Permocupedidae


Permocupedidae is an extinct family of protocoleopteran stem group beetles. They first appeared during the Early Permian, and were one of the dominant groups of beetles during the Middle Permian. They became rare in the Late Permian, with only one species known from the Triassic, Frankencupes ultimus from the Middle Triassic Röt Formation of Germany. They are thought to have been xylophagous, which is presumed to be the ancestral ecology of beetles.

Taxonomy

Kirejtshuk included the following genera in an expanded family, with the traditional Permocupedidae and related Taldycupedidae as subfamilies Permocupedinae and Taldycupedinae respectively. However, other studies have recovered Talycupedidae as more closely related to crown-group beetles than to Permocupedidae.