First extinct representative of the rove beetle subtribe Acylophorina from Baltic amber, and its phylogenetic placement

The recently established subtribe Acylophorina comprises several morphologically diverse genera. They were revealed as a monophyletic group primarily by molecular-based phylogenetic analysis. The morphological disparity and significantly disjunct geographical distribution of Acylophorina suggest a higher diversity in the past that has been reduced by extinctions. Consequently, the fossil record preserving extinct transitional morphologies is a very important source of data to test for monophyly and improve overall phylogenetic understanding of this subtribe. Here, we describe the first undoubted representative of the subtribe as a new species, <i>Acylophorus hoffeinsorum</i> sp. nov., and confirm its placement within Acylophorina by phylogenetic analysis using Bayesian inference and maximum parsimony methods. We question the monophyly of <i>Acylophorus</i> Nordmann, 1837, the most speciose genus in the subtribe, and call for further phylogenetic investigation and taxonomic revision of this genus and the subtribe as a whole. Additionally, we argue that the extinct Cenozoic <i>Acylophorus immotus</i> Scudder, 1900, which so far has been erroneously known as the only fossil member of Acylophorina, in fact belongs to the subfamily Tachyporinae. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D14B76FC-E0E5-4BC6-BDCE-3D577891C55D