Psyllototus doeberli, Bukejs, Andris & Nadein, Konstantin, 2013

Bukejs, Andris & Nadein, Konstantin, 2013, A second species of Psyllototus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini) from the Upper Eocene Baltic amber, Zootaxa 3609 (5), pp. 465-470 : 466

Psyllototus doeberli sp. nov.

( Figs 1–5 )

Type material. Holotype: “Nr. 013” [white printed label], “ Holotype / Psyllototus doeberli sp. nov. / Bukejs, Nadein det. 2012” [red printed label]; sex unknown (Institute of Systematic Biology, Daugavpils University, Daugavpils, Latvia). A rather clear complete beetle; the mouthparts and part of the ventral side of the specimen are obscured by a “milky” cover. The specimen is embedded in a small, thin subquadrangular amber piece (length about 13 mm, width 11 mm, and weight 0.3 g). Other animals or plant syninclusions are absent in the studied amber piece.

Type strata. Baltic Amber, Upper Eocene, Prussian Formation.

Type locality. Yantarny, Kaliningrad region, Russia.

Etymology. This species is dedicated to our colleague Manfred Döberl (Abensberg, Germany), a famous specialist in Alticini .

Diagnosis. Psyllototus doeberli sp. nov. differs from P. progenitor in having a wider pronotum, barely narrower than elytral base, with smaller and finer punctation; wider and flat elytral intervals with sparse, weaker punctures on striae.

Description. Body length 1.75 mm, maximum width 0.9 mm; oblong, dorsally weakly convex, glabrous, ventrally moderately convex. General color dark brown, shiny; antenna, tibiae and tarsi paler, rufous, dull.

Head hypognathous, transverse, evenly convex dorsally; without punctation, covered with very fine rugosity. Eyes laterad, convex, large, vertical diameter 1.4 times more than transverse diameter; with moderately large, distinct facets; distance between eyes nearly equal to vertical diameter of one eye. Antenna filiform, 11-segmented, inserted close to each to other, distance between antennal sockets subequal to diameter of one socket; moderately long, extends beyond basal 1/3 of elytra. Scape larger and thicker than second antennomere; pedicel thick, subcylindrical, approximately 1.9 times as long as wide; antennomeres 3-7 moderately thin, long, 2.3-2.0 times as long as wide, weakly widened distally; antennomeres 8-11 subequal, comparatively longer and thicker than seventh antennomere; apex of last antennomere pointed. Antennal calli weakly convex, transverse; supracallinal sulcus narrow, curved; ocular sulcus deep, straight; frontal ridge short, sharp.

Pronotum transverse, approximately 1.7 times wider than long, weakly convex; widest in anterior 1/3; covered with sparse, moderately fine punctures distinctly smaller than elytral punctures, interspaces 2-4 times larger than diameter of a puncture, covered with smooth microsculpture; basal margin of pronotum distinctly bisinuate; base of pronotum barely narrower than base of elytra; anterior angle with very long seta, about as long as pronotum.

Scutellum small, subtriangular, flat, with rounded apex. Elytra elongate oval, with subparallel sides in middle, moderately convex, about 1.4 times as long as wide, widest near middle. Humeral calli well developed, distinctly projecting. Elytral punctures moderately large, dense, arranged in regular striae, basal punctures larger and deeper than apical punctures; striae distinct throughout entire length of elytra; distance between punctures in striae equal to 1.0-1.5 times diameter of a puncture; interstriae flat, covered with secondary punctation especially distinct and dense in basal 1/3, and smooth microsculpture; distance between striae approximately 2.0-3.5 times diameter of a puncture. Hindwings present. Pro-, meso-, metasterna and abdomimanl ventrites with smooth microsculpture, punctation absent, except for a row of punctures on anterior and posterior margins. Prohypomera smooth. Epipleura subhorizontal, wide anteriorly, gradually narrowing posteriorly, reaching elytral apex, with row of punctures near inner margin. Abdomen with five visible ventrites; ventrites 2-5 distally with semierect fine setae, fifth ventrite laterally with thicker seatae; first ventrite longest, distinctly longer than second and third together; last ventrite approximately as long as two preceding ventrites together; basal margin of first ventrite with a row of punctures. Pygidium with punctures and semierect fine setae. Legs moderately long, thin. Metafemur distinctly swollen, covered with semierect fine setae, shagreened; metatibiae as long as metafemur, its distal half dorsally with two longitudinal lateral ridges bearing minute denticles; metatibial spur simple, moderately long, inserted submedialy; first metatarsomere twice as long as second metatarsomere, third metatarsomere bilobed. Claws appendiculate.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 2. Psyllototus doeberli sp. nov., holotype: 1 — habitus, dorso-lateral view, 2 — habitus, ventro-lateral view (photos by Marius Veta).

FIGURES 3 – 5. Psyllototus doeberli sp. nov., holotype: 3 — details of forebody, 4 — antenna, 5 — metatibia and metatarsus (photos by Marius Veta).