Cantharis (Cantharis) kviumi, Fanti & Damgaard, 2020

Fanti, Fabrizio & Damgaard, Anders Leth, 2020, Fossil soldier beetles of the Anders Damgaard amber collection. Fourth update, Baltic Journal of Coleopterology 20 (2), pp. 125-139 : 126

Cantharis (Cantharis) kviumi sp. nov.

( Figs. 1 - 2 )

Holotype. Female, in Baltic amber, accession No. ALDC0567 /ALD. Ba.Can. 28

Type locality. Russia, Kaliningrad Region, Sambian Peninsula, amber quarry near Yantarny (previously known as Palmnicken).

Type horizon. Middle Eocene (Lutetian) (47.8- 41.2 MY) to Late Eocene (Priabonian) (37.8-33.9 MY). Prussian Formation.

Differential diagnosis. The pronotal shape is characteristic and it is not present in any fossil species of the genera Cantharis , Podistra and Lycocerus .

Description. Adult, winged, slender. Female, defined on the basis of the short antennae and the transverse and rounded apically last ventrite. Body length about 6.4 mm. Entirely brown.

Head completely exposed, rounded, covered with shallow punctuation. Eyes large, prominent, roundish, inserted in the lateral-upper part of the head, inter-ocular dorsal distance about 3.4 times greater than the eye diameter. Mandibles short, falciform. Maxillary palps 4-segmented with the last palpomere strongly securiform with thinner apex in a kind of tip rounded apically. Labial palps 3-segmented with the last palpomere securiform. Antennae 11-segmented, short, surpassing the humeral zone and not reaching the half of elytra, filiform, with scattered setae; scape robust, cylindrical, club-shaped; antennomere II very short, triangular-shaped, about 3.5 times shorter than scape; antennomere III about 1.8 times longer than antennomere II; antennomeres IV-X robust, sub-equal, as long as antennomere III with antennomeres IX-X very slightly shorter; antennomere XI filiform, about 1.6 times longer than previous ones, rounded apically. Pronotum elongate, longer than wide, slightly wider than head, equipped by a long pubescence and slightly wrinkled, surface irregular and convex depressed laterally, anterior margin very slightly rounded, posterior margin almost straight, sides straight and enlarged close to the posterior margin, posterior corners obtuse, propleura roundish. Scutellum triangular-shaped. Elytra wider than pronotum, robust, elongate, parallel-sided, covering the last abdominal segments, equipped by numerous sparse and long setae, surface strongly wrinkled, suture slightly bordered, rounded apex. Posterior wings covered by elytra and slightly longer. Metasternum sub-quadrate. Ventrites transverse with short pubescence, last ventrite wide and rounded apically. Legs robust, pubescent; coxae short, robust; trochanters elongated and rounded apically; femora enlarged, slightly curved; protibiae cylindrical and shorter than profemora, meso- and metatibiae as long as meso- and metafemora. Tarsi 5-segmented; first tarsomere elongated; second tarsomere about 1.3 times shorter than first tarsomere; third tarsomere as long as second tarsomere; fourth bilobed at sides; fifth tarsomere thin, flat, curved and elongated; claws simple without tooth at the base and only with a small and obtuse thickening. Male unknown.

Etymology. Named in honor of the Danish artist Michael Otto Albert Kvium (Horsens, 15 November 1955).

Syninclusions. Botanical remains and debris.

Remarks. The amber piece measures approximately 36 x 16 mm and the surface is partially wrinkled. The inclusion is complete and prominent.

Figures

Fig. 1. Cantharis (Cantharis) kviumi sp. nov. ALDC0567/ALD.Ba.Can.28 in Baltic amber.A: Holotype, dorsal view, bar = 1.0 mm; B: Holotype, ventral view, bar = 1.0 mm.

Fig. 2. Cantharis (Cantharis) kviumi sp. nov.ALDC0567/ALD.Ba.Can.28 in Baltic amber.A: Holotype, detail of head and pronotum, bar = 0.4 mm; B: Holotype, detail of head and palps (lateral view), bar = 0.2 mm; C: Holotype, ventral view (detail), bar = 1.0 mm; D: Holotype, detail of legs and last ventrites, bar = 0.5 mm.