Tetraphalerus penalveri, Soriano & Delclòs, 2006

Soriano, Carmen & Delclòs, Xavier, 2006, New cupedid beetles from the Lower Cretaceous of Spain and the palaeogeography of the family, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 51 (1), pp. 185-200 : 186-187

Tetraphalerus penalveri sp. nov.

Figs. 1B , 2B .

Type locality: Quarry near Rubies , Sta. Maria de Meià , Sierra del Montsec, Lleida Province, Spain .

Type horizon: Calcaires lithographiques à Plantes et Vértébres de la Pedrera de Rubies Fm. , Barremian, Lower Cretaceous ( Martín−Closas and López−Morón 1995) .

Derivation of the name: After the Spanish palaeoentomologist E. Peñalver.

Material.— Holotype only ( DEPGM LP 0058 ), part and counterpart, from La Pedrera de Meià fossil site, in the Montsec Range (Lleida, Spain). Exemplar well preserved, lacking part of antennae and legs.

Diagnosis.—One of the smaller species of the genus, from the Tetraphalerus bruchi series (presence of two prominences in the vertex). From the smallest species of this series with similar ratio between last and penultimate ventrites, differs in the transverse head.

Description.—Measurements: length 6.6 mm; width 2.6 mm; elytra length 3.8 mm. Beetle small and flat. Head transverse, about 1.3 times as wide as long, narrowed roundly after eyes; temples as long as eyes, not projected laterally, vertex with two flat oval prominences, with posterior edge widened. Eyes comparatively big, about as long as mandibles. Scape 1.8 times longer than pedicel, equal in length to antennomeres 3–5, somewhat as wide as long. Neck−like constriction clear, two times shorter than the occipital part of head. Pronotum 1.5 times longer than wider, lateral edges flattened, anterior and posterior angles rounded; pronotal disc bearing two flat oval prominences. Procoxae rounded and contiguous. Mesosternum transverse, about 1.4 times wider than longer. Mesocoxae 1.4 times longer than wider, trochantin elongated. Metasternum nearly quadrate, almost as long as wide at its posterior edge, with longitudinal and transverse sutures clearly expressed. Metacoxae sub−triangular, roundly narrowed laterally. Abdomen with 5 visible ventrites, last ventrite about 1.6 times as long as previous one. Elytra about 3.5 times as long as wide, epipleural rim comparatively narrow. Pro− and mesofemora somewhat longer than metafemora. Body covered with shallow puntuation.

Figures

Fig. 1. Camera lucida drawings of Barremian (Early Cretaceous) ommatin Tetraphalerus from Spain. A. Tetraphalerus ponomarenkoi sp. nov. Holotype MCCM LH 78a, part, Las Hoyas, Cuenca Province, dorsal (A1) and ventral (A2) aspects. B. Tetraphalerus penalveri sp. nov. Holotype DEPGM LP 0058b, counterpart, La Pedrera, Lleida Province, dorsal (B1) and ventral (B2) aspects. Scale bars 2 mm.

Fig. 2. Barremian (Early Cretaceous) ommatins Tetraphalerus, Cionocoleus (both Ommatini), Brochocoleus (Brochocoleini), and Zygadenia (Notocupedini) from Spain. A. Tetraphalerus ponomarenkoi sp. nov. Holotype MCCM LH 78a, part, Las Hoyas, Cuenca Province. B. Tetraphalerus penalveri sp. nov. Holotype DEPGM LP 0058b, counterpart, La Pedrera, Lleida Province. C. Cionocoleus longicapitis sp. nov. Holotype IEI LP 0164G, La Pedrera, Lleida Province. D. Brochocoleus indibili sp. nov. Holotype IEI LC 4636a, part, La Cabrúa, Lleida Province. E. Zygadenia viridis sp. nov. Holotype MCCM LH 1805a, part, Las Hoyas, Cuenca Province. F. Zygadenia oculata sp. nov. Holotype IEI LC 3675a, part, La Cabrúa, Lleida Province. Scale bars 2 mm.