New predatory beetle larvae from about 100 million years ago and possible niche differentiation effects in the Kachin amber forest

Abstract Beetle larvae are common occurrences in modern terrestrial and freshwater fauna. We can assume that this was the case in the past as well, yet fossil beetle larvae are still reported relatively rarely. Here we report fossil larval specimens of the group of click beetles, Elateridae, from Kachin amber. The specific ecological role of the larvae can be gleaned from the specimens, they are predators, most likely wood-associated. The larvae seem differentiated from other common types of predatory larvae, the most common being lacewing larvae, based on a quantitative morphological comparison of head and mandible shape. We emphasise the use of fossil beetle larvae for functional ecological comparisons, even if the exact taxonomic relationships are unclear, because they can still provide important information for palaeoecological questions.