# Diochus electrus

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{{short description|Species of beetle}}
{{Speciesbox
| fossil_range = {{Fossil range|Lutetian}}
| image = Diochus electrus ZooKeys-138-065-g001a.jpg
| image_caption = ''Diochus electrus'' 
| genus = Diochus
| species = electrus
| authority = [Chatzimanolis](/source/Stylianos_Chatzimanolis) & [Engel](/source/Michael_S._Engel), 2011
| extinct = yes
}}

'''''Diochus electrus''''' is an extinct [species](/source/species) of [rove beetle](/source/rove_beetle) in genus ''Diochus'', the only definitive fossil species in subfamily [Staphylininae](/source/Staphylininae).  The species is known only from the [middle Eocene](/source/middle_Eocene), [Lutetian stage](/source/Lutetian) Baltic amber found in the Blaue Erde deposits, [Baltic region](/source/Baltic_region), [Northern Europe](/source/Northern_Europe).<ref name="Chatzimanolis2011">{{Cite journal |last1=Chatzimanolis |first1=S. |last2=Engel |first2=M. S. |title=A new species of ''Diochus'' from Baltic amber (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Diochini) |journal=ZooKeys |year=2011 |issue=138 |pages=65–73 |doi=10.3897/zookeys.138.1896 |url=https://www.pensoft.net/J_FILES/1/articles/1896/1896-G-3-layout.pdf |pmid=22144854 |pmc=3208521|doi-access=free }}</ref>

==History and classification==
''Diochus electrus'' is known only from one fossil, the holotype, number "KU-NHM-ENT, B-244".  It is a single complete adult female preserved as an inclusion in a specimen of clear orange amber.  The fossil was recovered from an outcrop of the Blaue Erde deposits which contain the fossil resins in the Baltic region.<ref name="Chatzimanolis2011"/> The type specimen is currently preserved in the [Division of Entomology](/source/paleoentomology) at the [University of Kansas Natural History Museum](/source/University_of_Kansas) located in [Lawrence, Kansas](/source/Lawrence%2C_Kansas), USA.  ''Diochus electrus'' was first studied by Stylianos Chatzimanolis of the [University of Tennessee at Chattanooga](/source/University_of_Tennessee_at_Chattanooga) and [Michael S. Engel](/source/Michael_S._Engel) of the University of Kansas. Their 2011 [type description](/source/Type_(biology)) for the new species was published online and in print in the journal ''[ZooKeys](/source/ZooKeys)''.  The [etymology](/source/etymology) of the [specific name](/source/species) ''electrus'' is a derivation of the [Latin](/source/Latin) word "''electrum''" meaning amber.<ref name="Chatzimanolis2011"/>

When ''Diochus electrus'' was described, it was the first definitive species of the rove beetle subfamily Staphylininae to be described from the fossil record.<ref name="Chatzimanolis2011"/> The Baltic amber species ''[Bembicidiodes inaequicollis](/source/Bembicidiodes)'', described by L. W. Schaufuss in 1888, was formerly considered part of Staphylininae.  However reevaluation of the species in 2001 by L.H. Herman raised doubts about the correct subfamily placement for ''B. inaequicollis''.  ''Diochus electrus'' is one of eleven species of the genus ''Diochus'' inhabiting the [Palearctic realm](/source/Palearctic_realm).<ref name="Chatzimanolis2011"/>

==Description==
The ''Diochus electrus'' type specimen is a well preserved fully complete female with a total body length of {{Convert|3.5|mm|in}}. The {{convert|0.56|by|0.48|mm|in}} head is ovoid in shape and has fine sculpturing with sporadic punctations. The antenna do not have a geniculate structure, which indicates placement of the species into the tribe Diochini.  Though similar to the genus ''[Coomania](/source/Coomania)'', the neck of ''D. electrus'' is more robust, with ''Coomania'' having a neck that is approximately a fifth the width of the head.  The [elytra](/source/elytra) of ''D. electrus'' are {{convert|0.75|mm|in}} in length and have a width of {{convert|0.67|mm|in}}.  They are longer than the {{convert|0.64|mm|in}} [pronotum](/source/pronotum).  The other ten palearctic species of ''Diochus'' possess pronotum which are longer than the elytra, distinguishing ''D. electrus'' as a species.<ref name="Chatzimanolis2011"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q5279072}}

†
Category:Prehistoric beetles
Category:Lutetian insects
Category:Eocene insects of Europe
Category:Fossil taxa described in 2011
†
Category:Baltic amber

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Diochus electrus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diochus_electrus) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diochus_electrus?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.