Baltic-amber
Guides
Aradus pictellus
Aradus pictellus is a species of flat bug in the family Aradidae, order Hemiptera. Flat bugs in this genus are typically found in association with dead wood habitats. The species is part of a diverse genus with both extant and fossil representatives, including species preserved in Baltic amber dating to the Eocene epoch.
Coptodera
Coptodera is a genus of small ground beetles in the family Carabidae, comprising approximately 105 described species. The genus exhibits a broad geographic distribution spanning North and South America, Africa, Oceania, and eastern Asia. A single fossil species, Coptodera elektra, is known from Eocene Baltic amber, representing the only European record for the genus.
Coptotomus
Coptotomus is a genus of predaceous diving beetles comprising approximately six extant species and one extinct species. It represents the sole genus of the subfamily Coptotominae within Dytiscidae. The genus has a disjunct distribution spanning North America and the Neotropics, with the extinct species known from Baltic amber in the Palearctic. Species were described between 1801 and 2020.
Cupes
Cupes is a genus of reticulate beetles in the family Cupedidae, containing a single extant species, Cupes capitatus, native to eastern North America. The genus has a remarkably diverse fossil record, with numerous extinct species described from Eocene to Pliocene deposits in Europe and China. The extant species is small, averaging 7.8 mm in length, with distinctive orange head ornamentation. The disjunct distribution—living species in North America versus abundant fossils in Europe—suggests a formerly widespread group with a contracted modern range.
Cymbiodyta
Cymbiodyta is a genus of water scavenger beetles (Hydrophilidae: Enochrinae) comprising 31 described species. The genus exhibits a strikingly disjunct distribution: 28 species occur in the Americas, while only three species inhabit the Palearctic region. A fossil species from Eocene Baltic amber (C. samueli) confirms the genus has persisted in Europe since at least the Eocene, supporting biogeographic reconstructions indicating an ancient Euro-American distribution dating to the Late Cretaceous when land connections existed between North America and Europe.
Diplocoelus
Diplocoelus is a genus of small beetles in the family Biphyllidae, comprising approximately 45 described species distributed across multiple continents. The genus includes both extant species and one fossil species (D. probiphyllus) known from Baltic amber. Species within Diplocoelus exhibit considerable morphological diversity in body form and surface sculpturing. The genus was established by Guérin-Méneville in 1838.
Dolichoderus
Dolichoderus is a genus of ants comprising 181 valid species (131 extant, 50 extinct), representing the sole member of tribe Dolichoderini and type genus of subfamily Dolichoderinae. Workers are small (approximately 4 mm), possess a thick sculptured integument, and lack a functional sting. The genus exhibits remarkable ecological diversity: most species are generalist honeydew collectors that tend aphids and scale insects, while the D. cuspidatus group in Southeast Asia practices unique nomadic aphid farming with obligate mutualist mealybugs. The genus has an extensive fossil record in Baltic amber.
Ellipteroides
Ellipteroides is a genus of crane flies (Diptera: Limoniidae: Chioneinae) comprising 122 extant species distributed across all biogeographical regions except Australasia. The genus includes five subgenera (Ellipteroides, Progonomyia, Protogonomyia, Ptilostenodes, Ramagonomyia, Sivagonomyia) plus three newly proposed subgenera (Afroellipteroides, Iberiopteroides, Photogonomyia) and a new fossil subgenus Jantares from Eocene Baltic amber. Species are small blackish insects with characteristic yellow thoracic bands and abdominal stripes. The fossil record includes two Eocene species: E. kishenehn from Middle Eocene Montana and E. hansi from Priabonian Baltic amber (38-34 million years ago).
Eupariini
eupariine dung beetles, small dung beetles
Eupariini is a diverse tribe of small dung beetles in the subfamily Aphodiinae (Scarabaeidae). The tribe comprises over 40 genera and approximately 640 described species globally, with exceptional diversity in the Neotropics where around 28 genera and 333 species occur. Members are smaller than their sister lineage Scarabaeinae. The tribe has a broad geographic distribution spanning the Australian, Oriental, and Neotropical zoogeographical regions, with fossil representatives known from Eocene Baltic amber.
Hoplocyrtoma
Hoplocyrtoma is a genus of dance flies in the family Hybotidae, first described by Melander in 1928. The genus contains five described species distributed across the Palearctic region and Japan, with one fossil species known from Eocene Baltic amber. Species are characterized by distinctive leg modifications, particularly enlarged femora in some taxa. The genus belongs to the tribe Bicellariini within the subfamily Hybotinae.
Hydrotrupes
Hydrotrupes is a genus of diving beetles (Dytiscidae: Agabinae) established by Sharp in 1882. The genus contains three species: two extant (H. chinensis in eastern China and H. palpalis in western North America) and one fossil (H. prometheus from Eocene Baltic amber). The fossil record establishes Hydrotrupes as at least 40 million years old and demonstrates remarkable morphological conservation over this timespan. The current disjunct distribution of living species is interpreted as a relict of a formerly widespread distribution across northern continents during the Eocene.
Hypulini
Hypulini is a tribe of false darkling beetles (family Melandryidae) first described by Gistel in 1848. The tribe has a fossil record extending to at least the late Eocene, with the extinct genus Madelinia gedanoposita described from Baltic amber. The tribe's present-day geographic distribution has been mapped in recent taxonomic studies.
Ipelates
Ipelates is a genus of primitive carrion beetles in the family Agyrtidae. The genus contains at least four described species. These beetles are classified within the superfamily Staphylinoidea and are considered among the more basal lineages of carrion-associated beetles. Species in this genus have been documented from fossil and extant contexts.
Isomira
comb-clawed beetles
Isomira is a genus of comb-clawed beetles in the family Tenebrionidae, subfamily Alleculinae. The genus was established by Mulsant in 1856 and includes both extant and fossil species. Fossil evidence from Baltic amber indicates the genus has existed since at least the Eocene epoch. Species within Isomira are distributed across Europe and North America.
Malthinus
soldier beetles
Malthinus is a genus of soldier beetles in the family Cantharidae containing more than 140 described species. The genus has been recorded from Europe, North America, Japan, and the Canary Islands. Species occupy diverse habitats ranging from mountainous regions to lowland areas, with some showing distinct altitudinal preferences. The genus has a fossil record extending to the Eocene, with specimens preserved in Baltic amber.
Melandryidae
False Darkling Beetles
Melandryidae, or false darkling beetles, is a family of beetles in the superfamily Tenebrionoidea containing approximately 420 species in 60 genera. Members are found worldwide and are primarily associated with rotting wood and wood-decomposing fungi in both larval and adult stages. The family has a fossil record extending back to at least the mid-Cretaceous (Albian-Cenomanian) with specimens in Burmese amber, and the tribe Hypulini is documented from late Eocene Baltic amber. Many species are saproxylic, inhabiting dead and decaying wood in forest ecosystems.
Podura
Podura is a genus of springtails (Collembola) constituting the sole genus of the family Poduridae and superfamily Poduroidea. The genus contains four described species, including the widespread Podura aquatica and two fossil species from Baltic amber. Members are characterized by their stout body form and are among the more morphologically distinct springtail lineages.
Pristocerinae
Pristocerinae is a subfamily of Bethylidae, a family of parasitoid wasps. The group includes both extant and extinct species, with fossil evidence from Eocene Baltic amber. Members are characterized by reduced wing venation and sexual dimorphism between males and females. A notable fossil discovery from the Yantarny amber mine preserved a male and female specimen together, providing rare direct evidence of conspecific association in Hymenoptera.
Pseudogarypidae
Pseudogarypid Pseudoscorpions
Pseudogarypidae is a small family of pseudoscorpions within the superfamily Feaelloidea. The family comprises two extant genera—Pseudogarypus and Neopseudogarypus—with most recent species distributed in western North America. A single extant species, Neopseudogarypus scutellatus, is endemic to Tasmania, representing a notable disjunct distribution. The family also includes several fossil species preserved in Baltic amber from the Eocene.
Pseudogarypus
Pseudogarypus is a genus of pseudoscorpions in the family Pseudogarypidae, first described by Ellingsen in 1909. The genus includes both extant and extinct species, with at least four species known from Eocene fossils preserved in Baltic amber. Members of this genus are distinguished by distinctive morphological features including horn-like protrusions on the thorax and elongated chelae. The extinct species P. synchrotron was described in 2011 using synchrotron imaging to reveal details obscured by amber inclusions.
Toxorhina
Toxorhina is a genus of crane flies in the family Limoniidae comprising over 150 extant species across three subgenera: Ceratocheilus, Eutoxorhina, and Toxorhina. The genus is distinguished by an elongate rostrum and reduced wing venation compared to other crane flies. Members have been recorded from tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, with fossil evidence extending the stratigraphic range to the Eocene. The genus shows its highest diversity in tropical zones, particularly in the Oriental and Afrotropical regions.
Xenoscelinae
pleasing fungus beetles
Xenoscelinae is a subfamily of pleasing fungus beetles (family Erotylidae) containing approximately 8 genera and 12 extant species. The group exhibits a relict modern distribution with populations scattered across the Mediterranean, northern Europe, Central Asia, New Zealand, Australia, the Neotropics, and Afrotropics. Fossil evidence from Eocene Baltic and Rovno ambers indicates the subfamily was once far more diverse, comprising 50-67% of European amber Erotylidae during the Priabonian. Extant species occupy varied microhabitats including dead wood, decaying vegetation, and the nests of bees and wasps.
Zopheridae
Ironclad beetles
Zopheridae is a family of beetles in the superfamily Tenebrionoidea, commonly known as ironclad beetles. The family has expanded considerably in recent years to include the former families Monommatidae and Colydiidae as subfamilies or tribes. It comprises approximately 190 genera and 1700 species distributed worldwide. Members are characterized by exceptionally hardened exoskeletons that make specimens difficult to pin for collection. The family includes diverse feeding habits, with many species associated with rotting wood or fungus, while some Colydiinae are predatory or feed on living plant tissue.