Carabidae (Coleoptera: Harpalinae: Harpalini: Harpalina) from an Upper Cretaceous Rock Deposit at Orapa Diamond Mine in Botswana 1 Ian James McKay 3 and Sandiso Mnguni 2,4 Evolutionary Studies Institute, School of Geosciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa J. Entomol. Sci. 61(1): 000–000 (Month 2025) DOI: 10.18474/JES24-116 Abstract Four new species of carabid beetle—Harpalus mckayi sp. n., Harpalus mnguni sp. n., Harpalus nkqwili sp. n., and Harpalus peteni sp. n.—are described using relatively well-preserved compression fossils from an Upper Cretaceous lacustrine rock deposit at the Orapa Diamond Mine in Botswana. All the fossils are assigned in the extant subfamily Harpalinae based on key diagnostic characters, including the general habitus, mandibular scrobe without seta, elongated scutellum, and spiny mesotibia. They are assigned in genus Harpalus due to the following characters: glabrous habitus, hairless eyes, and narrow epi- lobes of mentum. Notably, all the fossils reported in this study can also be compared with members of the genera Cratognathus, Dichaetochilus, Heterohyparpalus, Aulocoryssus, Acupalpus, Egadroma, and many other genera. Harpalus mckayi sp. n. has unusual two supraorbital pits (instead of only one) located above each eye. Harpalus mnguni sp. n. and H. nkqwili sp. n. are rather similar; but H. mnguni sp. n. has elongated palps and slender antennomeres, whereas H. nkqwili sp. n. has a unique postorbital constriction. Harpalus peteni sp. n. differs by the shape of the eyes and anterior margins. The Harpalinae have been remarkably conservative in their evolution since the Cretaceous and possibly even lon- ger. All of the fossils consolidate the widely documented diversity and widespread distribution of the Carabidae in the Cretaceous and in the Mesozoic at large. Key Words fossils, carabids, ground beetles, Harpalus, Africa, Southern Hemisphere The Carabidae was erected by Latreille in 1802 and has since become one of the most speciose families of the Coleoptera. It is known to be a cosmopolitan group that currently records 40,968 species nested within 36 subfamilies, 89 tribes, and 2,191 genera (Catalogue of Life, updated to October 2024; https:// www.catalogueoflife.org/data/metadata). It is only outnumbered by the Curculioni- dae (with 74,095 species) and the Staphylinidae (with 66,928 species). The other most speciose families of the Coleoptera include the Cerambycidae (with 36,306 species) and the Scarabaeidae (with 36,303 species). These five major families alone make up 80% of the known Coleoptera fauna worldwide. The Carabidae are 1 Received 18 December 2024; accepted for publication 12 January 2025. 2 Corresponding author (email: msandiso@gmail.com). 3 Deceased. 4 Biosystematics Division Entomology Unit, Biosystematics Division, Agricultural Research Council Plant Health and Protection, Private Bag X134, Queenswood, Roodeplaat, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa (email: mngunis@arc.agric.za). 1 Downloaded from https://jes.kglmeridian.com at 2025-07-03 via free access