The earliest tiger beetle from the Lower Cretaceous of China (Coleoptera: Cicindelinae)

Fossil tiger beetles (Carabidae: Cicindelinae) are extremely rare, and little is known about their early evolutionary history. Here we report the earliest known tiger beetle, Cretotetracha grandis gen. et. sp. nov., from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation (lower Aptian) of China. C. grandis bears several features characteristic of the subtribe Megacephalina, including a large body with total length/width ratio 2.3:1; labium transverse,...