A new caraboid larva from the Middle Jurassic of China (Insecta: Coleoptera)

A new species of caraboid larva (Coleoptera, Adephaga), Carabilarva gongi sp. nov., is described based on a well-preserved specimen from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou deposits (in the upper part of Jiulongshan Formation) of Inner Mongolia, China. It is the fourth caraboid larva from the Mesozoic, and differs from the other three Mesozoic species mainly in having a longer body with shorter mandibles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) show that this Daohugou fossil is preserved as carbonaceous compressions that lost the micro-structure, such as macrochaetae.