| Protocoleoptera Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| |
| (A, B) Moravocoleus permianus (Tshekardocoleidae) (C,D) Permocupes sojanensis (Permocupedidae) (E) Tshekardocoleidae, Sylvacoleus richteri (F) Taldycupedidae, Taldycupes reticulatus | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | †Protocoleoptera Tillyard, 1924[1] |
| Families | |
|
see text | |
The Protocoleoptera are a paraphyletic group of extinct beetles, containing the earliest and most primitive lineages of beetles. They represented the dominant group of beetles during the Permian, but were largely replaced by modern beetle groups during the following Triassic. Protocoleopterans typically possess prognathous (horizontal) heads, distinctive elytra with regular window punctures, culticles with tubercles or scales, as well as a primitive pattern of ventral sclerites, similar to the modern archostematan families Ommatidae and Cupedidae. They are thought to have been xylophagous and wood boring.[2]
- ^ Tillyard, R.J. (1924). "Upper Permian Coleoptera and a new order from the Belmont Beds, New South Wales". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 49: 429–435.
- ^ Zhao, Xianye; Yu, Yilun; Clapham, Matthew E; Yan, Evgeny; Chen, Jun; Jarzembowski, Edmund A; Zhao, Xiangdong; Wang, Bo (2021-11-08). Perry, George H; Fikacek, Martin (eds.). "Early evolution of beetles regulated by the end-Permian deforestation". eLife. 10: e72692. doi:10.7554/eLife.72692. ISSN 2050-084X. PMC 8585485. PMID 34747694.