol Biota of China(Coleoptera:Polyphaga)

Two new species of elaterids assigned to two new genera with intriguing fossa on prosternum are described and illustrated： Bilineariselaterfoveatus gen. et sp. nov. and Curtelater wui gen. et sp. nov. from the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of western Liaoning, China. The origin of the clicking mechanism in these beetles and the systematic position of the two genera are briefly discussed.

A New Elaterid from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou Biota(Coleoptera:Elateridae:Protagrypninae)

A new genus and species of fossil elaterid namely Clavelater ningchengensis gen. et sp. nov. assigned to the subfamily Protagrypninae based on one specimen from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation near Daohugou Village, Ningcheng County, Inner Mongolia, northeastern China is described and illustrated. This specimen displays a pair of large antennae that easily differs from those of most Mesozoic elaterids. There are around 36 species within 20 genera referred to elateroids described from the Early Jurassic to Miocene of China, with another three species within three genera reviewed, but the taxonomic assignment of at least seven species within three genera is doubted. The systematic position of fossil elateriform beetles reported from China is reviewed and the evolution of Mesozoic elateroids briefly discussed.

Diversity of click beetles in managed nonnative coniferous and native beech stands: Consequences of changes in the structural and species composition of tree stands in Central Europe

The natural composition of forests has undergone significant changes over recent centuries.A closer-to-natural tree species composition has long been perceived as key to a high biodiversity.We investigated the impact on communities of click beetles(Elateridae)caused by changes in the tree species composition of spruce monocultures compared to reference sites of recently unmanaged natural beech forests.To collect data,passive interception traps were distributed within managed spruce stands of different age classes and natural beech forests of various developmental stages.The beetle species richness was slightly but not significantly higher in the beech forests.The saproxylic species group was significantly more common in the spruce stands,whereas the group of nonsaproxylic species was significantly more abundant in the beech stands.In the commercial stands,the significantly highest species richness was in the clearings(0–10-year-old stands),and at this forest age class,the vast majority of the beetle species occurred in the spruce stands.In the developmental stages of the natural forest,a slightly higher beetle richness was found at the disintegration stage.The study results suggested that different tree species compositions and stand structures affect the communities of click beetles and substantially change their species composition and thus their response to external influences.Therefore,management of stands using diverse silvicultural systems is recommended for creating diverse ecological niches in forests.