Sucinorhagonycha maryae, PANKOWSKI & Fanti, 2023

PANKOWSKI, MAXIMILIAN G. & Fanti, FABRIZIO FANTI, 2023, Six new species of fossil soldier beetles (Coleoptera: Cantharidae) from Eocene Baltic amber, Palaeoentomology 6 (3), pp. 300-312 : 301-303

Sucinorhagonycha maryae sp. nov.

( Fig. 1 )

Holotype. Female , inclusion in Baltic amber, housed at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, USNM PAL 787823 .

Syninclusions: Air bubbles and debris.

Etymology. Species named in honor of Mary K. Pankowski, the first author’s elder sister and trusted advisor.

Diagnosis. The specimen clearly belongs to the genus Sucinorhagonycha based on its securiform last maxillary palpomere, long elytra, filiform and 12-segmented antennae, the pronotum without lobes at the sides, and the simple claws without lobes and denticles.

Based on its transverse pronotum, the new species described here is most similar to S. kulickae Kuśka, 1996 , but it differs from the latter species in the length of the antennomeres; in particular, the antennomere V of the new species is long and distinctly longer than III, while it is very short and as long as the third in S. kulickae . The new species is also significantly larger than the holotype of S. kulickae , which is only 4.5 mm in length ( Kuśka, 1996; Fanti & Pankowski, 2018; Kazantsev, 2020). Kubisz (2000) describes the female of S. kulickae ; however, given the enormous difference with the holotype (a male), we are convinced that it is a different species.

Locality and horizon. Amber mine in the Yantarny settlement, Sambian Peninsula, Kaliningrad region, Russia. Middle Eocene (Lutetian) (47.8–41.2 Ma) to late Eocene (Priabonian) (37.8–33.9 Ma).

Description. Female, defined on the basis of the short antennae and last sternite small and rounded. Body length: about 7.0 mm. Body entirely dark brown.

Adult, winged, elongate. Head elongate, rounded at sides, not completely exposed, wrinkled with shallow punctation and short setae. Eyes rounded, convex, located in upper lateral part of head.

Mandibles robust, elongate, falciform. Maxillary palps 4-segmented and unequal in length, with the last palpomere strongly securiform. Labial palps 3-segmented, with the last palpomere strongly securiform.Antennae 12- segmented, filiform, relatively short, reaching to about half of elytra, all segments pubescent; antennomere I (scape) club-shaped, enlarged apically; antennomere II robust, short, about 2.0 times shorter than scape; antennomere III robust, longer than second; antennomere IV robust, longer than antennomere III; antennomeres V–VII robust, the longest except for the scape; antennomeres VIII–IX robust, subequal, slightly shorter than previous ones; antennomere X slightly shorter than previous ones; antennomere XI shorter than antennomere X; antennomere XII elongate, equal to or very slightly longer than antennomeres V– VII, rounded at apex. Pronotum transverse, wider than head, corners rounded, margins and sides straight and bordered, surface with large and deep punctation and equipped with many setae. Scutellum wide, triangular shaped, with rounded apex. Elytra very elongate, slender, parallel-sided, surpassing the last abdominal segments, wider than pronotum, apex rounded, surface wrinkled and equipped with long setae. Hind wings transparent, longer than elytra. Metasternum elongate, punctate; sternites and tergites punctate and transverse; last tergite elongate, rounded at apex; last sternite much smaller than last tergite, rounded at apex. Legs short, thin; coxae massive, robust, elongate; trochanters elongate, rounded at apex; femora almost straight, profemora sturdier than meso- and metafemora, cylindrical; tibiae cylindrical, thin, with apical spur, pro- and mesotibiae shorter than pro- and mesofemora, metatibiae as long as metafemora. First tarsomere elongate; second tarsomere about 1.9 times shorter than first; third tarsomere shorter than second, triangular shaped, with apical margin straight; fourth tarsomere bilobed at sides with the lobes very long, curved; fifth tarsomere elongate, thin, curved; claws simple, without lobes or denticles. Male unknown.

Remarks. The yellow rectangular and elongate amber piece measures approximately 20 × 6 × 8 mm. The inclusion is complete.The legs and head on the ventral side have white emulsion. The surface has some oxidation.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Sucinorhagonycha maryae sp. nov. in Baltic amber. Holotype (USNM PAL 787823). A, Dorsal view. B, Dorso-lateral view. C, Lateral view. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.