Eotungus

Eotungus is a genus of extinct ground beetles in the family Carabidae, known from fossil specimens dating to the Early Cenozoic. The genus is distinguished by an elongated body, a narrowly convex thorax, and elytra with shallow, evenly spaced striae. Some classifications place it within Harpalinae, though its precise phylogenetic position within Carabidae remains debated.

Eotungus was first described in 2010 by paleontologists A. Li and M. Novak from specimens recovered from Ypresian-aged amber deposits in Liaoning Province, China. The type species, Eotungus primus, was established on the basis of multiple well-preserved adults showing the defining combination of head, pronotum, and elytral features.

Size ranges from about 6 to 12 millimeters in length. The head bears prominent mandibles; the pronotum is narrowly hexagonal; the elytra bear faint striae and appear pubescent in preserved fossils. The morphology suggests a ground-dwelling, active predator of small arthropods, likely hunting in forest floor microhabitats alongside leaf litter and fungal growth.

Species attributed to the genus include Eotungus primus (the type species), Eotungus borealis from northern deposits, and Eotungus orientalis from eastern Asia. Additional specimens referenced but not yet assigned to a species have been reported, highlighting ongoing revisions as new material becomes available.

Etymology reflects the dawn (eo-) of Tungusian lineages and alludes to the fossil locality and the ancient context of the group. Eotungus contributes to understanding early diversification within Carabidae and the evolution of morphological traits associated with ground-dwelling predation. The fossil record for this genus remains incomplete, with future discoveries likely to refine its taxonomy and biogeography.