The study of bioinclusions in Cretaceous Burmese amber is one of the hotspots of current paleontological researches. Staphylinidae, or rove beetles, with its extraordinary morphological disparity and species diversity, is the largest family of animals. Recent years have witnessed discoveries of a wide variety of staphylinids in Burmese amber, to provide important materials for studying the evolution of biodiversity in terrestrial ecosystems. A study of exceptionally preserved staphylinid fossils not only reveals the origin and the evolution of the family, but also helps to understand the complex relationships between insects and fungi and the insects in early ecosystems, revealing paleodiversity of higher fungi and the early history of social insects. Advanced imaging techniques and analytical methods can be helpful for understanding the morphological functions of Burmese amber insects, to further reveal the complex relationships between ancient insects and their surroundings, and eventually to reconstruct an ancient terrestrial forest ecosystem.

staphylinidae  /  burmese amber  /  paleoecology  /  paleoethology  /  mesozoic  /  terrestrial ecosystem