Ecological evolution of beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera)

Abstract. The most ancient life style of beetles is xylomycetophagy; xylophagy and rhizo-phagy appeared in the Jurassic and flourished in the middle of Lower Cretaceous but be-fore angiosperms diversification; the same is true about carnivorous beetles living under loose bark. In the Triassic and Jurassic the most common xylophagous beetles were Cupe-didae, from Mid-Cretaceous to Eocene – Buprestidae, and later on Cerambycidae. Sper-matophagy existed from the Triassic and became common from the Upper Jurassic in tropical and subtropical regions (possible connection with bennettites). Palynophagous forms were common in the Upper Jurassic too. Phyllophagous beetles are unknown prior to angiosperm expansion in the Middle Cretaceous. Terrestrial carnivorous beetles ex-isted from Triassic and did not differ essentially from the Recent ones. History of water beetles is distinctive. They lived under the water for a long time but did not swim. Most of Upper Mesozoic beetles lived in upper layers of the water (bentic forms are rare). Many ecological types of Mesozoic water beetles became extinct and have no Recent analogues. Ecological diversity of beetles became close to the Recent ones only after the end of Pa-leogene