Vicelva
Moore & Legner, 1973
Species Guides
1Vicelva is an extant of rove beetles (Staphylinidae: Phloeocharinae) described in 1973. A fossil , V. rasilis, from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber provides the earliest known record of the genus. Extant species occur in western North America, the Russian Far East, and Kazakhstan. The of living species remains poorly documented.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Vicelva: /vɪˈkɛlvə/
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Identification
Members of Vicelva can be distinguished from related phloeocharine by combinations of features including mandibular , antennal structure, and body surface . The fossil V. rasilis differs from extant species in having a smoother surface on the , pronotum, and ; a less prominent projection of the ; unnotched mesal edges of the ; a semiglabrous (partially bare) antennomere 6; and a proportionally longer tarsomere 1.
Habitat
Extant inhabit regions of western North America, the Russian Far East, and Kazakhstan. The fossil species V. rasilis was preserved in mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber, indicating a forest environment in what is now northern Myanmar during the Upper Albian to Lower Cenomanian.
Distribution
Extant: western North America, Russian Far East, Kazakhstan. Fossil: mid-Cretaceous (Upper Albian to Lower Cenomanian) Kachin State, northern Myanmar.
Ecological Role
The large, sharp of the fossil V. rasilis suggest predatory habits, indicating a role as a in the Cretaceous forest .
More Details
Fossil preservation details
The of V. rasilis preserves a pollen-containing coprolite attached to the and crystals within the body cavity. The coprolite contains tricolpate pollen, indicating the presence of eudicot plants in the , but is unlikely to have been produced by the itself given its predatory .
Taxonomic stability
The has remained valid since its description in 1973 with no recorded synonymy.