Loeblitoides Jałoszyński, 2019

Jałoszyński, Paweł & Szawaryn, Karol, 2024, Characters of a new species of the Cretaceous genus † Loeblitoides affirm affinities to the extant ‘ Syndicus group’ of Stenichnini (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 5497 (1), pp. 123-132 : 125

Genus † Loeblitoides Jałoszyński, 2019

Type species. † Loeblitoides separatus Jałoszyński, 2019 .

Remarks and emended diagnosis. † Loeblitoides was defined as a stenichnine genus characterized by the following set of adult morphological features: body with distinct constrictions between head and prothorax and between prothorax and elytra; the head capsule with the 'neck' region narrower than half width of the head; the anterior (exposed) portion of the head broader than pronotum, with the anterior margin of frons bisinuate and developed as a distinct ridge; the frontoclypeal groove present; the clypeus prominent, subtrapezoidal, weakly transverse, not constricted posteriorly, tapered anteriorly; mandibles symmetrical, conspicuously large, each mandible with a pair of mesal preapical teeth; the maxillary palpomere 1 distinctly elongate; the maxillary palpomere 2 strongly elongate, weakly thickened and distinctly bent at an obtuse angle; the palpomere 3 strongly elongate, weakly thickened; the palpomere 4 subconical and slender; compound eyes situated closer to the antennal insertions than to the posterior margin of head, but due to the large clypeus eyes are at about middle between mandibular bases and the posterior margin of head; antennae inserted lateroanteriorly, broadly separated, each composed of 11 elongate, loosely assembled antennomeres, of which 2–11 have basal subconical or ring-like portions demarcated by a distinct edge; antennomeres 3–5 with long spines on mesal (anterior when antennae are spread laterally) and external lateral (posterior) margins, each mesal spine inserted on a distinct projection or papilla, similar spines, reducing in length and width, are also present on more distal antennomeres, but lacking basal papillae; antennomere 11 reduced, much smaller than 10, and antennomeres 10 and 11 demarcated by a shallow constriction; the pronotum bellshaped and elongate, broadest far in front of middle, with anterior and lateral margins confluent, without marked anterior corners, sides sinuate, posterior corners distinct, lateral carinae present in posterior half, the pronotum with a deep posteromedian discal 'cavity' surrounded by setae directed towards its center, the cavity flanked by a pair of shallow, strongly elongate impressions adjacent to lateral carinae; the basisternal region of the prosternum about twice as long as the coxal area, with the prosternal process non-carinate, subtriangular, not elevated and not separating procoxae; the mesoventrite with a narrow and weakly elevated median carina in front of mesocoxae, the latter contiguous; the metaventrite with a distinct anterior metaventral process with a well-defined tip just behind mesocoxae; the metaventral intercoxal process short, broadly subtriangular and not separating metacoxae; lateral margins of metacoxae reaching lateral metaventral margins; each elytron with one asetose basal fovea; the scutellar shield not exposed between elytral bases.

The newly discovered specimen shows all of these features (as much as they can be observed under a light stereomicroscope and in 3D micro-computed tomography reconstructions), except for the number of the basal elytral foveae. In intact extant adults of Stenichnini , the foveae are either situated on the elytral articulating lobe (and then partly or completely covered by the pronotal base), or on the discal region, just behind the transverse ridge or step-wise border between the articulating lobe and the disc (and then fully exposed). When the basal foveae are situated on the articulating lobe, usually a pair of impressions, or (less frequently) one impression on the base of the elytral disc marks their placement. One such an impression was observed in the holotype of † Loeblitoides separatus , and therefore this character state was interpreted as a single basal fovea. In the new species described below, the pronotal base exposes not only the elytral articulating lobe, but also the scutellar shield, both structures in intact beetles hidden under the posterior prothoracic margin that overlaps with the elytral base.

The diagnosis of † Loeblitoides must be modified to correct the misinterpreted number of the basal elytral foveae, their previously unknown structure, and the newly observed scutellar shield, as follows: each elytron with a pair of asetose basal foveae connected by an inversely U-shaped groove extending onto elytral articulating lobe; and the scutellar shield distinctly elongate, only its very tip exceeding posteriorly the border between the elytral articulating lobe and the elytral disc, but this portion is too small to be observable in intact specimens.