Europharinodes schaufussi Yin & Cai sp. nov.

Figs 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Type material.

Holotype (#SNUC-Paleo-0102), deposited in SNUC; a complete, well-preserved male in a 11.6 mm × 7.1 mm × 7.0 mm transparent yellow amber piece, without syninclusions; two surfaces regarding beetle’s lateral and dorsal aspect were cut and polished for observation and photography.

Locality and horizon.

Amber mined from the open-pit mine in Yantarny (Fig. 6), Kaliningrad region, Russia; layers between the Bartonian-Priabonian "Wilde Erde" plus "Blaue Erde" and the lower Lutetian "Untere Blaue Erde"; mid-Eocene, 45.0-38.0 Ma (Bukejs et al. 2019).

Diagnosis.

As for the genus (vide supra), plus the following: body length approximately 2.1 mm; male antennae lacking modifications; sternites 4 and 5 each with a nodule at middle; aedeagus relatively stout, with short basoventral projection, median lobe with large basal capsule and dorsal diaphragm, sclerotized endophallus present, parameres elongate, each with two long setae at the apex.

Description.

Male. Body (Figs 2B-D; 3A, B) length approximately 2.1 mm. Most surface of body covered with squamous setae. Head (Fig. 3E-G) roundly triangular, sub-rectangular at base, slightly longer than wide, length 0.47 mm, width across eyes 0.45 mm, length/width 1.04; vertex roughly punctate, almost flat, distinct vertexal foveae (dorsal tentorial pits) located above level of posterior margin of eyes; frons with narrow and short rostrum, anteriorly confluent with sharply declining clypeus, impressed between slightly raised antennal tubercles; clypeus with smooth surface, anterior margin broadly rounded, carinate and moderately raised; ocular-mandibular carina absent; postgenal region moderately projected. Venter with small, broadly separated gular foveae (posterior tentorial pits) in transverse impression, longitudinally ridged along middle, weakly impressed admesally. Compound eyes large and prominent, each composed of approximately 30 ommatidia, vertical length of eye/temple 2.1. Antenna moderately elongate, length 0.90 mm, lacking modification; antennomeres with rough surfaces; distinct club (Fig. 2B-D, F) formed by enlarged apical three antennomeres; antennomere 1 thick, subcylindrical, 2 and 3 each slightly elongate, 2 slightly longer and wider than 3, 4-7 subequal in width, approximately as long as wide, 8 shortest, slightly transverse, 9 enlarged, slightly longer than wide (including basal stalk), 10 as long as and slightly wider than 9, 11 largest, approximately as long as 9 and 10 combined, 1.24 times as broad as 10.

Prothorax with dense squamous setae (Fig. 3C). Pronotum (Fig. 4A) approximately as long as wide, length 0.42 mm, width 0.41 mm, length/width 1.02, widest at middle; sides rounded, convergent apically and basally; disc moderately convex; with distinct median and lateral antebasal foveae. Hypomeron confluent with prosternum, with antero-hypomeral fovea (Fig. 4B, C; ahf), lacking hypomeral ridge. Prosternum with anterior part much shorter than coxal part, with small, broadly separated lateral procoxal foveae (Fig. 4C; lpcf); margin of coxal cavity moderately carinate.

Elytra (Fig. 4D) with squamous setae finer than those of pronotum and abdomen, much wider than long, length 0.71 mm, width 0.90 mm, length/width 0.79 mm; each elytron with two large basal foveae and two distinct discal striae; humerus weakly prominent, lacking subhumeral fovea or marginal stria. Hindwing fully developed, membranous.

Mesoventrite short, well-demarcated from metaventrite; median mesoventral foveae (Fig. 4E; mmsf) moderately separated, with large lateral mesoventral fovea, mesoventral process short. Metaventrite distinctly raised admesally, inclined towards middle, with well-developed lateral mesocoxal (Fig. 4F; lmcf) and single median metaventral fovea (Fig. 4F; mmtf), posterior margin broadly emarginate, convex at middle, with small, short median split (Fig. 4F; ms).

Legs moderately elongate, lacking modification; mesotrochanter elongate; all femora coarsely punctate; tarsi with short tarsomeres 1 and long tarsomeres 2 and 3, with 3 slightly longer than 2; each tarsus with two sub-equal pretarsal claws (Fig. 2G).

Abdomen widest at lateral margins of paratergite 1 (IV), length 0.64 mm, width 0.66 mm; whole surface covered with broad squamous setae. Tergite 1 (IV) slightly longer than 2 (V), deeply and broadly sulcate at base, at least with one pair of basolateral foveae, lacking discal carina; tergite 2-4 (IV-VII) subequal in length along midline, each distinctly sulcate at base and with one pair of basolateral foveae (Fig. 4G; blf), tergite 5 (VIII) semicircular, transverse, posterior margin roundly emarginate at middle; accompanying paratergites 1-3 (Fig. 4G; pt1-3) broad, 4 triangular. Sternites successively shorter; sternites 2-5 (IV-VII) medially slightly impressed, each with broad sulcus at base and one pair of basolateral foveae (Fig. 4G; blf), lacking carina, 4 and 5 each with single nodule at middle (Fig. 4I; mn), sternite 6 (VIII) transverse, posterior margin broadly emarginate.

Aedeagus (Fig. 5D-F, I-K) 0.28 mm long, dorso-ventrally symmetrical, median lobe (Fig. 5E, J; ml) with large basal capsule (Fig. 5E, J; bc) and dorsal diaphragm (Fig. 5D, I; dd), narrowed towards apex and moderately bent ventrally, basoventral projection (Fig. 5E, J; bp) short; endophallus (Fig. 5G-J; en) well-sclerotized; parameres (Fig. 5E, J; pa) paired, elongate, rounded at apices, each with two long apical setae.

Female. Unknown.

Etymology.

The new species is named after the German naturalist Ludwig W. Schaufuss (1833- 1890), who described most of the known fossil pselaphines from Baltic amber.