Juratelacrima ballingi, Fanti & Damgaard, 2018

Fanti, Fabrizio & Damgaard, Anders Leth, 2018, Fossil soldier beetles from Baltic amber of the Anders Damgaard amber collection (Coleoptera Cantharidae), Baltic Journal of Coleopterology 18 (1), pp. 1-32 : 12-13

Juratelacrima ballingi n. sp.

( Fig. 9 )

Holotype. Male, in Baltic amber, accession No. ALDC0458 / ALD. Ba.Can. 22

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).

Differential diagnosis. The new genus is similar to Rhagonycha , from which it differs in the pronotum not anteriorly narrowed and in the claws simple instead of bifid at the apex. The third tarsomere, straight at apex, not bilobed, is also present in the members of the tribe Podabrini Gistel, 1856 , but they have the head distinctly constricted behind the eyes and the pronotum mostly truncate anteriorly ( Pelletier & Hébert 2014). Furthermore, the fossil genus Sucinorhagonycha Kuśka, 1996 has 12 antennomeres and claws simple, without denticles or lobes ( Kuśka 1996; Kubisz 2000; Fanti 2017a).

Description. Adult, winged, slender. Male, defined on the basis of the long antennae and last sternite narrow. Body length ~ 7.2 mm; elytra 6.0 mm; antennal length ~ 6.3-6.4 mm. Entirely blackish. Head not completely exposed, wider than pronotum, roundish, slightly elongated backwards the eyes, surface slightly rugose and with small punctation and setae, frons concave. Eyes wide, lateral on head, rounded, covering around half of the temples, interocular distance ~1.2 times greater than eye diameter. Mandibles smooth without denticles, wide at base and thin at apex. Maxillary palps unequal, 4-segmented, with the last palpomere securiform. Labial palps 3-segmented, with long articles and the last palpomere elongated and pointed. Antennae 11- segmented, filiform, very elongated, reaching almost the apex of the elytra and almost the last abdominal segment, inserted in proximity to the eye and in its central-anterior part; scape very robust, elongated and cylindrical, slightly enlarged in the middle; pedicel thin, short and ~2.3 times shorter than scape; antennomere III filiform, elongated and 2.8 times longer than pedicel; antennomeres IV-IX filiform, subequal, very elongated and slightly longer than third; antennomere X filiform, slightly shorter than previous; antennomere XI thin and as long as IV; all articles equipped with short setae on the sides. Pronotum narrower than elytra, longer than wide; lateral margins parallel; surface with erected pubescence, gibbous with two longitudinal thickenings in the basal part and parts near the apical and basal margins transversely concave; apical margin extended. Scutellum triangular. Elytra elongated, covering the last abdominal segments, parallel-sided; apex rounded; surface smooth covered with erected and scattered setae. Posterior wings dark brown, almost completely covered by elytra. Sternum and abdominal segments with short pubescence; last sternite and tergite elongated, narrow, with long setae. Legs elongated, covered with dense and numerous setae; coxae massive, elongated and globular; trochanters elongated; femora cylindrical, slightly enlarged, not curved; tibiae thin, cylindrical, slightly longer than femora. Tarsi 5-segmented; first tarsomere elongated, about 1.8 times longer than second; second tarsomere straight at margin; third tarsomere shorter than second, not bilobed at sides; fourth short, bilobed; fifth elongated, thinner than others; claws simple with small and obtuse lobe at base.

Etymology. This new species is named in memory of the Danish film and TV director Erik Balling (Nyborg, 29 November 1924 - Gentofte, 19 November 2005).

Syninclusions. Wood remains.

Remarks. The amber piece is very transparent, rounded and measures 24 x 22 x 6 mm. The inclusion is complete, except for the left antenna that is preserved until the antennomere II.

Figures

Fig. 9. Juratelacrima ballingi n. gen. et n. sp. in Baltic amber. A: Holotype, dorsal view, bar = 1.0 mm; B: Holotype, lateral view, bar = 1.0 mm; C: Holotype, detail of head and pronotum, bar = 500 μm; D: Holotype, detail of tarsomere and claws, bar = 100 μm; E: Holotype, detail of palps, bar = 100 μm.