Ceafornotensis Explained

Ceafornotensis is an extinct terrestrial genus of beetles in the superfamily Scaraboidea, with only one member, Ceafornotensis archratiras. It is currently extinct globally. Its name is based on the Old English word ceafor(chafer) and Greek word notius (south).^{[1] [2]}

Entomology

The holotype specimen of C. archatiras is BP/2/18654, an exoskeleton as a compressed fossil in a large mudstone in Orapa Diamond Mine near Serowe,Botswana.^{[3] [4]}

Taxonomy

Ceafornotensis contains the following species:

• Ceafornotensis archratiras (based on the two Greek words archaíos (ancient) and kratíras (crater) " in reference to the crater lake origin of the specimen".)^[5]

Ecology

The mandible of C. archatiras does not link to any particular diet, and high chance it could an herbivore, scavenger, or fungivore.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Genus Ceafornotensis. 2021-10-22. iNaturalist. en.
2. Woolley. Chris. 2016-06-06. The first scarabaeid beetle (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae) described from the Mesozoic (Late-Cretaceous) of Africa. African Invertebrates. 57. 53–66. 10.3897/AfrInvertebr.57.8416. free.
3. Web site: Mindat.org. 2021-10-26. www.mindat.org.
4. Web site: PBDB. 2021-10-26. paleobiodb.org.
5. Web site: Woolley . Christopher . The first scarabaeid beetle (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae) described from the Mesozoic (Late-Cretaceous) of Africa . 23 October 2021.