Alphacoleoptera

(A, B) Moravocoleus permianus (Tshekardocoleidae) (C,D) Permocupes sojanensis (Permocupedidae) (E) Tshekardocoleidae, Sylvacoleus richteri (F) Taldycupedidae, Taldycupes reticulatus

Taxonavigation

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Cladus: Pancrustacea
Cladus: Allotriocarida
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Holometabola
Superordo: Coleopterida
Ordo: Coleoptera
Subordo: †Alphacoleoptera
Superfamiliae (3): †Coleopsoidea – †Permocupedoidea – †Permosynoidea
[Source: Bouchard et al., 2024]

Overview of familiae

†Ademosynidae – †Coleopsidae – †Labradorocoleidae – ?†Oborocoleidae – †Permocupedidae – †Permosynidae – †Taldycupedidae – †Tshekardocoleidae

Name

Alphacoleoptera Engel, Cai, & Tihelka, 2022

Synonymy

• Protocoleoptera Tillyard, 1924: 434 sensu auct.
  • Note: originally established as an order for Protocoleus Tillyard, 1924 in family Protocoleidae Tillyard, 1924, now placed in Protelytroptera.

References

Primary references

• Cai, C., Tihelka, E., Giacomelli, M., Lawrence, J.F., Ślipiński, A., Kundrata, R., Yamamoto, S., Thayer, M.K., Newton, A.F., Leschen, R.A.B., Gimmel, M.L., Lü, L., Engel, M.S., Bouchard, P., Huang, D., Pisani, D. & Donoghue, P.C.J. 2022. Integrated phylogenomics and fossil data illuminate the evolution of beetles. Royal Society Open Science 9: 211771. DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211771 . [Supplemental material] Reference page. 
• Tillyard, R.J. 1924. Upper Permian Coleoptera and a new order from the Belmont Beds, New South Wales. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 49: 429–435. BHL.

Additional references

• Bouchard, P., Bousquet, Y., Davies, A.E., Alonso-Zarazaga, M.A., Lawrence, J.F., Lyal, C.H.C., Newton, A.F., Reid, C.A.M., Schmitt, M., Ślipiński, S.A. & Smith, A.B.T. 2011. Family-group names in Coleoptera (Insecta). ZooKeys 88: 1–972. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.88.807 . PMC: 3088472 . Reference page. 
• Bouchard, P., Bousquet, Y., Davies, A.E. & Cai, C-Y. 2024. On the nomenclatural status of type genera in Coleoptera (Insecta). ZooKeys 1194: 1–984. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1194.106440 Reference page. 
• Boudinot, B.E., Yan, E.V., Prokop, J., Luo, X.-Z. & Beutel, R.G. 2023 (Online 2022). Permian parallelisms: reanalysis of †Tshekardocoleidae sheds light on the earliest evolution of the Coleoptera. Systematic Entomology 48(1): 69–96. DOI: 10.1111/syen.12562 . Reference page.  [monophyly of group rejected, clades Mesocoleoptera (= Coleoptera excluding Tshekardocoleidae) and Metacoleoptera (= Coleoptera excluding Tshekardocoleidae and Permocupedidae) proposed instead]
• Crowson, R.A. 1981. The Biology of the Coleoptera. Academic Press, London, 802 pp. PDF. [Pp. 658–659, 661: uses "Protocoleoptera" for Lower Permian beetles]
• Kirejtshuk, A.G. 2020. Taxonomic Review of Fossil Coleopterous Families (Insecta, Coleoptera). Suborder Archostemata: Superfamilies Coleopseoidea and Cupedoidea. Geosciences 10(2): 73. DOI: 10.3390/geosciences10020073 . Reference page.  [includes group in Archostemata]
• Kirejtshuk, A.G., Poschmann, M., Prokop, J., Garrouste, R. & Nel, N. 2014. [Online 2013] Evolution of the elytral venation and structural adaptations in the oldest Palaeozoic beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera: Tshekardocoleidae). Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 12(5): 575–600. DOI: 10.1080/14772019.2013.821530 . ResearchGate . Reference page.  [includes group in Archostemata]