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The Mesozoic fossil record of the family Cerophytidae is critically reviewed. The fossil data is combined with the characters of the recent representatives of Cerophytidae to build a new phylogenetic hypothesis of their relationships. Twenty-three in-group taxa and three out-groups were included in a maximum parsimony cladistic analysis based on 32 adult characters. The resulting tree confirms the family Cerophytidae as a monophylum with two weakly supported clades, segregating most of the extinct Mesozoic and extant genera into separate clades. The new concept of the family Cerophytidae is presented to reconcile characters of the Mesozoic and recent taxa, without recognition of Aphytocerinae Kirejtshuk, 2013. Lebanophytum Kirejtshuk and Azar (=Lebanophytidae Kirejtshuk in Kirejtshuk and Azar, 2013), originally placed in Cerophytidae, is removed from Elateroidea and placed in the cucujoid family Cryptophagidae. The family Lebanophytidae Kirejtshuk in Kirejtshuk and Azar, 2013, based on this genus, becomes a junior synonym of Cryptophagidae Kirby, 1826 (syn. nov.). The two species Praelaterium problematicum Dolin, 1973 and Elaterocoleus oculatus Dolin, 1973, originally included in the family Praelateriidae Dolin, are moved to the family Cerophytidae, and Praelateriidae Dolin, 1973 is regarded as a junior synonym of Cerophytidae Latreille, 1834 (syn. nov.). Jurassophytum cleidecostae Yu, Ślipinski and Pang gen. et sp. nov. from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou beds (Inner Mongolia, northeastern China), and Amberophytum birmanicum Yu, Ślipinski and Pang gen. et sp. nov., Necromeropsis minutus Yu, Ślipinski and Pang gen. et sp. nov., Brachycerophytum cretaceum Yu, Ślipinski and Pang sp. nov. and Cerophytum albertalleni Yu, Ślipinski and Pang sp. nov. from the Upper Cretaceous amber deposits of Myanmar are described and illustrated.

The Early Cretaceous dragonfly Hemeroscopus baissicus Pritykina is reported for the first time from the Jiuquan Basin, Gansu Province, Northwest China based on adult wings. These wings are different from those from other localities in two aspects: the oblique crossvein ‘O’ is 3 or 4 cells distal of the subnodus; the wing size is much smaller (30–42 mm in length for forewings). These differences are considered to be intraspecific variations, based on which diagnoses of the genus Hemeroscopus and the family Hemeroscopidae are revised. The discovery of H . baissicus in Jiuquan suggests that the Zhonggou Formation may be correlated with the Fuxin Formation in Liaoning Province, the Lushangfen Formation in western Beijing, and the Dongmyeong Formation in southern Korea. A possible migration path of the dragonfly is indicated that it initially appeared in Transbaikalia in the Aptian, migrated southwestwards to Mongolia in the Aptian or early Albian, and then southwestwards to northwest China, southeastwards to northeast China, and southern Korea in the early Albian.

Four new genera and species of long-proboscid Paradoxosisyrinae (Neuroptera: Sisyridae) are described from the Upper Cretaceous amber from northern Myanmar: Buratina truncata gen. et sp. nov., Sidorchukatia gracilis gen. et sp. nov., Protosiphoniella anthophila gen. et sp. nov. and Khobotun elephantinus gen. et sp. nov. Presence of an elongated labrum is confirmed for Paradoxosisyrinae for the first time. 3D modelling was used to demonstrate how the mouthparts of B. truncata were assembled together during feeding. We show that there is considerable diversity in the morphology of mouthparts, wing venation and wing patterns of Paradoxosisyrinae. Nectar-feeding habits are suggested for Paradoxosisyrinae on the basis of microscopic examination of their stylet-like mouthpart structures. Possible reasons for evolutionary failure of long-proboscid Neuroptera are discussed.

Lower Cretaceous beetles belonging to the extinct tribe Brochocoleini (Coleoptera: Cupedidae: Ommatinae) are revised and five new species proposed in the extinct Eurasian genus Brochocoleus: Brochocoleus yangshuwanziensis sp. nov. (Yixian Formation, China); Brochocoleus crowsonae sp. nov., Brochocoleus keenani sp. nov., Brochocoleus tobini sp. nov. (Weald Clay Group, UK); and Brochocoleus maximus sp. nov. (Purbeck Limestone Group, UK). New morphological data is provided for Brochocoleus impressus and Brochocoleus sulcatus stat. nov. of which Brochocoleus angustus is considered a synonym (Yixian Fm.). The hindwing venation is described for the first time supporting the basal position of this tribe. A simple key is provided to all Cretaceous species of this presumably xylophagous, warm climate genus.

A new rove beetle species, Sinoxytelus transbaicalicus sp. nov., is described and figured from the Urey locality (Urey beds, Early Cretaceous?), Transbaikalia, Russia. Sinoxytelus is the dominant genus in the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of northeastern China, but this is the first report from the territory of Russia. The new species can be easily separated from the rest of its congeners by the presence of a relatively large head, transverse pronotum, and slightly tapered abdomen. In addition, the systematic position of Sinoxytelus in the extant subfamily Oxytelinae is discussed. Sinoxytelus is transferred from the tribe Oxytelini to the more basal tribe Coprophilini.

A new genus, Cretasyne gen. nov. , in the family Lasiosynidae, with two species C. lata sp. nov. and C. longa sp. nov., is described from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Inner Mongolia, China. These fossils are the first record of the family from the Yixian Formation and provide significant information on lasiosynid morphology and diversity. The fossil record of Lasiosynidae is also reviewed.