Lycocerus crassepunctatus Kazantsev, 2021

Kazantsev, S. V., 2021, New species of Baltic amber soldier beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera: Cantharidae), Russian Entomological Journal 30 (2), pp. 153-158 : 154-155

Lycocerus crassepunctatus Kazantsev sp.n.

Figs 1–4 .

MATERIAL: Holotype, ♂, specimen No. MAIG 6699 , Baltic amber, Middle Eocene, Gdansk Gulf Baltic amber (Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia) (ex. coll. Jonas Damzen, Vilnius, JDC9005).

Syninclusions. None.

DESCRIPTION. Male. Light to dark brown; elytra black ( Figs 1–4 ).

Head transverse, noticeably narrowed posteriorly, with very short cheeks. Eyes relatively small, eye diameter ca. 3 times greater than head width behind eyes. Mandibles slender, relatively long, evenly rounded. Palps slender, ultimate palpomeres securiform, noticeably wider than penultimate palpomeres. Antennae 11-segmented, filiform, narrow, extending to elytral half, with antennomere 3 ca. 2.9 times longer than pedicel (antennomere 2) and ca 1.2 times shorter than antennomere 4; antennal pubescence relatively short and suberect.

Pronotum subquadrate, with semicircularly produced forward anterior margin, slightly concave sides and noticeable rounded anterior and short posterior angles; disc smooth, with two prominent basal swellings. Scutellum triangular, rounded at apex ( Figs 1–4 ).

Elytra elongate, narrow, ca. 3 times longer than wide, parallel-sided, shining and coarsely punctuate, with uniform suberect pubescence ( Figs 1–4 ).

Legs long, with robust femora and narrow tibiae, and tibiae slightly longer than femora; hind tarsomere ratio: 4: 2.2: 1.8: 1: 1.6; tibiae with dense erect vestiture and distinct long spurs; tarsomere 4 conspicuously widened and split almost to base; claws simple ( Figs 1–4 ).

Abdomen fully covered by elytra, with eight visible sternites; ultimate tergite triangularly incised distally; penultimate ventrite broad, medially semicircularly incised, ultimate ventrite oval, narrowing distally and minutely incised at apex ( Fig. 2 ).

Length (from anterior head margin to end of elytra): 12.0 mm; width (at humeri): 3.6 mm. ( Figs 1–2 ).

Female. Unknown.

ETYMOLOGY. The name of the new species is derived from the Latin for ‘coarsely punctate’, alluding to its elytral punctuation.

DIAGNOSIS. Lycocerus crassepunctatus sp.n., would key to L. jonasi Kazantsev, 2020 in the determination key to Baltic amber Lycocerus species [ Kazantsev, 2020], but is easily separable from it, as well as from other Baltic amber Lycocerus , by the coarse and dense punctuation of the elytra ( Figs 1 , 3 ).

REMARKS. The inclusion is well preserved in a relatively large, 23×11× 7 mm, and clear amber piece; however, its location in the piece does not allow observing it at a right angle from below.

Malthininae Kiesenwetter, 1852 Malthodini Boving et Craighead, 1930

Figures

Figs 1–2. General view of Lycocerus crassepunctatus sp.n., holotype male: 1 — dorsal view; 2 — ventral view. Рис. 1–2. ОбЩий вид Lycocerus crassepunctatus sp.n., голотип, самец: 1 — сверху; 2 — сниЗу.

Figs 3–4. General view of Lycocerus crassepunctatus sp.n., holotype male: 3 — lateral view from the right; 4 — lateral view from the left. Рис. 3–4. ОбЩий вид Lycocerus crassepunctatus sp.n., голотип, самец: 3 — сбоку справа; 4 — сбоку слева.