First Triassic record of the beetle family Permocupedidae (Insecta: Coleoptera): a peculiar example of a Lazarus taxon.

The first Mesozoic representative of the extinct archostematan beetle family Permocupedidae, Frankencupes ultimus, gen. et sp. nov., is described based on two isolated elytra from the Lower Anisian (Middle Triassic) Röt Formation of Lower Franconia, Germany. The new fossil occurrence extends the range of the family from the Lower Wuchiapingian (Upper Permian) up to the Anisian, and represents a fine example of a Lazarus taxon in the fossil record of beetles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]