Afroquediina, Brunke & Żyła & Yamamoto & Solodovnikov, 2019

Brunke, Adam James, Żyła, Dagmara, Yamamoto, Shûhei & Solodovnikov, Alexey, 2019, Baltic amber Staphylinini (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae): a rove beetle fauna on the eve of our modern climate, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 187, pp. 166-197 : 191

Afroquediina

Afroquedius and Valdiviodes , despite some differences in habitus, were recovered as a well-supported and isolated clade in the present analysis. According to our recovered topology and node supports, this clade is most likely to be sister to all crown Staphylinini minus † Baltognathina , all crown Staphylinini including † Baltognathina or sister to † Baltognathina itself. At present, evidence from morphological synapomorphies is unknown for any of these possible clades.To represent this distinct and morphologically isolated lineage, we erect a new subtribe (see Systematic Palaeontology). Most recent phylogenetic studies have omitted Valdiviodes owing to lack of optimally preserved DNA specimens ( Brunke et al., 2016; Schillhammer & Brunke, 2018), but morphology-based analyses by Solodovnikov et al. (2013) and Brunke & Solodovnikov (2013) recovered these taxa as either sister groups or isolated lineages one backbone node apart. With the discovery of new, unique synapomorphies for this clade, we think that enough evidence is present to move these incertae sedis taxa into a new, easily diagnosed subtribe.