Palaecoryphus, Alekseev & Tomaszewska, 2018

Alekseev, Vitalii I. & Tomaszewska, Wioletta, 2018, New handsome fungus beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinelloidea: Anamorphidae, Endomychidae) from European amber of the Upper Eocene, Palaeontologia Electronica (6 A) 21 (1), pp. 1-23 : 7

Genus PALAECORYPHUS gen. nov.

zoobank.org/ 868C55C1-D8BA-4EE7-81E5-5D929EE325BE

Type species. Palaecoryphus viktori sp. nov.

Diagnosis. This new genus may be separated from all currently described extant and extinct genera of Anamorphidae by the following combination of characters: small overall body size (1.6 mm); dorsal surfaces of body covered with long semierect pubescence; pronotum comparatively short with truncate posterior margin, with basal sulcus deep and lateral sulci long; elytra irregularly punctate; ventrite 1 long; tarsi 4-segmented; and antennae composed of 11 antennomeres.

Moreover, Palaecoryphus differs from fossil Discolomopsis Shockley, 2006 in having very narrow (not widely explanate) lateral margins of elytra and pronotum, and tarsal formula 4-4-4. Palaecoryphus is similar to extant Asymbius Gorham, 1896 , Coryphus Csiki, 1902 , Clemmus Hampe, 1850 , and Exysma Gorham, 1887 - 99 in having rather straight (not lobed medially) posterior margin of pronotum, and ovoid habitus, but clearly differs from these genera in all tarsi being 4-segmented. Palaecoryphus additionally differs from Asymbius in having scutellar striae that are not widely curved in front; and from Coryphus by its subquadrate penultimate antennomere. New genus resembles also Catapotia Thomson, 1860 in having 11 antennomeres and tarsal formula of 4-4-4, but differs in presence of lateral sulci and truncate posterior margin of pronotum. Asiatic genera Mychothenus Strohecker, 1953 , Bystodes Strohecker, 1953 , Idiophyes and Dexialia Sasaji, 1970 can be distinguished from Palaecoryphus in having 10 antennomeres and different form of pronotum.

Etymology. The new genus-group name Palaecoryphus is composed of “palaeo” (from Greek ‘palaios’ meaning old, ancient) and “ Coryphus ”, the name of the extant, habitually similar anamorphid genus from Papua New Guinea. The gender is masculine.

Composition. The new genus is monotypic.