A new fossil species of Bolitophagini (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) from Baltic amber suggests the genus Eledonoprius Reitter is persistent in the Western Palaearctic since the Tertiary.

The first fossil representative of Eledonoprius Reitter, E. incoronatus sp. nov., is described from Eocene Baltic amber. The genus is associated with old-growth forests in the modern Western Palaearctic Region and apparently has persistent in this Region since the Paleogene.

A new fossil soldier beetle (Coleoptera: Cantharidae: Malthininae) from Baltic amber.

The very abundant representatives of the genus Malthodes Kiesenwetter, 1852 from the Eocene amber forests show a remarkable diversity of body forms, especially regarding the last abdominal segments, both tergites and sternites. These structures are important during the mating. In the present work, we describe a new species, Malthodes gedanicus sp. nov. characterized by the last sternite elongated and apically divided into two long and flat squarish lobes with three tips of which the central is longest, and by the last tergite elongated and spatuliform apically. The phylogenetic relationships based only on the shape of the last abdominal segments remain unclear and the new species is very vaguely similar to M. trifurcatus Kiesenwetter, 1852.

Haematophagous biting midges of the extant genus Culicoides Latreille (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) evolved during the mid-Cretaceous.

Four new fossil species of haematophagous biting midges of the genus Culicoides Latreille, from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber are described and illustrated: C. bojarskii Szadziewski Dominiak sp. nov., C. burmiticus Szadziewski Dominiak sp. nov., C. ellenbergeri Szadziewski Dominiak sp. nov. and C. myanmaricus Szadziewski Dominiak sp. nov. These extinct species are assigned to the new subgenus, Groganomyia Szadziewski Dominiak subgen. nov. which also includes an extant species that inhabits European mountains, Culicoides cameroni Campbell Pelham-Clinton, 1960, the type species. These very old (99 Ma) haematophagous biting midges of the extant genus Culicoides from Burmese amber supports the hypothesis that most groups of modern biting midges evolved during the mid-Cretaceous greenhouse climate.

The first description of a microtrombidiid mite (Actinotrichida: Prostigmata, Microtrombidiidae) from Baltic amber, with notes on related extant genera and species.

Discovery of parasitengone mites (Acari) in the Gulf of Gdansk deposits of Baltic amber ("Blue Earth" sediment) resulted in the first description of a fossil representative of Microtrombidiidae. The new species, based on larvae, displays affinity to recent members of Montenegtrombium Saboori and Pesic, 2006, Persianthrombium Sedghi, Saboori and Hakimitabar (in Sedghi et al. 2010) and Porttrombidium Haitlinger, 2000, known from the southwestern Palaearctic. A comparison with related genera and species places the newly described taxon in Porttrombidium (as Porttrombidium gedanense sp. nov.). Montenegtrombium is regarded as a junior synonym of Porttrombidium.

All stages of the Palaearctic predaceous midge Palpomyia schmidti Goetghebuer, 1934 (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae).

All stages and the ecology of the Southern Palaearctic Palpomyia schmidti collected from the vicinity of the saline Lake Elton in Russia are described and illustrated. The morphology of larvae and pupae as well as the detailed ecology of the larvae are described for the first time. P. schmidti is a halobiontic biting midge, widely distributed in the steppes and deserts of the Palaearctic region. It is proposed that the Palpomyia schmidti group should include five Holarctic species. P. downesi Grogan & Wirth, 1979 from north-western North America is recognized as a new junior synonym of the Eastern Palaearctic P. tuvae Remm, 1972. New synonymy.