Plycus Kazantsev, 2021

Kazantsev, Sergey V., 2021, New and little known taxa of neotenic lyropaeine net-winged beetles (Coleoptera Lycidae), Zootaxa 4965 (3), pp. 437-460 : 454-455

Genus Plycus Kazantsev , gen. nov.

Type species: Plycus prosvirovi Kazantsev , sp. nov.

Description. Male. Alate, slender, elongate ( Figs 61, 62 ). Head transverse, slightly narrowing behind eyes. Eyes relatively large, spherical. Labrum free, not attached to epistoma, transverse. Fastigium (angle between frons plane and mandibles plane) acute, ca. 20 degrees. Mandibles developed, short, relatively robust, gradually curved. Maxillary palps slender, 4-segmented, with terminal palpomere narrow and pointed distally. Labium small, palps threesegmented, terminal palpomere elongate, pointed distally, noticeably surpassing precedent palpomeres in size. Gula relatively short. Antennal prominence conspicuous; antennal sockets separated by minute lamina. Antennae 11-segmented, moderately long, attaining to elytral middle, antennomeres 4–7 narrow, parallel-sided, slightly compressed; antennomeres 2 and 3 transverse, subequal in length and size, much shorter than antennomere 4; hairy pubescence relatively short, dense and sub-erect, with elongate minute scales ( Figs 61, 62 ).

Pronotum conspicuously transverse, at sides and anteriorly coarsely punctuate, without distinct discal structure, except obscurely defined posterior median impression; anterior angles distinct, posterior angles attenuate. Prosternum elongate, V-shaped, with narrow lateral arms, posteriorly conspicuously narrowing. Thoracic spiracles small, not protruding beyond thoracic sclerites. Mesoventrite fused to mesepisternum, transverse, straight anteriorly, without median suture. Mesonotal scutellum with relatively broad, distinctly flattened and emarginate distally postnotal plate ( Figs 61, 62 ).

Elytra long, about 8 times longer than pronotum and relatively broad, slightly dehiscent, with four primary costae; interstices with irregular double rows of cells; decumbent pubescence uniform. Metaventrite transverse, with blunt posterior angles; discrimen (metasternal suture) attaining to mesosternum ( Figs 61, 62 ).

Protrochantins narrow, subequal in size to mesotrochantins. Pro- and mesocoxae elongate, distally contiguous, metacoxae transverse, almost contiguous. Legs relatively long; trochanters elongate, but somewhat shorter than half of femora; femurs flattened, connected obliquely to apices of trochanters, noticeably shorter than tibiae; tibiae straight, flattened and narrow, tibial spurs well developed; tarsomeres 1–4 narrow, tarsomeres 1–3 without plantar pads, tarsomere 4 with plantar pad at apex, tarsomeres 1–2 noticeably longer than antennomeres 3 or 4, subequal in length, tarsomere 5 subequal in length to tarsomeres 1 or 2; all claws simple, narrow, with developed hair-bearing setae ( Figs 61, 62 ).

Abdominal terminalia relatively broad; penultimate tergite medially narrow; terminal ventrite relatively short, not extending beyond penultimate tergite and over terminal tergite, its distal margin truncate ( Figs 62–64 ).

Male genitalia symmetric, with elongate, widened proximally median lobe, developed roundish parameres with proximal densely granulose bulges and elongate non-sclerotised processes; phallobase subquadrate, with conspicuous proximal incision ( Figs 65, 66 ).

Female. Unknown, presumably paedomorphic and larviform.

Etymology. The name of the genus is derived from the combination of the first two letters of the genus name ‘ Platerodrilus ’ and the genus name ‘ Lycus ’, alluding to the similarity of the new taxon of net–winged beetles to the first of them. Gender masculine.

Diagnosis. Plycus gen. nov. should be attributed to Platerodrilini due to its antennal structure with antennomere 3 similar in size and vestiture to antennomere 2, elytra with longitudinal costae, cubital veins of the hind wing connected to M-vein, and present plantar pad on tarsomere 4. It can be separated from the similar Platerodrilus by the short, robust and evenly curved mandibles, larger eyes, relatively broad and flattened scutellum, plantar pad only on tarsomere 4 and shortened and truncate distally terminal ventrite, not extending over terminal tergite ( Figs 60–64 ), the latter character also distinguishing it from Macrolibnetis , Atamania Kazantsev, 2005 , and Pendola Bocak, 2002 , along with the shorter and more robust mandibles and less prominent and less tubular proximal incision of the phallobase ( Figs 65, 66 ). It is possible that Plycus gen. nov. would fit into one of the ‘Platerodrilini gen. sp.’ branches of the molecular analysis tree ( Masek & Bocak, 2014; Li et al., 2017).

Distribution. Sumatra.

Figures

FIGURES 60–66. General view and details of Plycus prosvirovi gen. nov., sp. nov., holotype male: 60–61—general view; 62–64—terminal abdominal segments; 65–66—aedeagus; 60, 62—dorsal view; 61, 65—ventral view; 63, 66—lateral view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.