Electropteron avus Kazantsev, 2020

Kazantsev, S. V., 2020, First fossil representative of the net-winged beetles genus Plateros Bourgeois, 1879 (Insecta: Coleoptera: Lycidae) from Mexican amber, with redescription of Electropteron avus gen. n., sp. n. from Dominican amber and a note on the time of origin of the family, Russian Entomological Journal 29 (4), pp. 377-387 : 382-384

Electropteron avus Kazantsev , sp.n.

Figs 7–11 .

MATERIAL: Holotype, ♂, specimen No. 09155/2198988208, Dominican Amber, Miocene ( ICM).

SYNINCLUSIONS. Two Cecidomyiidae ( Diptera ).

DESCRIPTION. Male. Dark brown to black; antennomere 11, pronotum, scutellum, elytra proximally, at scutellar level, meso- and metaventrites, genital capsule, coxae, trochanters and femurs yellowish.

Head with deep impression behind antennal prominence. Eyes small, interocular dorsal distance over 2 times greater than eye radius. Antennae attaining to elytral middle, with antennomere 3 subequal in length to pedicel (antennomere 2) and 5.5 times shorter than antennomere 4 ( Figs 7–9 ).

Pronotum transverse, ca. 1.5 times as wide as long, slightly narrowing anteriorly, with almost straight anterior margin, noticeable anterior and small acute posterior angles. Scutellum parallel-sided and medially emarginate at apex ( Fig. 7 ).

Elytra elongate, 3.3 times as long as wide at humeri, narrowing distally, dehiscent in distal two fifths, with two primary costae reaching their apices and costa 1 noticeable in proximal fourth ( Fig. 7 ).

Legs relatively short, tibiae subequal in length to femurs ( Figs 7–8 ).

Length (from anterior head margin to end of abdomen): 3.3 mm. Width (humerally): 0.7 mm.

Female. Unknown.

ETYMOLOGY. The name of the new species is derived from ‘avus’, the Latin noun for ‘grandfather’, alluding to its hypothetic ancestry to some of the extant Greater Antillean lycids.

DIAGNOSIS. Electropteron avus sp.n., the only known representative of the genus, is easily distinguishable from the described extant lycids, as well as from the other amber lycid taxa, by the generic characters.

The list of the currently known amber net-winged beetles includes the following taxa:

Lycidae Laporte, 1840

Lycinae Laporte, 1840

Lycini Laporte, 1840

† Protolycus Kazantsev, 2019

Protolycus Kazantsev, 2019: 329 . Type species Protolycus gedaniensis Kazantsev, 2019 (original designation)

† gedaniensis Kazantsev, 2019: 330 . Eocene Baltic amber. Several extant genera of Lycini worldwide ( Fig. 13 )

Platerotini Kleine, 1929

Plateros Bourgeois, 1879

Plateros Bourgeois, 1879 : xix. Type species Eros brasiliensis Lucas, 1857 (subsequent designation by Zaragoza, 1999) † jardinesi Kazantsev, 2020 , sp.n. Miocene Mexican amber. The only fossil species from a genus with over 900 species distributed in all biogeographic realms, mostly in the Palaeotropics [e.g. Kleine, 1933; Kazantsev, 2011].

Metriorrhynchini Kleine, 1926

† Prototrichalus Molino-Olmedo, Ferreira, Branham et Ivie, 2020

Prototrichalus Molino-Olmedo,Ferreira,Branham et Ivie, 2020:

2. Type species Eros brasiliensis Lucas, 1857 (original designation)

† meiyingae Molino-Olmedo, Ferreira, Branham et Ivie,

2020: 6. Cretaceous Burmese amber.

† milleri Molino-Olmedo, Ferreira, Branham et Ivie, 2020:

6. Cretaceous Burmese amber.

† sepronai Molino-Olmedo, Ferreira, Branham et Ivie,

2020: 6. Cretaceous Burmese amber.

Erotinae Leconte, 1881 Erotini Leconte, 1881

† Pseudaplatopterus (Pseudaplatopterus) Kleine,

1940

Pseudaplatopterus Kleine, 1940: 179 . Type species Pseudaplatopterus ascheelei Kleine, 1940 (by monotypy)

† ascheelei Kleine, 1940: 179 . Eocene Baltic amber. One fossil species in Baltic amber, with several extant taxa from Pseudaplatopterus (Eropterus) Green, 1951 in the Eastern Palaearctic and Nearctic ( Fig. 14 ).

Figures

Figs 7–8. General view of Electropteron avus gen.n., sp.n., holotype male: 7 — dorsally; 8 — ventrally. Рис. 7–8. ОбЩий вид Electropteron avus gen.n., sp.n., голотип, самец: 7 — сверху; 8 — сниЗу.

Figs 9–11. Details of Electropteron avus gen.n., sp.n., holotype male: 9 — antenna; 10 — prosternum; 11 — terminal abdominal segments ventrally. Scale: 0.5 mm. Рис. 9–11. Детали строениЯ Electropteron avus gen.n., sp.n., голотип, самец: 9 — антенна; 10 — переднегрудь; 11 — вершинные сегменты брюшка, сниЗу. МасштабнаЯ линейка: 0.5 мм.

Fig. 13. Current distribution area of the tribe Lycini, with locality (*) for its representative from Baltic amber (Protolycus). Рис. 13. Современное распространие трибы Lycini, с укаЗанием местоположениЯ (*) находки её представителЯ иЗ балтийского ЯнтарЯ (Protolycus).

Fig. 14. Current distribution area of the tribe Erotini, with locality (*) for its representative from Baltic amber (Pseudaplatopterus) [after Kazantsev, 2012b, modified]. Рис. 14. Современное распространие трибы Erotini, с укаЗанием местоположениЯ (*) находки её представителЯ иЗ балтийского ЯнтарЯ (Pseudaplatopterus) [по Kazantsev, 2012b, с иЗменениЯми].