Archaeoluprops, Nabozhenko & Perkovsky & Nazarenko, 2023

Nabozhenko, Maxim V., Perkovsky, Evgeny E. & Nazarenko, Vitaliy Yu., 2023, A new tribe, genus and species of the tenebrionid subfamily Lagriinae (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) from the Eocene Baltic amber, Zootaxa 5231 (5), pp. 584-590 : 585-587

Genus Archaeoluprops gen. n.

( Figs 1 , 2 )

Type species: Archaeoluprops groehni sp. n.

Diagnosis of the new tribe and genus. Tarsal formula 5-5-4. Trochanters heteromeroid. Body robust, shiny, pubescent with erected and suberected comparatively long setae at least dorsally ( Fig. 1A ). Eyes large, reniform ( Fig. 2A ). Maxillary apical palpomere triangular, elongate. Antennae moniliform. Lateral margins and base of pronotum coarsely beaded. Prosternum long before procoxae, prosternal process comparatively wide, not convex ( Fig. 1B ). Mesocoxal cavities open (partly closed by an extension of the mesepimeron) ( Fig. 2B ). Metaventrite with long median groove. Elytra non-striate, densely confusedly punctuate ( Fig. 1A ). Epipleura almost reaching elytral suture angle. Intersegmental membranes not visible between 3–5 ventrites, hinging tentyrioid ( Fig. 1B ), defensive glands absent. Outer edge of the ventrite 5 is formed into a groove which receives the elytral edges. Preapical tarsomeres cupuliform.

Etymology. The name is combined from archaeo- (ancient—Greek origin) and Luprops , the name of a tenebrionid genus within the tribe Lupropini Ardoin, 1958 .

Comparison. Archaeoluprops groehni sp. n. is externally similar to the representatives of the tribes Goniaderini and Lupropini by the robust body and estriate elytra, but differs in the absence of intersegmental membranes between abdominal ventrites 3–5 (tentyrioid hinging) and accordingly the primary absence of defensive glands.

Archaeolupropini trib. n. differs from:

– Adeliini W. Kirby, 1828 in the tentyrioid hinging of the abdomen (tenebrioid in Adeliini ), estriate elytra (striate in Adeliini ), the weakly widened apical maxillary palpomere (wide, triangle to securiform in Adeliini ), the long metaventrite (short in almost all Adeliini except several winged species ( Matthews & Bouchard 2008)), the not expressed trochantine (well visible in Adeliini );

– Belopini Reitter, 1917 in estriate elytra, the pubescent body (body is bare in Belopini , excluding extinct Yantaroxenos with very dense scaled setae), cupuliform preapical tarsomeres (simple in Belopini );

– Chaerodini Doyen, Matthews & Lawrence, 1990 in simple legs (short and fossorial Chaerodini), the not semispherical body, the prosternum long before procoxae (short in Chaerodini), hinging tentyrioid (tenebrionoid in Chaerodini);

– Cossyphini Latreille, 1802 in the not explanate and stongly flattened body and not concealed head (pronotal flange covering head in Cossiphyni), the extensions of the hypomeron are divided by the prosternal process behind procoxae (extensions of the hypomeron are connected behind procoxae in Cossiphini), open mesocoxal cavities (closed by meso- and metaventrite in Cossyphini );

– Eschatoporiini Blaisdell, 1906 (see characters in Aalbu et al. (2017)) in the estriate elytra, the concealed membrane between labrum and epistoma (the membrane exposed in Eschatoporiini), the scutellum concealed by the pronotum, with only scutellar shield visible (scutellum open in Eschatoporiini), large eyes (Eschatoporiini are without eyes);

– Goniaderini Lacordaire, 1859 in the tentyrioid hinging of the abdomen (tenebrioid in Adeliini ) and the apical maxillary palpomere weakly widened (distinctly triangle in Goniaderini );

– Gonialaenini Nabozhenko, Bukejs et Telnov, 2019 (extinct) in the tentyrioid hinging of the abdomen (tenebrioid in Adeliini ), estriate elytra (striae are visible in Gonialaenini ), weakly widened maxillary apical palpomere (securiform in Gonialaenini ), coarsely bordered pronotum (unbordered in Gonialaenini ), long metaventrite (moderate metaventrite, wings probably reduced in Gonialaenini );

– Laenini Seidlitz, 1895 in the tentyrioid hinging (tenebrionoid in Lagriini ); the presence of humeral angles, the absence of setiferous pores on elytra, large and reniform eyes (more or less rounded in Laenini), in estriate elytra, cupuliform preapical tarsomeres;

– Lagriini Latreille, 1825 the tentyrioid hinging (tenebrionoid in Lagriini ), the pronotal and elytral bases subequal (pronotum much narrower than elytral base in Lagriini ), anterior margin of epistoma straight (arquately emarginated in Lagriini );

– Lupropini Lesne, 1926 in the tentyrioid hinging (tenebrionoid in Lupropini ), eyes large and reniform (round in Lupropini ), open mesocoxal cavities (closed by meso- and metaventrite in Lupropini );

– Pycnocerini Lacordaire, 1859 in the tentyrioid hinging (tenebrionoid in Pycnocerini), body densely setated at least dorsally (completely bare in Pycnocerini), the pronotal and elytral bases subequal (pronotum much narrower than elytral base in Pycnocerini), cupuliform preapical tarsomeres (simple in Pycnocerini).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Archaeoluprops groehni, gen. and sp. n., habitus: A—dorsal view; B—ventral view.

FIGURE 2. Archaeoluprops groehni, gen. and sp. n., details of structure:A—head and pronotum, dorsal view; B—pterothorax, ventral view (shows that mesocoxal cavities open, and trochantine is absent): Ms—mesoventrite, Ms-est—mesepisternum, Msepm—mesepimeron, Ms-cox—mesocoxae, Mt—metaventrite, Mt-est—metepisternum, Mt-epm—metepimeron.