Revision of five Mesozoic beetles from Southern China

Five fossil beetles originally described from the Early-Middle Jurassic of Hunan,Guangxi and Anhui of southern China are revised here.Artinama qinghuoensis from the Lower Jurassic of Wenjia City,Hunan Province is reassigned from Acanthocuemidae to the family Elateridae,and represents the oldest record for this family from China.Mercata festira from the Shiti Formation of Zhongshan City,Guangxi formerly placed in Silphidae,is re-interpreted to be an early member of the family Cerophytidae,whereas Gripecolous enallus,previously described as a member of the family Silphidae from the same deposit,is here proposed to be a click beetle.The click beetle Archaeolus funestus is also revised.Mesagyrtes lintouensis from the Middle Jurassic Hanshan Formation of Anhui Province probably belongs to the family Elateridae.Our revisions greatly broaden knowledge of the early distribution of the superfamily Elateroidea.